See you in Florida!

Camping on the way to Sun 'n Fun ?

I decided to fly down to Sun ‘n Fun and one of the reasons is that I want to show my plane because it is for sale.

I’ll be departing from the Boston area, which makes this a 10 – 12 hour flight depending on the wind. I suppose one could do it one day, but at 73 years old I’m not going to push it, I’d rather take it easy and have fun.

I’d like to find a nice grass strip to camp because my old body doesn’t want to lie down for the night on hard tarmac.

Any suggestions for a place are very welcome. Send me an email, shoot me a message or leave a comment.

Even better, perhaps someone else from the Northeast is flying down to Florida and we could meet at that strip and camp together spending the last night before the show chatting about our trip there.

How about that.

See you at the show!

With spring comes the desire to fly.



Yes, it's spring here in the Pyrenees, near the border between France and Spain.

Today I came to this small airfield to visit my soaring friends who have arrived from Germany to start the gliding season a little earlier than is possible further up north. It's a beautiful place surrounded by magnificent landscape. Situated in a wide valley, it is perfect for soaring.

Whenever I look at the gliders and talk to my friends and listen to their stories about how far and high they have flown, I feel a strong longing to fly myself. And when I say "fly myself," I mean to travel to Boston, reunite with my 170B and fly Whiskyblue down to Florida to Sun 'n Fun. I sure hope to see the same beautiful clouds and sky when I get there.

Travel along with me on my youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@wolfherold7760 and I'll see you down there.

Might be there, sun n fun is always a good time

We’re going again this year; living in an adjoining state sure makes it easy!

As my trip to Sun 'n Fun gets closer and closer, I'm starting to think about what camping gear I'm going to take and how to pack and organize it.

On my trip to Florida and back to Boston, I'll be on the road for about 6 or 7 days, but I'll still be taking pretty much the same camping gear I had on my 5-week camping-under-the-wing trip last fall. Camping isn't much different, whether you're traveling for one night or a month, you always need a tent, sleeping bag, lights…

What did I use to pack on my adventure trip and what were my experiences?

I used the "Tough Storage Tote" from Home Depot to pack and organize all my stuff. They come in different sizes and are quite inexpensive. I really liked them, they worked well for me. I had three 17-gal totes and three 12-gal totes.

They are stackable, so you can easily place them in the cabin so that the important things are the quickest to reach.
They are really sturdy! I once used two of them to support the rear of the fuselage of my 170 when I had to change the tail wheel tube.

I used ROK straps to attach them to the fittings and D-rings I have in various places in the cabin. It's easy and works well because the bins have channels on the lids to tie them down.
They also have oval holes that you can put a padlock through if you want to lock them.

Everything I take with me is divided into camping equipment, cooking and eating utensils, airplane accessories, snacks, etc. and is packed in different, appropriately labeled bins.

The 17-gal bins are 18 inches wide, so two of them fit nicely side by side behind the seats in the 40-inch-wide 170 cabin, and when filled, their weight is still quite manageable, and I can put them in and take them out without much huffing and puffing.

Looking forward to packing up.

When I thought about the criteria for choosing equipment for camping on an airplane, size and weight, comfort and economy or price came to mind.

Here’s how I apply them to my (next) chair. On my previous trips I used a foldable chair from Northface.
It's fine for an evening in front of the fireplace, but for three or four days of sitting under the wing or next to the airplane, standing up, talking to people and then sitting down again, I need something else.
Since I'll only be using it for a short time, I don't want to spend a lot of money, but it has to be comfortable: so it's comfort and price.

OTOH, size, weight and comfort were important, "economy" not so much when I opted for a high-tech sleeping pad from Nemo to sleep well on my 5-week adventure trip .

Another example: the tent I'm taking with me is the Marmot Limelight 3P tent, which suits my solo camping style very well.
It offers plenty of space for me and my gear, easy access through two doors, extra storage space in the two vestibules and excellent overall quality.
I have categorized it under comfort and economy as it is quite reasonably priced.

