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.

Adkins has sold more than 11 million albums and won numerous awards from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music during a career spanning more than 25 years. Attendees can look forward to hearing his signature baritone as he draws from a deep repertoire, including hits like “Every Light in the House,” “You’re Gonna Miss This,” and “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.”

• READ MORE: Jumpseat: An Airline Pilot’s Trek to Sun ‘n Fun

Evans, a singer, songwriter, producer, and actor whose career dates to the 1990s has logged several No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music chart, including “No Place That Far,” “Born to Fly,” and “Suds in the Bucket.”

Evans’ list of awards and accolades includes Grammy nominations and ACM Top Female Vocalist honors. Her 2020 album, Copy That, is a collection of covers ranging from “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” to “My Sharona.” It debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Country chart. Admission to the concert, to be staged on the Warbird Ramp in Lakeland, Florida, is included with the daily Sun ’n Fun entry fee of $45 per person.

The post Trace Adkins, Sara Evans to Kick Off 50th Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The events kick off with an opening reception on October 24 in the evening and then fill two days with sessions produced by well-known CFIs, designated pilot examiners, and industry leaders. 

On October 25, the day starts with Richard McSpadden, senior vice president of safety for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and executive director of the Air Safety Institute. He’s going to dive into the scourge of accidents hallmarked by loss of control in flight (LOC-I). Former ASI director Bruce Landsberg will continue the discussion concerning instructional accidents, their causes, and means of mitigation. 

The American Bonanza Society’s Thomas Turner lightens the tone next with a master class on conducting a proper flight review or instrument proficiency check. Then Peter Dittmer will present on the parallels—and differences—between coaching and teaching, and where the CFI falls on that continuum.

And that’s just the first few sessions on day one. Bret Koebbe (Sporty’s Pilot Shop vice president and periodic FLYING columnist), Brian Schiff (airline captain and CFI), and Greg Feith (former National Transportation Safety Board senior air safety investigator) round out the lineups. A DPE panel features NAFI chair Karen Kalishek, flight school owner Mary Schu, and Doug Stewart, past executive director of the Society of Aerospace and Flight Educators.

• READ MORE: Examination Pass Rates To Be Focus of Upcoming NAFI Summit

Former check airman and 47-year CFI Les Abend joins Gary “GPS” Reeves, whom Abend profiled in his August Jumpseat column for FLYING’s print edition on October 26 for a special presentation, “5 Ways Good Instructors Can Give Airline Pilots Their ‘GA Type Rating,’” based on Reeves’ own experience working with airline pilots like Abend, who retired from American Airlines in 2019.

Registration is filling quickly—and September 23 is the hotel deadline for special room rates at three nearby accommodations in Lakeland. The Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo campus will host the event on the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (KLAL), with aircraft parking available—bring your own tie-downs to ensure those are in place.

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As it was announced last year, the summit will be devoted to flight instructor excellence.

Taking place at the Florida Air Museum on the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo campus, the summit will feature 28 presentations on a variety of topics, including: running your business, health and well-being, tips and techniques, using technology effectively, instructional accident analysis, and creating a path to success for clients. 

• READ MORE: Powley to Join Ranks of Flight Instructor Hall of Fame

Among the speakers are Richard McSpadden, of the Air Safety Institute, Bruce Landsberg, of the National Transportation Safety Board, Tom Turner, of the American Bonanza Society, and airline captain and instructor Brian Schiff. The keynote address will be delivered by Brad Palmer and Everette Rochon from the FAA. And for the dinner, John and Martha King will share their insights in business and instruction.

Registration is open and can be found at nafisummit2023.org. The association has contracted with three hotels for the event, with about 120 rooms available in the blocks. Camping is also available on site—particularly handy if you want to fly into the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (KLAL). The Sun ’n Fun staff will be on hand to assist with parking and tie-downs.

With updates posted regularly on the site, the summit is approaching quickly. For additional information, contact Paul Preidecker, NAFI president, at ppreidecker@nefinet.org.

• READ MORE: Flight Instructors Weigh In on FAA’s Proposed Changes to Certificates

The post NAFI’s Flight Instructor Summit On Track for October appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

As the sun approached the horizon, the crowds began gathering while the crews and pilots of the STOL Demonstration quickly took the field setting up cones, flags, chalk, and tape measures in a well-orchestrated nexus of skilled individuals volunteering their time to facilitate this impressive show. While technically not a competition, some of the best in the world traveled great distances to demonstrate their aircraft and skill and were not to be outdone.

