The FAA, which predicts nearly 2,000 pilots are headed to Sun ‘n Fun (SNF), has published a NOTAM for the event, effective Monday, April 8, to Sunday, April 14, for the duration of the event. 

• READ MORE: 5 Things to Look Forward to at 2024 Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo

Pilots should read the NOTAM in its entirety, but these are some areas the FAA has called out this year:

VFR Procedures

There are multiple VFR procedures for Sun ‘n Fun arrivals, and they vary depending on the type of aircraft, such as warbirds, ultralights, or aircraft without radios (NORDO), so read the NOTAM carefully.

Contacting Flight Service by Radio

• On initial call-up, advise flight service of your full aircraft identification and which frequency you are using.
• When transmitting on 122.1 and listening to the VOR, check that volume is up.
• Due to frequency congestion, air files and in-flight full route weather briefings are discouraged.

Tips for Enroute

Pilots should acquire the ATIS no later than 60 miles from Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL), noting the arrival runway in use. Follow the published NOTAM procedures for your type of aircraft.

• READ MORE: Sun ‘n Fun 2024: Soar into the Skies with Unforgettable Airshow Spectacles

Pilots are requested to have their landing lights on for extra visibility when they are within 40 nm of KLAL and make sure their transponder remains on during the approach. ATC will contact pilots in the vicinity of Lake Parker’s north shore, using the aircraft “color” and “type” to provide sequencing and other arrival information. When you file your flight plan, make sure to include these.

Pilots will likely be asked to rock their wings in acknowledgment of instructions. Do not transmit unless requested by ATC or if you have an emergency. ATC at Lake Parker controls traffic flow and assigns the KLAL landing runway.

Pilots are cautioned to pick out an aircraft of similar type and speed to follow and remain at least a half mile in trail behind it. Aircraft should not be overtaken nor should the pilots perform S-turns to follow another aircraft. Instead break off the procedure and proceed to the starting point and follow another aircraft of similar speed.

Pilots are encouraged to add at least 30 minutes to their expected time en route with a corresponding fuel load in the event they are required to hold, go around, or divert to an alternate.

All aircraft maintain 100 knots, at 1,200 feet msl.

Aircraft unable to safely slow to this speed should maintain 150 knots at 1,700 msl, with the exception of twin-engine aircraft that should be at an altitude of 2,200 msl.

Pilots should land on either the green or orange dot, per ATC instructions.

Be alert for special event traffic and flyby aircraft using the main runway with opposite-direction base leg entries.

Do not deviate south of Runway 10R/28L in the event of a go-around.

Do not land on the main (wide) Runway 10R/28L unless specifically instructed by ATC.

Do not stop on the runway. High-speed taxi to the end of the runway or follow ATC instructions.

Pilots are asked to close flight plans while airborne.

Due to the large number of aircraft, you may encounter up to a 30-minute delay in parking. Clouds can result in an overdue if the flight plan has not been closed.

If you are one of the nearly 2,000 pilots flying to @SunnFunFlyIn, make sure to review these new arrival procedures for @FlyLakeland Airport. Watch our full video at https://t.co/9MwlAjckl7. #SunNFun #GeneralAviation pic.twitter.com/Ql4dl2bR4q

— The FAA (@FAANews) April 8, 2024

NORDO Procedures

Aircraft not equipped with an air-to-ground radio (NORDO) must land at an airport within approximately 30 minutes of KLAL. Call Lakeland Tower at 863-647-4864 and receive ATC approval for arrival. Specific routes and runway assignment will be issued based on traffic and weather conditions.

To ensure clear and concise communications with ATC, pilots are asked to carry a copy of the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo Domestic Notice aboard their aircraft. Don’t expect the controller to read it to you.

All VFR departures requesting airborne activation of IFR flight plans or VFR flight following in the central Florida area should use published procedures.

• READ MORE: FAA Seeking Pilots for Cognitive Study at Sun ‘n Fun

If the weather at Lakeland or along the route of flight is marginal VFR, it is strongly suggested that the pilot file IFR from their departure airport and receive your IFR clearance and departure release on the ground. As the event creates a significant uptick in air traffic, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville approaches may not be able to issue IFR pickup clearances.

Pilots landing or departing KLAL should display a sign on the left side of their windshield to designate their intended parking/camping area or type of departure. The sign should have dark letters large enough to make it readable from at least 50 feet. Consider using a thick black marker to apply the appropriate designation (such as VA for Vintage Aircraft) on a piece of printer paper. Computer or tablet signs are not acceptable.

