Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo

Have you ever camped at an airshow?  We did it at the E3 Association’s private campground for the event – the largest airshow in the southeast with over 200k attendees!  We stayed for 6 days and saw sooooo many amazing aircraft, on the ground and in the sky.  Let’s not forget the Saturday night pyromusical show! Talk about explosions, fireworks, and planes launching fireworks!  Check it out and we hope you’ll subscribe to our channel for more Wandering Fun!

The Sun n Fun Aerospace Expo and air show 2023 was an amazing experience, and we'll try to show you why in this video!

[This is a rough transcript of the narrative on the video]
We were able to camp basically AT the airshow, just south of the airfield, for 6 days. We showed up Tuesday night to a private campground, basically a field, sponsored by E3 Aviation. It was a separate area from the Sun n Fun campground at the western end of the airfield.

Ever seen a canoe strapped to an airplane? We did! Seems like a new form of RV to me, and looks like a lot of fun!

More about the camping situation:
It was dry camping, or boondocking, basically meaning we had no hookups for our RV for power, water, or sewer. But we did have service trucks come to refill our fresh water tanks and pump out our other tanks.

We joined the taping of Q & A with ex-fighter pilots and you can see Liam on the right after he asked them about dealing with problems they've had in the air. It was really interesting to hear about some of the crazy situations they've had to think -- and fly -- their way out of.

The pilot whose callsign is FEED is none other than former Blue Angels pilot Tyler Davies. His instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tylerdavies56

Check out the Piedmont Aerospace Experience -- a fully functional retired FedEx 727 freighter! After 2000 volunteer hours to restore it, the plane is now a classroom and part meeting space. The engines and everything else work, and with a certificate of airworthiness, this plane could be flown.
We talked with several students of the onsite Central Florida Aerospace Academy, who answered questions about the plane and their school. Can you believe they go to school at the airport and earn certifications and licenses while completing high school? Check out the conference room table -- it's the leading edge slat of a different 727 aircraft!

We spent some time at the Florida Air Museum next door, where you can wander through some aviation history. From ultralights to warbirds to NASA, there's a little bit of everything here. There are exhibits about Howard Hughes and early air racers, and some educational experiences for all ages.

You might want to pause here & read this sign about the birth of the airline industry happening nearby in St. Petersburg, Florida……

I think my favorite plane here was the AIRCAMPER, invented by Bernard Pietenpol. We love camping with our non-flying camper, and I can only imagine a pilot stuffing a sleeping bag and some coffee into this plane, and heading off to completely different scenery for a little camping. And I know they did this, because I had the opportunity to talk with the inventor's grandson Andrew to learn a bit more about its history.

Turns out, it wasn't originally called an Aircamper - that term was coined by a magazine back in the 1920's. Part of Bernard's inspiration was wanting to build a plane with an inexpensive Model T or Model A automobile engine instead of a certified aircraft engine. He custom-built these himself in about 1000 hours, selling them prior to WWII for $750 with the colors of your choice. Selling his popular plans & kits, he became known as the Father of the Home-built airplane. I'll put a link to the rest of the story in the video description.

We wandered through exhibits about navigational tools, NOAA, and learned a bit about a G-forces and the Space Shuttle engines. It's almost hard to imagine 512,000 pounds of thrust!

I'll link to the museum's website in the video description where you can see their calendar with events like Wings & Waffles on it!

Check out the F35B, also known as the Lightning-II, doing a low-speed pass and then a high-speed pass…

And then what the supersonic F35B is known for - the B means this is the Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing variant (STOVL) and we got quite a show front and center. This expert pilot showed us the maneuverability of this amazing aircraft. It was a sight to behold and none of us will forget it!

We also had the privilege of Feed, the former Blue Angels pilot, guiding us through a demonstration.

We found our way into the business end of a KC-135 Stratotanker built in 1963! The boys got to sit in the boom pod where they'd typically help refuel aircraft like F-105's, F-4's, and B-52 bombers.

Check out our other video where Sydney got to pilot a REAL plane as part of the EAA's Young Eagles program! Our 11 yr old FLEW the plane! They're now Young Eagles! www.wanderingfun.com

Did I mention we met Maverick and Iceman later? They were a great duo, and you can learn more here:
Maverick (@californiatomcruise): https://www.californiatomcruise.com
https://www.instagram.com/californiatomcruise
Ice Man: https://www.instagram.com/thearizonaiceman/

We hope you've found this video entertaining and enlightening. If so, please subscribe … for more Wandering Fun!