Observations From SNF '09

[Kyle Boatright]

Originally Posted by Geico266

Say what? I didn't get a beer mug either and I landed and registered on Monday!

Not a beer mug, a free beer!

If you registered as a pilot who flew into the show, you got a package including a hat, a window sticker, and a couple more things, plus a coupon for a free beer from one of the tents along the main drag.

They could have made it a bit better by having someone hand me the beer as I stepped out of the airplane on arrival, but maybe I'm asking for too much. ;-)

[bsacks05]

The free beer must have been in HBC. I parked in the HB area. I am going back to HBC next year. That is a better place to camp because you don't have to schlep back and forth to and from the other camping area, and......there's free beer.
That's where I'll be next year, but right now I'm getting psyched to go to OSH for the first time.

[Jamie]

For those of you in HBC, did your airplanes get covered in dust as well? I've been to Sun-n-fun many times but never to the HBC area. Just wondering if the dust in that area was just as bad. I'm going out this afternoon to finally wash my airplane. It's gonna take a while.

[Sid Lambert]

Yes, HBC has the same dust but it appeared to be much less than HBP. HPB has more people coming and going with the big fan running. No one in HBC starts the engine from the parking place. They are all pull out and then start.

[JDRhodes]

Wait! Hold the thread. FREE beer???

[DGlaeser]

I parked in HBC (as did my son and his wife), and my plane definitely needs a wash. The first time we saw an airplane start up (a Swift in the Classic area) I thought he was burning oil big time! Then we realized it was just the dust. This was my first SNF, so the black dirt was a new experience.
I thought the HBC was quite far from the action, but never ventured over to the GAC area. Which one is better? It was nice having the volunteer trailer and canopy, with water and beer, right there, and coffee & donuts in the morning. The showers were a bit of a hike, but not terrible.

[N941WR]

Lucky for us, they did not burn the grass in HBC before the show so we only had dust to deal with.

My plane still needs a bath and polish, it is FILTHY!

As for the free hats, by accident I found the trick. The first day I walked around talking to vendors with my VAF hat in my backpack and was handed four different hats.

After that, I wore the VAF hat the rest of the week. The only problem I have is that the thing is DIRTY!

Also, someone stopped me and asked where I bought the hat and I told them to contact Doug, not knowing that Avery's had them in their booth. Sorry about the bad info, whoever that was.

[Edit]One last thing... On Monday two matching RV-8's were parked in HBC. One red and the other blue. Nice planes and the pilots were very cool. Unfortunately one of the guys (sorry, I'm not so good at remembering names) kneeled in a fire ant nest as he was setting up his tent. They had to call the EMT's out who worked on him and then took him away. Word is he was returned to HBC around 2 or 2:30. I hope all is well and that they took good care of you.

Bee ()careful out there, airplanes aren't the only thing that can harm you.

[wv4i]

I attended Sun N Fun fm Tues noon to Fri late pm. Parked the motorhome in the back 40, attended numerous forums, walked all the vendors, flight lines, etc. Had a blast. Been going since 2003, camping there for 2nd year. Very nice camping experience, no doubt based on a lot of hard work by volunteers.

Then I returned on Sun with my RV6. I do not think the IP traffic at Lake Parker is ever as orderly as say RIPON, in a given year, but that's not the fault of ATC or the Sun N Fun organizers. Ditto fm the IP to touchdown. Simply put, you really have to pay attention for folks not following the NOTAM'ed arrival procedures.

The ladies at homebuilt registration said that I was homebuilt number 493 for the week as of approx 730 am Sun.

I thought it was a very well run show, and really appreciate the efforts of the volunteers. I'll be back next year.

Dust? I fly from, live on, a grass strip. I have a water wand brush that works great. The Sun N Fun staff even had water trucks out there wetting down the roads. One of the considerations of camping is adequate cover from the elements. I imagine you could rent a camper/motorhome at Sun N Fun, just like OSH, but don't know.

Lastly, I did not run into one single person that I would classify as rude or obnoxious the entire week in Lakeland. Monday morning it was back down to MIA, and the reality of South FL.