The STOL Contenders

With the legendary STOL pilot Frank Knapp and his wife Kris—alongside Anitra “STOL Queen” Goddard—at the helm of this year’s event, it went off without a hitch. Moved back two hours from previous years, the new start time put the setting sun directly in the windscreen of pilots on day one. However, this would be the last instance of this set up, as winds shifted in favor of the sun behind the pilots for the following two days. 

Although the event was spread over three days with Steve Henry in his Wild West Highlander winning days one and three, day two proved to be the only day that mattered as winds were most favorable on this day allowing Dan Reynolds to take full advantage of this steady wind in his custom-built, nitrous-oxide-assisted two-stroke fat ultralight he calls the “Valdez Special” Chinook. 

Reynolds was able to stick the most amazing landing—at an approach angle reminiscent of that of a lawn dart—driving his tires into the sand of the beaten grass strip stopping his forward momentum. It was as though he had dropped a tail hook and caught an arresting wire on an aircraft carrier for the landing that left his tail still remaining over the line for the win in the lights class. Jay Stanford flew his nitrous-powered Exp Super Cub extremely well to fill the third spot against these much lighter aircraft.

In the heavies it was Ross Harwell taking the number 1 spot in his husky followed by hometown favorite Warren Grobbelaar in his Cessna 180.

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NAFI has selected the Sun ’n Fun Campus at Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL) to host the inaugural summit. The event is slated for October 24-26, 2023.

The event, which the organization said is dedicated to professionalism in aviation education and training, will host current and prospective certified flight instructors, aviation leaders, industry advocates, government representatives, and media.

“NAFI’s selection of the Sun ’n Fun campus for the Summit reflects upon and reinforces both organizations’ commitment to excellence in aviation through education, mentorship, and advocacy,” NAFI president Paul Preidecker said.

The NAFI Summit is designed to bring stakeholders in the flight instruction community together to share best practices. This includes application of instructional techniques, as well as applying business skills.

The summit will also feature keynote speakers addressing the vital role of flight instructors, with an emphasis on continuous improvement in safety and customer service.

The post NAFI Summit Planned for October appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The team also secured the top collegiate award, the Collegiate Challenge Trophy, with the top 10 rounded out with a full field of great competitors. A collegiate team also won last year’s virtual race—Team 49, Emma Hughes, Emily Hause, and Regine Rose Acosta from Western Michigan University. 

Special awards were also on tap for Fastest Cessna and Fastest Piper, as well as one for the team that finished a clean race—but came in last in the non-disqualified standings. The top team featuring members of Women in Aviation International was recognized as well.

Congratulations to Bunnie Ambrose, WAI 86787, and Alexa Baumgartner, WAI 87698, for winning this year's Fastest #WomeninAviation Member Team at #AirRaceClassic22! Team #10 Tennessee Flight Training from Nashville also won 10th overall! pic.twitter.com/2tISN0ix6W

— Women in Aviation (@WomenInAviation) June 27, 2022

Even for those just winning leg prizes, the rewards of flying a good race present themselves clearly. “So far so good,” said veteran ARC racer Gretchen Jahn, who flew a Cessna 182 as Team 3, with fellow racer Terry Fiala—both from the Colorado 99s chapter. “No penalties, and the times match our stopwatch times within a couple of seconds…we are happy with a clean run.”

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Among them will be Marie Carastro, 94, the oldest competitor in the race’s 93-year history. Marie will be joined by her teammates, grand-daughter Danielle Carastro, who at age 16 was the youngest ARC participant (2016 race), and daughter Susan Carastro (Danielle’s aunt). Their team is one of two with multi-generational members of the same family competing in this year’s race, says Donna Harris, director of finance and vice president of the Air Race Classic Board. 

Harris will be in the air with them, flying a Cessna 182 RG with Air Race Classic president and five-time Master CFI Lara Gaerte. It will be Harris’s third time to compete in the ARC. In her first race in 2016, also with Gaerte, they placed about in the middle of the pack. “In 2019, we placed seventh. This year, we’re hoping to be in the top 10 again or at least finish with no penalties,” she says. 

Harris and Gaerte, and the Carastro family trio are two of 50 teams registered to race in the 2022 ARC. When the competition starts, the teams will take off full throttle, 30 seconds apart, down the runway at Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL) in Lakeland, Florida. From there, they will embark on a course that will take them roughly 2,400 sm, across 12 states, ending on June 24—or when they touch down before then at Terre Haute Regional Airport (KHUF) in Indiana. 

