Sebring - 2016

2016 US Sport Aviation Expo

The shuttle van took a few minutes to transport me from the transient ramp to the entrance of the show. I sat in the front seat and talked about Florida living with the driver. He had come down to enjoy to the longer tennis season. We all have our reasons.

It was a $20 entrance fee for the day, discounted if you are an AOPA or EAA member. The Welcome Booth sits just inside that gate and the volunteers were smiling and happy to give out brochures. The sun was shining and the temperatures were in the mid 60s, just perfect for an airshow.

I walked past the yellow re-imagined C150 and the SeaRey, noticed the mockup for the M.V.P. amphib on the other side of the ramp and made my way down to US Sport Aircraft. Patrick had 2 airplanes on display and one in the demonstration area. Sally has some beautiful sisters. The tail feathers are a little different, the nose strut has been improved, but the real change is the Dynon Skyview system.  I met Oscar, a Facebook friend and we had a chance to talk about life and flying for awhile. I also had a chance to talk with Jim and his very successful flight school in NJ. He has picked up some Sport Pilots from eastern PA since I left.

I had my SportCruiser T-Shirt on so it was assumed I could answer questions, so I did. "I've looked at The Evector SportStar, and The BRM Aero Bristelle. Why should I buy this airplane?" "Well," I said, "they are all good airplanes designed by the same person. Each a low wing, all metal aircraft with a high visibility bubble canopy. They have similar weights and speeds. Prices are different but they are all good value for the dollar. I would say the real difference is SUPPORT. While I can't speak for the other companies, US Sport Aircraft has always treated me well and I would not hesitate recommending them to any prospective LSA buyer." He thanked me and as he was leaving I said, "but regardless of your choice, go flying. The longer you wait making a decision, the more time you've wasted on the ground."

I left to go over to the FBO to make arrangements for fuel. Volo Aviation was charging $4/gal, a good price for 100LL. I also noted where the Lockwood Aviation hangar was located so that when I make arrangements for my 500 hour rubber replacement I'll have an idea where I'm going. Then I walked back to the display area and over to the hangars to listen to some lectures. These are always helpful and provide a wealth of information, but along the way I found Dr Seti. I had some CFI questions and needed his sage advice again.

Next I walked through the exhibit hall, and though tempted was able to keep my wallet in my pocket. By this time I was hungry so passed by the Gyro cart and went to the food shack for a chicken sandwich and sweet tea for lunch. ($10) I sat at a picnic table with members of The Villages Flying Club. Flying out of different local airports, the club of over 300 meets once a month to plan Florida excursions. Most are "Snowbirds", so we did talk about the poor devils suffering with snow storm Jonas.

N674PS on Final

A few more airplanes to look at. A few more Facebook friends to meet. On my way to the exit gate I made a stop to say hello to Jamie. He was securing his tie downs anticipating the foul weather approaching. It was time to go.

Sally started easily. We had an uneventful departure and easy flight home. We arrived at KVDF in time to watch a pretty sunset.

Video Notes: KSEF Departure

*We chose a good day to attend. Friday and Saturday were bad weather days. We got the southern tip of the front that was driving Jonas and it delivered high gusty winds and an abundance of cold driving rain.

Expo Notes: Thursday and Beyond

Lake Jackson Arrival - Sebring

2016 Expo

I chose poorly. I thought the early morning rush hour traffic northbound on I75 would be bad so decided to take US301. This worked well to get out of the Parrish vicinity, but soon I was trapped behind a school bus. It probably added 15 minutes to my commute.

When I got to the airport it was marginal VFR conditions. No wind, no ceiling, just 7 miles visibility in haze. I checked my smartphone to see if the conditions persisted along my route. They did. I started my preflight.

I'm glad I had given Sally a good cleaning. She still looks good for her age. It takes a little extra time to remove all of the plugs and covers but they really help to keep her healthy. (I do miss having a hangar.) The preflight went well.

I checked the weather again and most of the local airports were "green", indicating VFR conditions. It took a few extra cranks to get her started but she quickly smoothed out and ran fine. Winds were calm but traffic was calling for RWY23. The taxi would give us time to warm up the engine. The runup was normal. I set Lake Jackson in my 696 as my first waypoint, followed by Sebring as my final destination. A King Air and a Seneca landed as I was holding short. The take off had me flying toward the City of Tampa and the beautiful bay beyond. Visibility was just fine. It was a very good day to fly.

NOTAM for arrival

We leveled at 1500'. I did my checklist, pushed the button and let Sally fly for awhile. Other than a few high cell towers Florida is pretty flat. After awhile I tuned in the frequency to start listening for the Lake Jackson arrival as specified in the NOTAM. Florida has an abundance of lakes so it could be easy to get confused (and some pilots were) about which lake was Jackson. It was easy for us thanks to the modern technology.

