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BryanArd

Active Member
Sponsor
Folks, I have been to Sun/Fun numerous times, starting in the early '90's. It seems that over the past few years, the cost has gone up and attendance has gone down.

I am NOT complaining about the cost, but I did see something at this year's event that made my blood boil.....TRASH, TRASH, AND MORE TRASH!!!!!!!!!!! It was all over the place after the airshow!!! I even saw dirty diapers just thrown on the ground!!!

I have NEVER seen trash at any other fly-ins, even this one, up until now. Sun/Fun management needs to re-think their policy about allowing the general public access...or the attendance of EAA types will continue to decline.

On a lighter note, I did have a great time camping with my son and hangar flying with some of you. I will continue to go, but it just doesn't seem the same as it has been in the past, at least to me.
 
Funny you mention this. I brought a new builder with me and commented to him that you would never see trash like that at OSH.
 
N941WR said:
Funny you mention this. I brought a new builder with me and commented to him that you would never see trash like that at OSH.
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Osh & Disneyland ---- clean!

Haven't been to the Reno Air Races lately, but it would usually be trashed under the grand stands. Even seen a full turkey carcass once.

Some people are just PIGS! :(

L.Adamson
 
The trash this year was unusual but was mostly centered around the trash bin locations. The problem was systematic - not enough bins and not enough collections.

There will always be the family who drops their plastic drink containers - yeah i saw that happen - ignorance.

It was very hot and lots of drinks were being purchased and the SnF guys miscalculated.

However, from what i heard and saw, most people who made it had fun...in the sun!! :))
 
Not trying to make excuses for the slops, but the trash pick up may have been hampered by how wet the field was to run trash pickups on. Just a guess on my part, but it was muddy as a pig pen (smelled like one too) for 3-4 days.
 
Trash etc

I was there from Thursday to Sunday. Fine weather and no reason not to be able to collect the trash. I noted a significant number of smokers around aircraft and especially during the night airshow when the cigars came out. Sad to say one cigar can stink up a wide area when there is no breeze.
Witnessed a near disaster when the gas line on a grill popped off resulting in a very fast and large fire engulfing the grill which was next to a large motorhome and a Beaver on floats. Lucky there was a fire extinguisher close by or it would have made the news.

My impression is that the Sun-N-Fun leadership needs to spend more focus on the basics. I wouldn't complain of the price if the event is well run, and safe.

RS
 
Gary Bricker

I have been for the past 5+ years and have not seen much improvement with the facilities. Draft fans in the buildings and gravel in the auto parking lots and work on the aircraft parking area. Where does all the money go. I noticed one vender not coming next year and serveral from years past not there.
 
From the "We are indeed our brother's keeper" department:

N941WR said:
...commented to him that you would never see trash like that at OSH.
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No kidding. I noticed that at OSH, even if you walk by a piece of trash on the ground that wasn't yours and if you don't stop to pick it up and throw it in a can, then you're considered as guilty as whoever threw it down in the first place.
 
I was there early in the week and did not notice much, what I did see I picked up and dumped into the trash bins. There was a breeze and even an umbrella flew twenty feet in the air, so I'm sure some trash got away also.
 
Grandy said:
I was there from Thursday to Sunday. Fine weather and no reason not to be able to collect the trash. I noted a significant number of smokers around aircraft and especially during the night airshow when the cigars came out.

My impression is that the Sun-N-Fun leadership needs to spend more focus on the basics. I wouldn't complain of the price if the event is well run, and safe.

RS
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Yep...Cups, paper, etc. is one thing, but again, I saw DIRTY DIAPERS on the ground! And, they were NOT near a trash can. I, too, noticed people smoking around airplanes. In the warbird area, I saw people climbing all over the A-10. This was not a static display, it flew in.

I have never seen so much "riff-raff" at this show before (underwear showing above the pants, belly button and nipple rings, hats on sideways, etc.). What a shame...
 
I was there wed & thursday and didn't see any discarded trash.
The majority of my time was in the exhibit area, homebuilt & warbird sections.

Immediately after the airshow on thursday while we were all getting in position to go to our planes for departure, the announcer made a comment on how clean and respectful the crowd was in keeping the area clean.

I don't remember seeing anybody smoking near aircraft. I dislike smokers.

Maybe we had a different crowd during the week vs weekends.
 
DanLandry said:
I was there wed & thursday and didn't see any discarded trash.
The majority of my time was in the exhibit area, homebuilt & warbird sections.

Immediately after the airshow on thursday while we were all getting in position to go to our planes for departure, the announcer made a comment on how clean and respectful the crowd was in keeping the area clean.

I don't remember seeing anybody smoking near aircraft. I dislike smokers.

Maybe we had a different crowd during the week vs weekends.
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Bingo. Saturday was "1/2 off for Florida residents" or something like that. Add that to the attraction of the Thunderbirds and you got a good collection of locals who are not typical participants in fly-in's.
 
Kyle Boatright said:
Bingo. Saturday was "1/2 off for Florida residents" or something like that. Add that to the attraction of the Thunderbirds and you got a good collection of locals who are not typical participants in fly-in's.
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I agree. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but this is EXACTLY why a lot of people are not going any more. Someone else said that Sun-n-Fun, and possibly OSH, have gotten away from their roots, and I believe that to be true.

I remember seeing rows upon rows of Long-EZ's, Velocities, Cozys, Stardusters, Skybolts, Christen Eagles, Glasairs, Lacairs, and of course...RV's ;). Not any more. I hope I am wrong, but these fly-ins seem to be turning into just another airshow.
 
1/2 off day

I think the half off day on weekends is BS. $5 bucks off for EAA members but a FL drivers license gets you in for half off. What kind of crud is that? I think they are just trying to drum up attendance numbers to justify the $$$ they demand from Polk county each year. On top of that they allow the general public paw all over privately owned airplanes. I remember back in the 90's they were very strict about the flight line passes.

We have several local pilots predicting that Sun N Fun won't be around in a few years unless they get their act together soon.
 
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