Note that there is usually a significant number of departures after the daily airshow ends, therefore arrival traffic is not normally accepted until 30-45 minutes after the conclusion of the event. Pilots are advised to check the ATIS to determine if the airport has reopened.

Do not plan to arrive or depart after the night airshow as the airport will be closed.

When You Land

Do not make unnecessary radio transmissions where procedures state, “Monitor the frequency only.”

Do not stop on the runway after landing. High-speed taxi to the end of the runway.

• READ MORE: Sun ‘n Fun Kicks Off Spring Break for Aviation

Show visitors are warned not to stand on/near or walk/drive across the runways. Be aware of aircraft coming and going in the aircraft parking areas. Don’t assume the pilot of a taxing aircraft can see you.

Pilots should use caution when operating in nonmovement areas and recognize that all movement on anything other than paved runways comes at a pilot’s own risk. Also, remember that many of the visitors to SNF may not be familiar with the visual limitations from the cockpit, so pilots be extra careful around pedestrians.

All aircraft must be tied down and, when on a paved surface, chocked.

Aircraft parking and camping is allowed in designated areas only. Camping north of Runway 10L/28R is prohibited.

No campfires or stoves are permitted near aircraft, and visitors are asked to observe all fire prevention rules.

The post What You Need to Know Before Flying Into Sun ‘n Fun appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

That’s how it is supposed to go—and often it does go that well, provided you do your homework before you launch for the big event.

If this is your first flight to a given airshow or fly-in, look for a pilot who has made the trip before and is willing to share information. You might even find someone who will make the flight with you.

Pick the route that works best for your aircraft, keeping in mind performance, especially when it comes to climbing over any high terrain on the way. A turbocharged Cessna T182 might not have any trouble, but the pilot of the vintage Taylorcraft might take a longer route that keeps the airplane over lower terrain.

Consider using supplemental oxygen. Though the regs say that the minimum flight crew needs to be on supplemental oxygen at 12,500 feet after 30 minutes, most pilots begin to experience hypoxia at much lower altitudes—sometimes as low as 6,000 feet—so be prepared.

Know how to calculate performance and use the avionics you’re flying with. You don’t want to be the pilot randomly pushing buttons to update a flight plan while hurtling through the air.

Be conservative about weight and balance as well as performance. While it is tempting to overload your aircraft by ‘just a little’ with all the gear you want for camping, it can come back to bite you. Remember, the OEM determined the calculations in the POH using a new airplane and a test pilot at the controls.

Have at least two methods for updating your preflight briefing in the air—a tablet and com radio, for example—and always carry a backup handheld radio. If you’ve never used a payphone (these people walk among us—payphone operation is now part of my curriculum), learn how to use it. There are places that lack cell service but still have a payphone on location, believe it or not.

Pack water and snacks for the trip, and be wary of dehydration and hunger as they make you sleepy. Drink some water before the approach to landing, as water wakes you up—and an alert pilot is a better pilot.

Plan each leg of the flight meticulously. Be careful that get-there-itis does not cloud your judgment. Build in extra days, and ID places to divert to on each leg.

Make sure you are night current and proficient before you begin the journey. There are times when a pilot finds themselves playing “beat the clock” in an aircraft not certified for night flight because the last flight segment went longer than they anticipated.

For navigation, use a combination of digital and analog methods—if the digital goes tango uniform, the paper could save your trip. Make sure both paper and digital materials are current. You do not want to fly with a sectional years out of date and enter Class D airspace thinking it’s a Class E airport—only to learn the airport now has a tower.

Be conservative about fuel burn. Make a list of all the airports that have fuel, located along your route and within 20 miles off to each side, just in case.

If you are flying with a copilot or a companion, have a discussion about cockpit duties before you leave the ground. With a copilot, make sure to designate who is the ‘pilot flying’ and who is the pilot monitoring and fielding radio calls and programming avionics.

If they are not a pilot, you can still assign them the task of watching for traffic and dialing in frequencies on the com side.

Airshow NOTAMs

By regulation, specifically FAR 91.103: “Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight.” This means the pilot needs to know what weather to expect, be familiar with the forecasts, fuel requirements, aircraft takeoff and landing data, weight and balance, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed, and any known traffic delays of which the pilot in command has been advised by ATC. If your intended destination is an airshow or fly-in, this regulation is now on steroids—expect to find a multi- page notice to air missions (NOTAM) released several days before the event.

The larger the fly-in, the larger the NOTAM. Pay special attention to the communication procedures. If the airport is non-towered, it is likely that a temporary control tower will be brought in for the event. The procedures are created to lessen frequency congestion.

Instead of having hundreds of pilots all talking at once, it’s often one radio call made over a specific landmark to establish contact. Rock your wings when recognized, then follow instructions for landing.