Nine Legs

The entire race is flown VFR, and including the terminus stop, there are nine competition legs. At each prescribed stop along the way, the racers will execute a high-speed low pass across a timing line. The fastest airplanes may complete the course in two days, while the slowest may take all four days. However, to be eligible for judging, the teams must cross the final timing line at the terminus airport by 5 p.m. (ET) on the last day of the competition. 

Because the ARC is a handicap race, teams race against their own best time. “The race is not about the first one across the finish line, it’s about who beats their handicap by the most,” Harris says. This allows slower airplanes to compete against faster airplanes on an equal basis. “Normal handicap speeds are based on operating at full throttle,” she explains. “It’s leaned appropriately—it’s for best power, [not] best fuel economy.” 

The eight intermediate stops in this year’s race are: Moultrie, Georgia (KMGR); Muscle Shoals, Alabama (KMSL); Hattiesburg, Mississippi (KHBG); Pine Bluff, Arkansas (KPBF); Ada, Oklahoma (KADH); Lawrence, Kansas (KLWC); Mt. Vernon, Illinois (KMVN); Tullahoma, Tennessee (KTHA); and a flyover in Washington, Indiana (KDCY).  

ARC Builds Confidence and Skills

Harris says participating in the ARC helped build her self-confidence as a pilot. “I gained a better understanding of the airplane and how it works at different speeds, different altitudes,” she says. She also gleaned knowledge from her teammate, Gaerte, who has logged 11,000 flight hours. 

Harris says there’s a real strategy to the race and aside from the camaraderie and fun surrounding the event, it gives pilots an opportunity to broaden their skills and push themselves and their aircraft. 

“A lot of private pilots stay in their home environment. They don’t go more than 50 miles outside of their home airport,” she says. “This [ARC] allows the women to do an extended cross-country, four days of cross-country flying, 2,400 nautical miles, and experience new parts of the country that they may never have gotten to before. Plus, they get to meet other women pilots who have stories that they can learn from and grow from.” 

In addition to gaining knowledge and honing their skills, pilots racing in the competition class—including teams from 13 different colleges or universities—have the opportunity to win cash and other awards. The overall winner will earn $6,000, plus medallions and awards for each team member. Smaller cash prizes will be awarded to those teams finishing in second to 10th place. Separate prizes are awarded for top finishers (first through fourth place) of each leg of the race. The top four collegiate teams will also receive a plaque for each team member and their sponsoring institution.

Rebounding After the Pandemic 

The 2022 race marks a return to the original long-distance format, following a lapse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 competition was canceled and the 2021 contest consisted of a one-day Air Derby, which was flown in different locations determined by each team. The Air Derby allowed a greater variety of aircraft to compete and now ARC is considering opening its competition guidelines to include experimental, and possibly, turbocharged airplanes in the future. To do this, however, performance baselines will first need to be determined.   

To that end, this year’s race will include three aircraft flying with electronic data managed systems. A first for the ARC, the airplanes will be piloted by teams representing the University of North Dakota (one team) and Liberty University (two teams), but they won’t be competing for prizes. Harris says their participation will allow ARC judges to determine appropriate handicaps for this type of aircraft, so that hopefully they can compete in the future.

The advanced avionics on these airplanes don’t allow them to operate at full throttle, which is the performance level upon which ARC bases each aircraft’s handicap, Harris says. “We need to capture that data at different rpm [settings], 2,600, 2,400, and 2,500…This will allow them to compete more equitably in the future.” 

ARC invited turbocharged or supercharged piston aircraft to join in the noncompetition class this year, as well; however, none registered.  

A 93-Year Legacy

The Air Race Classic traces its roots to the 1929 Women’s Air Derby, aka the Powder Puff Derby, in which Amelia Earhart and 19 other female pilots raced from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio. This year’s ARC celebrates the 93rd anniversary of that historic competition, which marked the beginning of women’s air racing in the U.S. 

“Every June, female pilots from across the nation fly the ARC for the competition and camaraderie,” says Gaerte. “We look forward to celebrating the 93rd anniversary of the Women’s Air Derby as we welcome back veteran racers and meet new competitors at our start in Lakeland, Florida.” 

ARC fans can follow the racers’ progress on airraceclassic.org.

The post The Oldest Airplane Race of Its Kind Is Ready for Takeoff appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Sun ’n Fun runs from April 5 to 10 at the Lakeland Linder International Airport in central Florida, with hangars full of stuff and a display area full of airplanes—but also education sessions, workshops, and the Florida Air Museum on the grounds to explore. Air shows will take center stage every afternoon too.

Want to plan your trip? Here are a handful of highlights that we’ve picked out.