Approaching the water tower

When it was my turn I followed the western shore line around to the water tower. But there was some confusion about which of the two airplanes was Sally. "Rock your wings." I love that. We were in the lead and headed for Sebring.

We flew directly over the airport for a right downwind and tower called our base turn. Tight and short, I immediately put in full left rudder and started my slip. Sally scolded me on it for the high sink rate. (She also let me know that the fuel had sloshed away in the left tank.) It resulted with a beautiful landing on centerline. As directed we took the first right and looked for the large ""X". Then we taxied to the east ramp, which may have been in a different county. There were about a dozen planes parked on the ramp.

The golf cart came by to transport me to the shuttle van.. "That sure is a pretty airplane!"

Video Notes: Lake Jackson Arrival

A Small Triangle

Mid January, bitter cold temperatures but time to go flying. "Bitter cold" is a relative term. It dropped into the high 40's overnight, but was nearly 60 °F at 10:00am as I drove to the airport. No frozen hangar doors to worry about, I wore a light sweatshirt instead of a heavy coat. Snow and ice are not in our forecast.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

The weather looked good for the entire route. There were some scattered low clouds to the east but I anticipated they would be gone by the time I got airborne. I've added a new weather site to my standard briefing. Just by chance, I heard a weather advisory for the Skyway Bridge. In addition to small craft advisory for boats, this seems like a good review for surface winds in the local area.

I noticed that Wawa is selling ethanol free gas. Unfortunately it is only the "Plus" octane. I'll keep checking to see if they bump it up to premium.

Sally looked good but somewhat dirty. I'm really glad to have all of the plugs and covers to protect her from the elements. The birds seem to use her wings for target practice, much like they did in the hangar at Butter Valley. I'll have to think about some kind of wing covers. The nasty part of the preflight today was cleaning away all of the spider webs. I wrapped my hand in a used Walmart bag and brushed away the webs from the tie down ropes, the prop covers and engine cowling. Then I pulled her into the sun to do the rest of the preflight. No problems found.

This would be a simple flight. Just a small "round robin" to get me away from KVDF and see some nearby airports. However this is complicated airspace. The Tampa Class "B" is very irregular with many steps and the coverage is far from being circular. In addition there are numerous Class "D" airports that go over 2500'. I opted not to use Flight Following. I'm thankful for my 696.

She started easily and for the first time this year I taxied out to the runway at our new home. We drove over to the run up area for Rwy05 and waited for the oil temperature to rise to the minimum. It was turning into a beautiful day and as we waited a Cessna Citation called to announce his intent to taxi from the FBO. I responded as number two behind him so as not delay his departure. Besides, I had a front row seat to watch a beautiful airplane take off. He was gone in an instant and probably passing 10,000' by the time I took the runway. Mindful of wake turbulence I took off a bit early and drifted to the upwind side of the runway immediately. No issues, I did my checklist after leveling at 1500' for my short flight over to Zephyrhills.

This airport has a long history of skydiving, possibly the longest continuous history of skydiving at any U.S. airport. Skydive City, Inc., founded in 1990, operates a skydiving center, or drop zone, on the southeast side of the airport.

A small triangle

 "Jumpers Away". I would be joining two other airplanes in the pattern as well as the jump plane using a separate runway. I came in wide to give myself a good long 45° entry and took the number two position behind a Cessna 172. While keeping interval on him, I watched the jumpers come in for their landings. The visibility from the PiperSport (and her sister SportCruisers) is amazing, and at a busy airport with jumpers it really helps with situation awareness. This is a busy little field. I like it.

I very nice landing! (I think the water landings helped.) We taxied back and held number two behind another LSA. I had the opportunity to watch another band of skydivers make their landings on the other side of the field. We took off and departed to the east enroute to Winter Haven. 1500' felt very comfortable. I enjoyed seeing the familiar sights along I4, including the "Fantasy of Flight" museum.

Winter Haven's Gilbert Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) northwest of the central business district of Winter Haven, a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the City of Winter Haven.[1] It is also known as Winter Haven Municipal Airport or Gilbert Field. Jack Browns Seaplane Base is located adjacent to the airport, connected by a taxiway.

Enjoying the view

The pattern took us right over Jack Brown's Seaplane Base. I enjoyed it seeing again, even if from a different perspective. I immediately looked at the surface of the lake to determine wind direction then refocused on my pattern at KGIF.  Another nice landing and immediate taxi back for takeoff. This time we would climb up high, 2800' to stay clear for the Lakeland Class "D" airspace.

The trip home was uneventful except for the scenery.  Florida is beautiful. Lakes and waterways are everywhere, cities rise up to decorate the horizon and even at low altitudes you can see forever. I really like landing on RWY36. Right next to a canal, the downwind points right at metropolitan Tampa. This is a wonderful place to fly.

Video Notes: Zephyrhills