Sun N Fun '07 Redux

What? A complaint about =airplane= noise? From a pilot? Jay, no less?
At an airshow?

Whodathunkit?

I know it's funny -- Mary and I had a good laugh about it, as we were
cursing the pilot. It was SO ironic that Boyer would hire someone to
do his publicity in a way that created such ire.

But it was entirely innocently done. The pilot had NO idea what was
under him, in the dark, as he pushed the power forward. All he wanted
to do was get his "target" runway back underneath him...

What kind of airbed do you use? I find them to be appalling - I sink to
the ground in the middle, and all the air goes out to the sides, so I
sleep sort of folded up. Even if it's pumped up hard.

I'm not sure of the brand, but I think it may be Coleman. It does
appear to be optimally designed for two people -- when one of us gets
up, the other sinks dramatically. (Although we won't "bottom out"
unless the bed isn't inflated sufficiently.)

Nevertheless it is vastly superior to the old foam roll-up mattresses,
or (worse) the old blow-up air mattresses. The new ones come with
their own battery-powered blower, and we never added air all week.
They've really got seam-sealing technology perfected in the last few
years.

We've taken to bringing them on motel stays with the kids, as they
prefer the comfort of the air bed over any roll-away or pull-out
couch.

- Much of Florida is still completely undeveloped. Between
Tallahassee and Lakeland there is a lot of absolutely nothing except
trees, even along the sunny Gulf Coast.

I suspect there's a good reason for that. I think a lot of Florida is
sort of low and swampy.

Lots of it is pulp mill forests, too. It's quite pretty, and
unexpected in "the Sunshine State".

I was at SnF a few years ago, and had a great time. It seems you had a
smaller version. What do you get at Oshkosh that you don't get at SnF
(besides mosquitos the size of thunderstorms, and thunderstorms the size
of small states?)

We had a fantastic time at SNF, but there are many things about OSH
that are simply superior to SNF, and many things that are simply
different. Off the top of my head, I would say the superior things
a

- Runway Layout. OSH, having two major runways, plus several little
ones that can be closed during the show, is superior to LAL that has
only two runways.

This sounds trivial, but it's not. Being able to utilize two runways
simultaneously means that the airshow flows better in OSH, the inbound
and outbound traffic flows better, it provides much more airspace to
operate, and thus it's safer.

- Size matters. If you want to see EVERYTHING in aviation, you can
get it at OSH. If you want to see lots of things in aviation, SNF
will do. That's not the same.

- Ground Transportation. OSH has the art of people moving down to a
real science. Everyone, from the State Troopers out on Hwy 41, to the
newest volunteer, understands that keeping the crowd and traffic
flowing is essential.

If you ever drive into OSH, you'll see what I mean, as they have
entire thoroughfares that become one-way in (or out), depending on the
demands of the AirVenture grounds.

There's even a helicopter in the air at all times, directing which
parking lots and roads should be released next, so that traffic never
bogs unnecessarily. It's just an amazing system that has evolved over
many years.

And the tram system at OSH is simply outstanding, while the trams at
SNF are okay at best.

- Grounds Layout. The OSH grounds are laid out in a very logical grid
that makes navigating around the immense show area simple. SNF,
though smaller, is more difficult to navigate, simply because things
are not laid out on a grid.

- EAA. Say what you will about it, EAA is a class act, with a HUGE
resource of volunteers. This gives OSH a focus and an esprit de corps
that SNF doesn't seem to have.

I liken SNF to a frat party -- pretty well done, but not overly
thought out -- while OSH is more like a shareholder's meeting.
Everything is PERFECT at OSH, and has been for many, many years. SNF
is still trying to get it just right.

- Tradition. OSH is the grand old lady of fly-ins, and everyone from
the FAA on down seems to know the routine. People revel in OSH, and
take owndership of it, and wear its attendance like a red badge of
courage. Although I love it dearly, SNF is a distant second in this
regard.

I like Sun N Fun a lot -- it is a fantastic way to start off the
aviation "season" -- but it's still got a long ways to go to match
OSH.