I use a Jetboil stove to heat up Mountain House meals. It sits on a small foldable table from BigAgnes.
For this rather short trip I don't need any additional cooking utensils.

As for sleeping bag, pillow, light, etc., I won't bring anything fancy as this is not about camping in winter with long, cold nights.

I'm not an expert on airplane camping, and it may be that I've gotten so used to my gear that my habits have kept me from trying something new.
If you use better gear and would recommend I try it, let me know in the comments. I'm very interested in learning from others and their experiences.

Hey Wolf: If you like good coffee, one thing I would add to your camping gear is an immersion coffee maker. I chose the AeroPress coffee maker since it has a huge following and makes fabulous coffee. They even have annual competitions to see who can make the best coffee using this system. You can choose the beans you prefer and can add any "white stuff" to your coffee that you desire. There are YouTube videos on how to make the best coffee with this simple little system. Here's at link to buy an AeroPress:
https://www.amazon.com/Aeropress-Original-Espresso-Style-Barista-Portable/dp/B0047BIWSK?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A2UWO53H9WPWKP

And here's a link to one option for making good coffee with it:

As far as seating goes, I like a folding recliner for airshows. It lets me get my head back without straining my neck, and lets me get my feet us so the blood doesn't pool in my lower legs when I'm sitting for a long time. Here's the one I carry to AirVenture at Oshkosh. It's available at Walmart for $55. Cheap enough that you can donate it when you head back across the pond. :
https://www.walmart.com/ip/WEJOY-2-in-1-Reclining-Camping-Chair-3-Position-Adjustable-Folding-Lawn-Chairs-for-Adult-Black-Grey/2876983101?athbdg=L1600

A cooler is a must. They sell bags of ice on the grounds and the last time I camped next to my plane at Sun-N-Fun, they even had ice delivery to the airplane camping area. A lot has changed since my last SNF visit in 2014, so that might not be an option these days. Even if you have to carry the ice, having cool drinks at your campsite at the end of a hot day wandering the grounds is really a small slic of heaven.

If you have a portable aviation radio, take it. It is always interesting to listen to the air boss and to have insights on what's going on in the air above you.

Here I am enjoying my morning latte at SNF in 2014. It was a good time for sure!

.

Enjoying your videos Wolf. Realize you are retired and focused on aviation now, but would be interested in hearing what you used to do in the world of physics. Did you work on ITER? LHC? CERN? Future Circular Collider? What ever happened to string theory?

C180_guy wrote:Enjoying your videos Wolf. Realize you are retired and focused on aviation now, but would be interested in hearing what you used to do in the world of physics. Did you work on ITER? LHC? CERN? Future Circular Collider? What ever happened to string theory?

I developed and built particle detectors for big experiments, mostly at Brookhaven National Laboratory, LI.

Based near Zurich we would visit CERN frequently and occasionally test prototypes there.

String theory? I've long forgotten the little I knew about it, LOL

Hello everybody,

my trip to Sun 'n Fun is getting closer so I looked at routes down from the Boston area and places to camp.

Is anybody else flying down from the Northeast? I'd love to get together, camp and chat before continuing on.
How about meeting at Huggins Memorial (58J), it seems like a nice place to pitch a tent.

I haven’t been to any place in this area, perhaps you'd want to meet at a different strip?

Let me know.

Sun 'n Fun is not a backcountry adventure...



As I began to prepare for my trip to Sun ‘n fun, I quickly realized that this trip was going to be very different from my adventures in the backcountry.

Here is what I mean by that.

On my first round trip through the eastern US in my Cessna 170B four years ago, I would pick places to refuel and camp rather spontaneously.
Since I always landed at small airports or grass strips, I was usually the only one in the pattern when I got there, and that was during peak tourist season.

