SNF17

It was a different kind of show for me. I was working. My job was to fly prospective customers on demonstration flights but since that was difficult to do at Lakeland, we had two planes positioned at Plant City (KPCM) and flew from there. The logistics worked out well. When not flying, I worked the display area for Cruiser Aircraft Inc, the new importer for the western hemisphere. It was great talking to other pilots about the features of the airplane, the Sport Pilot license, and to dispel some myths about LSA limitations. It was hard work and by the end of the day I was tired.

The Florida weather was beautiful for us, but a very strong line of storms to the north kept many folks from making the trip down early in the week.  We got some thunder and lightning, but really not as bad as previous storms. I met my friend Duane who had spent the night in a tent under the wing of his plane. Brave man! It was just great to trade #SportCruiser stories with him.

I took the day off on Friday so that Kathy and I could watch the airshow. It's been years since we've seen the Blue Angels and once again we were thrilled. After the airshow we walked the grounds visiting other vendors. Kathy sat in a #SeaRey, we talked to an owner/rep about the #Petrel. Then we went over to the #AOPA tent for a Flying Club social. They served us some pulled pork sandwiches and some wine as we mingled. They didn't offer as much info as I wanted about starting a club, but I got Jamie's card and will make an appointment with him.

It was back to work on Saturday and Sunday. Large crowds with lots of interesting questions. People came to this event from all over the world. What are the performance characteristics for flying out of the high Andes mountains of Columbia? Can we import directly or must the plane come into the USA first? Why would I want to be a Sport Pilot if I can only fly 50 nm? I explained he was confusing the license with the Recreational Pilot, there are no distance limitations with Sport Pilot. The press says that this event had the most attendance ever for SNF, even though it was in direct competition with Aero in Europe.

Hopefully the interest will convert to sales.