What to See

If you miss the Thunderbirds on Monday, know that you can catch the U.S. Air Force’s aerial demonstration team several times this week during the Expo. The USAF is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and it’s cool to see the F-16 Fighting Falcons rip through the skies.

The air show segments kick off in earnest on Tuesday at 1:30, with the U.S. SOCOM Para-Commandos dropping in, followed by a powerful performance by Chuck Aaron in his helicopter. Warbird flyovers and Gary Rower’s Stearman round out the show, which will be capped by the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team in their T-6 Texans. And that’s just the first afternoon. There are night shows starting at 7:15 on Wednesday and Saturday to enjoy as well.

On the ground, we’re looking for announcements of new aircraft from several key manufacturers, and a host of experimental and light sport aircraft flying in for the event. Inside the exhibit hangars, along with a lot of companies showing off their wares, there’s also a Parts Exchange in Hangar E. Plan ahead to put your unwanted aircraft parts on consignment.

What to Do

With the opening of the new Elevate Aerospace and Logistics Incubator at the Aerospace Center for Excellence on the field, it follows that there will be a full lineup of educational activities to take part in during the week. Forums take place in the Central Florida Aerospace Academy onsite with a packed schedule found here. Hands-on workshops are available too.

A special Teacher’s Workshop runs all morning on Saturday for K through 12 educators, and astronaut Nicole Scott is the keynote speaker at lunch. You can register here.

How to Get There

If you plan to fly in, check out the NOTAM so that you know the details in advance. It’s busy airspace on a normal day, and the Expo raises the volume significantly. Register with your aircraft’s type club and find camaraderie too. Driving in, there’s plenty of parking available in a couple of different lots. Follow the signs to the current one that’s open. You can also get your tickets in advance here,​ with special discounts for Florida residents.

The post Spring Break for Pilots Returns This Week in Florida appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The National STOL Series is the largest series for STOL in the U.S. The 2021-22 tour will feature five stops, with more in the works.

New Class Debuts

A welcome addition to the competition is the new Light Sport Class, which gives simple aircraft—such as Piper J-3 Cubs and Clippers, and Cessna 120s and the like—the chance to compete. It’s for aircraft with engines of 100 hp or less and without flaps. This class really places an emphasis on the pilot’s skills as these airplanes are disadvantaged on both takeoff and landing. 

The new class provided extra excitement, as it was won by Nick Poucher in the Patriot Recruit Cub that he and 30 of his fellow Lakeland Aero Club (LAC) members built. This club is a not-for-profit high school flying club that is turning out pilots and mechanics who build and maintain their own aircraft, while completing more than 12,500 hands-on shop hours before graduating. 

Nick—now 22 years old and chief of staff of the LAC—was able to win on his home turf right in front of his school and classmates. 

The club also served as the home base for the National STOL series this year, providing food and entertainment and allowing students and competitors to mingle and share ideas.

A Notable Absence

Apart from several new competitors this year, another difference was the absence of #44—Yee-Haw 6—flown by Steve Henry. Though Henry attended every event last season and went undefeated, on the day of the competition, he took possession of a new Just Aircraft Highlander kit, which will become Yee-Haw 8. 

Henry’s absence left the door open for Jon Humberd in his Zenith Super 701 to capture the win in the Light Experimental class, with a combined takeoff and landing distance of 159 feet. FLYING will profile Humberd in an upcoming story.

Heavy Touring Class

The Heavy Touring class brought the first Piper Comanche to a National STOL Series competition, but it was beat out by the famous polished 1955 Cessna 180 #46 flown by Warren Grobbelar, otherwise known as Warren G!

Bush Class

In the Bush class, it was none other than Austin Clemens taking the honors in an airplane new to him. Though this Aviat was not as familiar to him as his regular Husky, he was able to snatch a convincing win.

Otto Wins Most Consistent

Often a pilot is flying an aircraft that may not be the most capable of STOL mounts, but the pilot themselves may be very skilled—and this skill is recognized at the National STOL Series with the “Most Consistent” trophy. This time, the award went to Trevor Otto in the Light Touring class with takeoffs and landings within a few feet of each other in his 1975 Maule.

When the competition was over, the talk of the town were the trophies themselves. 

Anitra Goddard, the National STOL series’ Queen of Coordination,  along with MT Propellers created masterful trophies crafted from actual MT propellers. National STOL went above and beyond with this gesture, and it just shows the growth of this sport they have promoted and it is appreciated by all.

How to Watch

If you missed the event and want to check it out, it you can catch it here:

And for future STOL events, dates and locations, click here.

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