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2012 Sun-N-Fun Attendance

Proving again that EVERYONE has a price!

I'm smart enough to know there is one, but thankfully it is set high enough it's not likely I'll ever be in a situation where someone reaches it. 8) That affords me the wisdom of recognizing everyone has a price with the very low chance of ever seeing it met!

Not even going to have Pierce clarify his comment . . . it scares me and I am a sheltered little angel :angel:

Anyways, like the banter of this thread, the mood was better this year at SNF, even when compared to last year at Oshkosh, I thought. However, it will be interesting to see how gas prices affect Oshkosh later on. I remember the last time prices were high that I did not notice a drop in aircraft attendance at OSH, but that may have been because pilots cut all the smaller fly-ins earlier in the year.

It would be interesting to know how SNF counts people--Oshkosh used to use "people-days" which meant if you bought a weeklong pass, you counted as 7 people (because you were a daily admission), which ignored the idea of unique attendees. I thought I read something about this practice but I am unsure if OSH moved away from using it.

So far I have been mostly groundbound (listening to the wind howl right now at DCA HQ) so I have not yet felt the sting of gas prices, so my habits have not been affected, but I hear talk of it affecting summer flying already. May have to start taking on hitchhikers!
 
To be determined but it would have to be a significant addition to my airplane savings fund . . . probably a safe margin above what the sc.org lot can muster. It's safer that way!

So your price is College tuition and an airplane :)
 
So your price is College tuition and an airplane :)

AirplaneS. If I am going to sell my dignity the hangar better at least be full, with a fuel allowance . . .

Until such time as I encounter someone with the requisite financial assets, my dignity shall remain intact--for quite a long time, I suspect!
 
Nice photos/videos Brenda. Noticed a big fence. Is that just in front of the camping space or is it around the whole field? There were a few shots where it would have been nice not to have the fence in the way.
 
Leave it to Brenda to bring so much fun to this conversation. We hit the high notes with Steves post, so well said, and then we got to Brenda's imaginative thoughts...and Amy just got drug into it just by being present at SNF.

I thought it was a good video Brenda and also was wondering about the fence. Congrats on the seaplane rating! It was good to catch up with you.
 
I've enjoyed going to SnF, but just started going in 2007. What I most like is visiting with people that I only get to see once or twice a year. I've never been treated badly by the staff/volunteers, and can't blame anyone for the weather. I didn't go this year because there was too much going on at home and with the warm winter it just didn't seem urgent to see the sun. I'd go again.

Anne.
 
Anne, You were there in spirit. Donald spoke fondly of you and wore his Obama tee shirt in your honor. ;) Actually we did have a nice dinner at the Ale House and did miss your company despite Donald.
 
Nice photos/videos Brenda. Noticed a big fence. Is that just in front of the camping space or is it around the whole field? There were a few shots where it would have been nice not to have the fence in the way.

The fence in front of the campground is much taller than last year and appeared to be the same height around the spectator side of the field too. As you can see in the 2011 & 2012 pics (which were taken in the same spot at the campground), the view now has a lovely distortion, but the taller fence must satisfy some reg about separation of airfield and people/critters.

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Steve, see you at New Holstein this year! Say hi to your folks & Cathy for me, too. And I gotta see Donald in the Obama t-shirt - that must be hysterical! Missed my language lesson with Philip, too.

Anne.
 
No...the fence is there because TSA and Homeland Security now have a presence on the field. Airline service was inaugurated there a year or so ago with some small commuter. Airline failed and went away, but TSA is there to stay. Performers used to be able to use a discreet gate to drive thru from street side that is right next to their overnight storage hangr and off duty hangout. No more...got fussed at a bunch of times for trying to use it this year. Have to go thru the Airside Center access point now like everyone else.

I spent the entire week making circuits in the New Standard selling rides. Flyin traffic was never close to full. Biggest drive in day was Saturday, but car parking never got to more than half to 3/5 capacity. The lots backing up to Pipken were never used from what I could tell. I was flying right up to airboss taking over at 12:30 and then right back at it about ten minutes after the T-Birds wrapped up. Watched those lots all day long.
 
Amy and I got a Tatoo together. I'll never tell where. Steve is just jealous of my Obama tee shirt.
 
Well you guys are makeing it sound better so maybe.

DW
 
Dennis, you would have a blast, no question. You would just have to watch the low flying over the beaches. 8)
 
Next year the Ultralight area (paradise city) is being taken over by the LSA crowd. They are also lengthening the grass strip +300 feet bringing it to 1100 total with good approaches. We will be flying in to that area in our cub (experimental) and I hope that others will join us. They allow camping next to the airplane, encourage flying during the day and don't mind a little playing :) The Just aircraft guys were having a good time and really using the strip. (I can see a short take off and landing competition one evening after the airshow) I think it would be a nice place to group the experimental and non-show cubs who want to camp and not park on the edges of the fly-inn. We had a great time this year, maybe next year gas will be back at 3.50 a gallon and more people will attend :roll:
 
Tcraft128

That's good news. That can make a big difference to guys like me.

To me, SNF and OSH are trade shows and airshows you can fly to. Sentimental Journey and NH are fly-ins. The Paridise City deal sounds like it could be more like a fly in.

Rich
 
Next year the Ultralight area (paradise city) is being taken over by the LSA crowd. They are also lengthening the grass strip +300 feet bringing it to 1100 total with good approaches. We will be flying in to that area in our cub (experimental) and I hope that others will join us. They allow camping next to the airplane, encourage flying during the day and don't mind a little playing :) The Just aircraft guys were having a good time and really using the strip. (I can see a short take off and landing competition one evening after the airshow) I think it would be a nice place to group the experimental and non-show cubs who want to camp and not park on the edges of the fly-inn. We had a great time this year, maybe next year gas will be back at 3.50 a gallon and more people will attend :roll:


An LSA/cub strip would add a seriously fun dimension to the show. I've always bee a little jelous of those ultralight guys flying during the whole show.
 
My wife and I were there Thursday and Friday. First time there. Seemed to be plenty of people and planes. Great airshows, vendor displays, etc.. A well run event is what I saw. Had a good time.

Crash
 
An LSA/cub strip would add a seriously fun dimension to the show. I've always bee a little jelous of those ultralight guys flying during the whole show.


I don't know about S & F, but for years I operated my n-numbered Rans S-7 out of the ultralight strip at the Arlington EAA fly-in. No one ever said anything to me, though I was about the biggest plane there. The rule, and I could be wrong here, is if you can easily fit in the traffic flow and of course safely operate with the runway available, have at it. You are correct in that for me anyway it meant I could much more easily and quickly go flying without dealing with all the BS of the big runway.
 
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