This Aviation Lifestyle
A Fly-In Initiation at Sun n' Fun
Much to my chagrin, it became quite obvious that I just wasn’t prepared for my first time at a fly-in. My attendance at a Sun n’ Fun several years ago was purely the result of an afterthought. A good friend of ours had space on his plane for an extra passenger and her suitcase so how could I not spend my one weekend between store openings down in Florida with James? James had flown the Pitts down a few days earlier and was busy being a new member of an aviation board that had an information tent and many activities going on at Sun n’ Fun.
It sounded interesting and I needed to be introduced anyway to new friends and fellow volunteers so, still dressed in my business suit, I threw a few things into a suitcase, drove over to Concord Airport and high-heeled hopped up into our friend’s Barron. Expecting a pleasant, stress-free flight down to Lakeland, Florida I was instead interrupted with a cell phone call by my corporate office blathering on about a store recruit still a few months out. Everything had already been discussed and decided on before I left for my day-off, actually weekend off, to go down to the fly-in. I cut the call short the minute I could and tried to shake off the aggravation of it but I was still feeling quite perturbed when we landed.
Our friend’s rental car took four of us on into the dusty parking lots of Sun n’ Fun where I carried my suitcase to the entrance gates. I must have looked a sight: this tired, perspiring business-suited woman in heels traversing across lanes of parked cars under the searing mid-day sun. James met me at the gate with a golf cart, my ticket and a bottled water. I’m always glad to see him but I was really, really thrilled to see him then and plop myself down onto the golf cart passenger seat.
After finding a restroom where I could change outfits and yet still remain overdressed for the occasion, we headed to the tent where his group was and stashed my suitcase behind a table. It was a lot of fun meeting so many new people and chatting with those visitors who dropped in to our tent inquiring about aerobatics throughout the afternoon and early evening.
Somehow I never exited that tent my first day at Sun n’ Fun except to leave with James for a restaurant and our hotel after all the festivities had ended on the grounds. Day 2 found me a bit more orientated to the fly-in but heartily wishing that I had thought to pack tennis shoes and a large tote bag. With my having spent the morning tagging along beside James through the exhibitor hangers, we decided that after grabbing ourselves a quick lunch I’d venture out by myself through the rest of the grounds.
Is it a surprise to anyone that I immediately found some great gifts for James among the rows of well-stocked merchandise booths? Oh, how I could have really used a sturdy tote bag to throw my purchases in instead of gripping thin plastic bag handles that seemed to stretch themselves out minute by minute. Soon tiring of shifting several small bags around as I walked, I made my way back to our tent and plunked those bags behind one of the tables there.
Plunking stuff behind tables would become some sort of a trend with me during this fly-in but no one seemed to mind. From the tent I again ventured out in order to watch the air show taking place. Oh, it felt so good to finally kick off my shoes while sitting on a patch of semi-shaded grass in the midst of an audience who were more wisely sitting on folding chairs. As the hot afternoon wore on, I mentally made up a checklist for fly-ins that not only included bringing tennis shoes, a tote bag and a folding beach chair or two but also added in such things as a wide-brimmed hat, a lot of dollar bills for bottled water purchases and my favorite Aveda facial spray mist since, yes, I’m the sorry type that just simply melts in the heat.
Next year, I told myself, I’m packing more suitcases and dressing like a tourist! All in all, by the time we said our goodbyes and packed up our suitcases, I had indeed experienced a fun time at Sun n’ Fun. Aviation enthusiasts have a commonality that spreads excitement around and one simply can’t help but get caught up in it. Everything was fascinating to my neophyte eyes and ears. I loved hearing the aerobatic pilots talk about their experiences as much as I enjoyed watching their amazing routines performed in the sky. The antique airplanes were a pure treat to walk around and their owners and restorers always were willing to answer a question or two.
Vendors had great suggestions to offer as well as nifty aviation goods and the latest developments in the exhibition hangars were interesting despite the fact that I had absolutely no idea what that bolted and welded metal thing-a-ma-gig costing thousands of dollars actually did for an airplane. It looked really sleek and seemed to have a lot of bystanders bending toward it so hey, must be something neat. On the flight back to North Carolina I kept my cell phone off, sat back and relaxed with a little sunburn warming my skin knowing that I’d return to Sun n’ Fun…and have now for several delightful years.