Midwest Flyer Magazine

Award-winning air show performer, John Mohr of Vadnais Heights,
Minnesota, takes a well-deserved bow following one of his performances
at Sun ‘n Fun.
Photo by Matthew Olafsen
The “Black Diamond Jet Team” helped fill the void left with the absence
of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, which cancelled all air show
participation due to the federal sequester. The Black Diamonds fly
L-39s.
Photo by Matthew Olafsen
Heritage Foundation’s UH-1 and AH-1
helicopters and tried to imagine that
the swamps of central Florida we were
flying over were actually rice patties
in Vietnam, and how our troops must
have felt flying out to combat. I relaxed
on a dock at Fantasy of Flight's Lake
Agnes watching as seaplanes got their
feet wet during their annual splashin
event. Finally on Saturday night I
watched my first-ever night air show
and saw some great performers, such as
Gene Soucy, Matt Younkin, Team Aero
Dynamix and others who lit up the
night sky with their fireworks, landing
lights, and aerial displays.
Then on Sunday, while sitting at
the Sunset grill bar, I met a gentleman
from Kentucky who hadn’t flown a
plane in 20 some years. He was drawn
to Florida after years of hearing about
the show and now, recently retired, had
decided to just pick up and drive down
32 JUNE/JULY 2013 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE
A floatplane prepared to beach at Fantasy
of Flight's Lake Agnes in Polk City, Fla., near
Lakeland.
Photo by Matthew Olafsen
to check it out. Living in his tent on the
campsite, he told me that this visit had
reignited a spark in him to start flying
again, a spark that he said had gone
out years ago. It hit me, as I sat there
next to him with a beer in my hand
looking out over the spectators moving
like army ants around the grounds, that
although the show ramps were sparse,
this had ended up being a pretty good
week.
You see Sun 'n Fun is more than
just an air show…it is an experience.
It is surrounding yourself with a few
thousand of your closest friends, people
like you who talk your language, look
to the sky when they hear a plane fly
over, and enjoy the smell of jet fuel
in the air. It is about making friends
with someone you may never see again
or renewing old friendships while at a
local TGIF Fridays in town (Hi Paul).
It is reigniting that aviation spark
that you might have lost years ago or
which has just been hibernating after
a long winter. It is exploring different
realms of aviation that might be new
to you from learning to build your
own plane, to taking your first ride in
an ultralight. Sun 'n Fun has done a
great job at making all of these avenues
available to you and although outside
factors like sequestration, weather, and
the economy are beyond their control,
the event has built an environment
that welcomes those who are able to
participate.
In the end, it was by wiping the slate
clean and going into the show with no
expectations, that I was able to see and
experience more this year than I have
done in any of the previous six years.
So whether you attend air shows
like this, local fly-in events or just the
occasional pancake breakfast, I hope
that you take the time to just enjoy
yourself and understand that we need
events like Sun 'n Fun to keep that
spark alive.
q