The Flight Home From Sun ‘n Fun
KLAL > KGHG (LAL > TOI, TOI > TRI, TRI > UNV, UNV > GHG)
Summary
We took delivery of 4CA from other members after spending a couple of fantastic days together exploring Sun N Fun (SnF) 2023 in Lakeland, Florida. Elected to fly >1300 NM in a single day due to impending weather and perfect conditions on the day of departure.
Trip Details
While Scott and Mason flew 4CA down to SnF, I took Delta to Tampa and then an easy forty-minute Uber over to LAL. My face was sore from smiling minutes after I entered the gates. I arrived shortly before the daily four+ hour airshow and was greeted in short fashion by a formation of T6 Texans pulling loops and other nonsense within inches of each other. This proved to be a theme of the trip. There was seldom a moment in my two days at SnF when I could not witness some aviation prodigy ripping up the skies. Every form of winged flight doing the impossible at all hours of the day, often unannounced. Shout out to the Blue Angel who buzzed the campground at 7am.
The expo itself was something to behold- a "who's who" of manufacturers and personalities housed across multiple hangars. It was a treat to go hands-on with toys I could not ever afford and to see all the modifications available to GA planes. The drop in Angle of Attack indicator stood out.
The greatest treat at SnF was the people I met. Everyone readily struck up conversations with me and even continued them when they found out I have 200 hours total time. So much wisdom to be absorbed, and branches of aviation I never knew existed. So many different communities of aviators who clearly lived to come together at this event. The passion for flight was everywhere, and it felt good.
Sadly, Leo and I had to leave. We saw that the weekend forecast included days of unrelenting poor weather (significant winds and icing potential), but that Thursday would have a high-pressure system sitting over the entire east coast. A window of calm and clearness all the way home. We formulated a plan to follow the west side of the Appalachians north to TRI, then east to GHG.
When it came time to depart, I braced myself for the dive into the beehive, which turned out to be not all that bad. Perhaps it was our timing, but Leo and I taxied to the runway without delay and even found the controller making small talk. He asked where we were from, and I replied only "Marshfield," as if everyone should know about that fabled airport. Cleared for takeoff! Three miles straight out, and then good luck. We quickly climbed above the mass of arriving traffic, with only two deviations to avoid oncoming targets.
Once we were an appropriate distance to the northwest (per the SnF NOTAM), we picked up flight following to TOI. A perfectly smooth three-hour flight hugging the Gulf Coast and then into Alabama, where we found a sleepy Class Delta with a couple of Blackhawk helicopters out for training. One was doing pattern work, and another hovered at 5ft AGL for what seemed like an hour. Neither was on ADSB. After a quick refuel, bathroom break, a sip of water, and a handful of peanuts, Leo and I swapped seats and carried onward.
We soon came upon the southern edge of the Great Smokey Mountains, and they were the highlight of the scenery. Great call, Leo. They proved to be quite smokey, with a haziness that may be innate or perhaps due to the wildfires up and down the ridgeline. We started low, but ultimately climbed high to maintain gliding distance to safe emergency landing zones. I regret not taking more pictures, which is probably another theme of the trip. I did not know such geography existed on the East Coast. Stunning peaks with interlaced farmland and half-abandoned mines. Three hours of this and we stopped at TRI, a slightly busier Class Delta at the center of a TRSA. We received a very warm welcome by a couple of line guys. This was a nice FBO with equally friendly staff. Also, spicy ghost pepper teriyaki peanuts. Another quick turn, and up we went with Leo remaining at the controls so I could take the fourth leg at night back to GHG.
This third leg of our trip was equally stunning, but more desolate and with fewer places to land if we turned into a glider unexpectedly. So, we ended up high again as we crossed over the mountains and out of West Virginia. We landed at UNV just before nightfall, with a gorgeous left base to final turn into the sunset. We ended up chatting with a part 135 first officer, and after he heard what we were doing, I’m pretty sure he would’ve traded his jet for our Archer.
Into the night we went, with me in the left seat now. Everything is quiet at night- just us and a few commercial flights talking to the center controllers. We turned east and fully harnessed the tailwinds, zipping right along at nearly 150 knots over the ground. As we neared GHG, I couldn’t believe the plan worked. Florida to Massachusetts in a day. Clear skies, only a few late afternoon bumps, and no surprises. It was a bummer in one respect to not take our time and check out some of the cities we flew past, but at the same time it is wild to me that Leo and I ground our way across the country in one go.
And so ended one of the best adventures of my life. I'm sure I left so much out. I can’t wait for next year.
Tips and Recommendations for Flying to Sun ‘n Fun Next Time
The convenience store at "The Island" had the cheapest water and miscellaneous items one may need. $5 a case of water vs $4 a bottle elsewhere.
Bring a wide-brim hat. I got burned despite dosing SPF 50 everywhere.
Go to Sun N Fun in 2024