Incidentally, in 25 years of attendance, I've only found the mosquitos
at OSH to be annoying once -- when we were parked next to a drainage
ditch in an unusually wet year. Most of the time they are simply not
an issue.

And weather? I've had far tougher weather getting to/from SNF than
I've ever had at OSH. April weather is simply wild, compared to July.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

It was SO ironic that Boyer would hire someone to
do his publicity in a way that created such ire.

Well, that's how non-pilots feel about noise over their house near the
runway. Not to justify anything, but if you feel the same way (here),
it might help understand the ire they feel, and help see where it might
(or might not) be justified. Just apply the same reasonsing to both cases.

[the air mattress] does appear to be optimally
designed for two people -- when one of us gets
up, the other sinks dramatically.

I've heard rumors about air mattresses with independent bladders. I
would certainly be interested in that - there could be a separate
bladder for my butt (no noise from the peanut gallery!) and that would
keep everything on the level.

I've tried the camping type air mattresses with the lantern battery
inflators. I think they suck.

- EAA. Say what you will about it, EAA is a class act, with a HUGE
resource of volunteers. This gives OSH a focus and an esprit de corps
that SNF doesn't seem to have.

I thought SnF is also an EAA event.

And weather? I've had far tougher weather getting to/from SNF than
I've ever had at OSH. April weather is simply wild, compared to July.

There is that, but to go to SnF I have to give up a New England March.
That's like giving up sacrifice for Lent. To go to OSH, I have to give
up precious pool weather.

Jose
--
Get high on gasoline: fly an airplane.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

This was my first time, and I really enjoyed meeting Jay and Mary and
soaking up my first 'big fly-in/airshow experience'.
I was only there for Thursday afternoon and all day Friday, and didn't
camp, but it's a start I think I at least managed to see every
part of the grounds with the exception of Choppertown (which required
a tram ride), including a trip out to Lake Parker for a couple of
hours.

The Piper Jet mockup was indeed there, along with lots of other VLJs
and LSAs. I agree that some of the LSAs are almost indistiguishable
from larger aircraft at a distance. It was actually a little odd
seeing them flying around with the ultralights in the pattern at
Paradise City, and at least one landing I watched by one of the
sleeker LSAs pushed the limits of the grass strip length.

I liked Cirrus' marketing scheme. They gave away T-shirts advertising
their new Generation 3 aircraft to anyone who would agree to wear them
out of the booth. I was surprised I didn't see more people wearing
them, but I think the deal was an 'open secret' as I only found out
about it by overhearing the lady at the booth talking to another
customer.

--
Allen Johnson
Raleigh, NC

No problem. I'll give T-shirts away at my forum this year to any female
willing to take her shirt off and put mine on during the forum ... on stage.

Jim




I liked Cirrus' marketing scheme. They gave away T-shirts advertising
their new Generation 3 aircraft to anyone who would agree to wear them
out of the booth.

RST Engineering wrote:
No problem. I'll give T-shirts away at my forum this year to any female
willing to take her shirt off and put mine on during the forum ... on stage.

Even if she has two shirts on? :-)

Matt Whiting wrote:
RST Engineering wrote:

No problem. I'll give T-shirts away at my forum this year to any
female willing to take her shirt off and put mine on during the forum
... on stage.


Even if she has two shirts on? :-)
Damned you Matt, you blew my plan!!!

Margy

Margy Natalie wrote:
Matt Whiting wrote:
RST Engineering wrote:

No problem. I'll give T-shirts away at my forum this year to any
female willing to take her shirt off and put mine on during the forum
... on stage.


Even if she has two shirts on? :-)
Damned you Matt, you blew my plan!!!

Margy

Well, it is still a good plan and you have Jim's word on it! :-)

Matt

Matt Whiting wrote:
Margy Natalie wrote:

Matt Whiting wrote:

RST Engineering wrote:

No problem. I'll give T-shirts away at my forum this year to any
female willing to take her shirt off and put mine on during the
forum ... on stage.



Even if she has two shirts on? :-)

Damned you Matt, you blew my plan!!!

Margy


Well, it is still a good plan and you have Jim's word on it! :-)

Matt
Ok, when's the forum?

Margy (I need a new shirt!)