Thanks to the hard work of RAF Member Ron Krohn, and support from many others, the Governor of New Mexico signed into law House Bill 12 on April 6th. This law adds "operation of aircraft" to the state's existing Recreational Use Statute. “This is a great step for the recreational pilots, the backcountry, and of course, the state of New Mexico” said New Mexico Pilot Association (NMPA) President Joyce Woods.
The RAF Team at Sun N’ Fun spent the last day of the show manning our booth and visiting other vendors. The final day of the event is traditionally slower than the rest of the week and gives everyone a chance to visit other booths, vendors, and exhibitors. The RAF Team feels the show was a success despite Thursday’s tornado and remain thankful no one was injured. Our hearts still go out to those who were injured and to those who sustained damage to their aircraft or lost aircraft during the tornado.
Not all things were Sun N Fun this past week. There is a good effort being made in numerous states to get amendments made to various Recreational Use Statutes. A couple of states are close to passage of a Recreational Use Statutes amendment to include aviation at this time while four more are in the initial legislative stages. We will keep you posted as to the status on those measures.
We made many new friends here and are looking forward to seeing you next year. With RAF members in every state we hope to see you at many of the RAF functions throughout the coming year.
Beautiful weather on Saturday brought large crowds to Sun N’ Fun as well as to the RAF booth! The great weather brought many supporters and kept RAF volunteers busy all day. One of the highlights of the day was the young folks that came thru the booth. Bringing young folks to the world of flying was one of the topics of a Town Hall meeting panel discussion held today at Sun N' Fun. The meeting was sponsored and moderated by Congressman Sam Graves of MO. Following the discussion Congressman Graves stopped by the RAF booth to visit with his RAF friends. He has taken the time to understand aviation issues and is an active supporter of all things relating to flying. It was interesting to see the change that a couple of days can bring in weather. When we look back to Thursday when the tornado passed through compared to the blue skies of today it was hard to believe that we were in the same place. The Sun N' Fun grounds had very little visible signs of the mess left from the storm, a tribute to all who put forth a large effort so the show would continue uninterrupted. Attendees were in a good mood and happy to be out in the Florida Sunshine.
The RAF crew came through again and was on-site by 7:30am to start cleaning our booth after Thursday's horrendous storms that came through Sun N' Fun. The Lakeland, FL newspaper, The Ledger, reports that four tornados battered Lakeland during the storm. After seeing all the damage we are all thankful no one was injured. Our Husky (N40WY) that was so graciously loaned to us by Aviat Aircraft was put back on display. If you have seen the video of N40WY’s solo adventure on Thursday you can understand why we are glad no one got injured. The tail feathers of N40WY were damaged and the insurance adjusters have done their inspections. The Aviat Husky booth suffered severe damage and were probably hit harder than anyone at the show.
We are looking forward to another busy day Saturday and hope to sign up many new supporters. The RAF Maryland State Liaison, Craig McCullough, and RAF Supporter Carl Hicks, Jr. need to leave on Saturday and their help will be greatly missed.
The Sun 'n Fun flight line was littered with damaged aircraft after the tornado struck.
Strong winds flipped multiple aircraft.
Lakeland, Fla. — A tornado struck the Lakeland Airport during the Sun ’n Fun Fly-in on Thursday afternoon, Mar. 31, 2011, causing extensive damage to numerous aircraft in vendor displays and on the flight line. In the aftermath of the storm, twisted and flipped aircraft littered the display area.
The RAF had a full complement of folks in Lakeland with 14 on hand, and the entire team was at ground zero during this most unfortunate event. The onset was sudden, and the RAF tent became a shelter for many passers-by who were seeking refuge from the storm. Our tent held tight, unlike those of many vendors around us. There are some early reports of injuries, but no fatalities. Fortunately, our only casualties were a damaged display aircraft, broken TVs, and some wet shoes and shirts. We all made it out of the Sun ’n Fun area safely, and will have to wait until we can return tomorrow before we can fully assess the damage.
Submitted by tmckenna on Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Day two of Sun N' Fun had a little something for everyone. These aspiring pilots will be 4 in April and love to fly! They got to spend the day with dad and hang out in the RAF booth. What could be better?
The wind, and rain didn't dampen anyones spirits. The RAF crew is going strong and looking forward to meeting more folks again tomorrow.
When the golf cart stopped at the RAF booth a seasoned looking gentleman asked new RAF Maryland State Liaison to tell him what the RAF was all about. Craig McCullough of Baltimore (left) started in. The gentleman said "I want to know the whole story, from the beginning". That gentleman was none other than EAA Founder Paul Poberezny. Later, when recounting the story to the rest of the RAF crew Craig said, "I didn't know who he was when he pulled up and I could not believe the enthusiasm and interest he had for what we are doing". "My trip has been made" Craig said. Pictured with Craig and Paul is RAF volunteer Dave Flatter. Despite the rain from the day prior to Sun N Fun opening there was good activity all day.
The RAF started setting up the booth for Sun N' Fun on Sunday and Monday and is ready for the show to start. The airplane in the RAF display is courtesy of our friends at Aviat Husky of Afton, Wyoming. If you attend Sun N' Fun come stop by our campsite and visit for awhile. Stay tuned for our updates.
The 2011 Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show was held in Puyallup, Washington at the end of February. It proved to be another successful venue for our RAF traveling backcountry show. We met lots of new folks, existing supporters, and signed up several new members. It was a wonderful show with over 350 exhibitors, many interesting presentations, and an estimated 12,000 attendees. By Sunday afternoon, we were pretty convinced that all 12,000 had stopped by the RAF booth to listen to our story.
The RAF crew came through again and was on-site by 7:30am to start cleaning our booth after Thursday's horrendous storms that came through Sun N' Fun. The Lakeland, FL newspaper, The Ledger, reports that four tornados battered Lakeland during the storm. After seeing all the damage we are all thankful no one was injured. Our Husky (N40WY) that was so graciously loaned to us by Aviat Aircraft was put back on display. If you have seen the video of N40WY’s solo adventure on Thursday you can understand why we are glad no one got injured. The tail feathers of N40WY were damaged and the insurance adjusters have done their inspections. The Aviat Husky booth suffered severe damage and were probably hit harder than anyone at the show.
The RAF started setting up the booth for Sun N' Fun on Sunday and Monday and is ready for the show to start. The airplane in the RAF display is courtesy of our friends at Aviat Husky of Afton, Wyoming. If you attend Sun N' Fun come stop by our campsite and visit for awhile. Stay tuned for our updates.