Most NOTAMs have traffic pattern diagrams imposed on Google Earth images for illustration—it’s easy to see where you should be and where you need to avoid when you have an image to refer to.

Pilots who have flown into airshows before—like Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo and EAA AirVenture—recommend having a hard copy of the NOTAM with you in the cockpit along with any digital presentation. Paper doesn’t run out of batteries.

Even if you have flown into this particular event before, still study the NOTAM, as they are often adjusted year to year—for example, traffic patterns may be altered to move aircraft away from heavily populated parking areas.

Skills for the Airshow Arrival

Brush up on specialty takeoffs and landings, crosswind approaches, and go-arounds before you head out on the great adventure. You do not want to be rusty flying into an airshow.

There is a maneuver you were probably not taught as a student pilot but you need it to establish communication and many of these events—that is rocking the wings of the aircraft.

It sounds simple enough, but the controllers who ask the airplanes to identify themselves by rocking their wings really want to see you rock those wings. Make that airplane thrash around like a 10-year-old who has had a frog put down their shirt—but don’t stall or roll inverted.

Practice approaches, especially short approaches and precision landing technique, because “land on the green dot” means land on the green dot.

Study the airport diagram for the facility and know where you will be expected to park. Usually, airshows have ground marshalers, often people on scooters wearing safety vests with FOLLOW ME on the back.

Remember to watch your wingtips as you taxi, especially when there are lots of people around. Though there may be designated pathways for pe- destrians, some people drift outside of their lanes. You don’t want to be the pilot of the Cessna 172 who hits someone in the back of the head with your wing while you taxi, or the guy in the Beechcraft Baron who decides to ignore the ground handlers and taxi into the grass—putting the nosewheel into a gopher hole, resulting in two propeller strikes.

And, in the end, if you are delayed getting to the event, learn from the experience—and realize that it will make a better story to be told around the campfire.

The post A Fond Memory: Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo 2023 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

This year the event in central Florida is expanding to five days. It will be held during the Sun ‘n Fun fly-in at Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL) from Tuesday, March 28 to Saturday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets are $45 per day, and may be purchased here.

“Expanding the Career Fair that takes place during Sun ‘n Fun was a common request from participating companies and job seekers alike,” said Abbey Hutter, executive director for JSfirm.com.

Hutter noted that the career fair began as a one-day event and has steadily grown, fueled by requests from participants. The career fair is an opportunity for employers to meet potential applicants and those searching for career opportunities to see their options.

“We always look forward to having hiring companies on site,” said Richele Floyd, scholarship director for the Aerospace Center for Excellence. “The networking capability truly is limitless even outside of show hours.”

Who Can You Expect To See:

The 2023 career fair exhibitors include: 

• Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services
• Air Wisconsin
• Cirrus Aircraft
• Commuteair
• Endeavor
• FAA
• flyExclusive
• Frontier Airlines
• GoJet Airlines
• Legends Airways
• LIFT
• Mesa Airlines
• National Airlines
• Piedmont Airlines
• PlaneSense
• PSA Airlines
• Republic Airways
• Silver Airways
• SkyWest Airlines
• VistaJet

Floyd adds that the partnership with JSfirm.com continues to grow, to the extent the two entities now have a new five-year agreement in place.

The post Find a Career During Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The summit is slated to be held October 24 through 26 at the Sun ’n Fun Campus at Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL). FLYING is the media sponsor for the event.

“The NAFI Summit will bring stakeholders in the flight instruction community together to share CFI tips, techniques and best practices, relevant business skills, and networking opportunities,” NAFI president Paul Preidecker said in a statement. “We will focus on the important topics of professionalism, proficiency and pilot well-being along with changes to FAA regulations and rules,” he said.

“The NAFI Summit will present information designed to improve the industry’s pass rates for initial pilot examinations,” Preidecker added.

During the meeting, keynote speakers are also expected to address the role of flight instructors, with an emphasis on continuous improvement in safety and customer service, the organization said. The agenda will also alot for 30-minute presentations related to flight instruction, NAFI said.

For those interested in making a presentation, the organization is currently accepting presentation abstracts.

According to NAFI, abstracts should be 200 to 250 words, and submitted by June 1 as either a Word document or PDF.

Presentations should relate to the following general areas:

• Managing your own flight instruction business

• Tips and techniques to improve your skills as an instructor
• What went wrong…a look at accident data from instructional flights
• Maintaining your health and well-being
• Creating a path to success for students
• Using new technology effectively

The post Examination Pass Rates To Be a Focus of Upcoming NAFI Summit appeared first on FLYING Magazine.