On my backcountry adventure last fall my objective was to visit some of those famous spots out west in Montana, Idaho and Utah that attract a lot of pilots. But since I got there after Labor Day, the crowds had already finished their flying vacations.

Not that I was completely alone, one or two planes visited for an hour or two, another one stayed for the night. It was always a very relaxed atmosphere and there was no pressure to arrive or depart at a certain time or tie down at a predetermined spot.

Sun 'n Fun will be the exact opposite.

I do want to arrive at a certain hour and will most likely be one of many planes approaching at the same time. But with an active scan and the help of ADSB-in, I should be able to see most of them.

I won't have the whole pattern to myself either, and long before I even get there I'll be following a line of planes on a well-defined approach route.

And finally, instead of a lone deer, many experts will be watching my landing, or my go-around in case a gusty crosswind catches me on short final or in the flare.

When I imagine all this, I feel a nervous twitch in my stomach.

Of course, this subsides when I watch the FAA video on VFR approach procedures again. It’s all doable, actually quite simple.

And then there’s the hive of Sun ’n Fun, the crowds and the dynamics of a big fly-in and air show.

I love that, too. I’ll see interesting airplanes, catch up on the latest gadgets, meet lots of pilots, make new friends and show Whiskyblue to anyone who wants to know more about my bird.

After all, she is for sale.

But instead of pitching my tent under fir trees or in deep canyons, I’ll be staying at Vintage Camping,

Please stop by and say hello.

140eagles wrote:I developed and built particle detectors for big experiments, mostly at Brookhaven National Laboratory, LI.

Small world. I worked for Fermilab building data managements systems (D0, CDF, MINOS), went to Argonne and am now working on xrootd (used tons of places, but notably CERN).

Hey all,

I already got a response to my question about where to camp on my way from MA to Sun 'n Fun.
The recommendation is Berg Park Aerodrome https://skyvector.com/airport/9GA2/Berg ... me-Airport

It looks like I might try this place. Anyone got any thoughts?
I am planning on being there the night of Wednesday Apr 10.

Who else wants to come ?

I will be there Friday and Saturday with my wife and daughter, I have some business meetings to tend to while I'm there but otherwise we'll just be exploring the show, happy to start a message or whatsapp group to coordinate. We'll be flying down commercially from Idaho. It'd be great to meet some fellow BCP members in person.

My 14 year old daughter and I will be at Sun n Fun Tuesday and Wednesday. Maybe Thursday as well. Looking to go through the Florida Air Museum this time, and watching the STOL activities more closely. We will look for Wolf and his 170.

I'm taking my 7 year old down on the smoker on Fri, camping Fri night, and heading out Sat night. Hope to catch up with some of you folks!

Greg-

140eagles wrote:Hey all, who else wants to come ?

I'd love to, but my plane is getting a rebuilt engine installed this week and I live on the NW corner of the country. Looks like I'm going to miss the eclipse AND SNF. Sigh. Lots more good flying ahead though...

What do an MT prop, the sportsman cuff and vortex generators have in common?

Well, they all were big players during the 5 week backcountry trip in my 170 last fall.

Here's why.

If you were to ask me today if there was anything during my adventure that really exceeded my expectations, that somehow surprised me and that I appreciated the most, I would say it was the fact that I got to land and camp in some really beautiful places.

Schafer Meadows and Ryan Field in Montana, Moose Creek and Garden Valley in Idaho, and Mexican Mountain in Utah were all on my list of must-see places, but would I be able to land and take off there safely?

I went there, checked them out and ended up camping at all of these places.

Yes, the atmosphere smiled on me and I was lucky as far as the weather was concerned.

However, at least as important as wind and visibility were some of the upgrades and modifications to Whiskeyblue to get into and out of these locations safely.

Take the sportsman cuff with vortex generators for example. Slow - and I mean really slow - approaches with a wide margin of safety and excellent control all the way to touchdown made the landings safe for me without having hundreds of hours of experience with a Cessna wing.
Kudos to Stene Aviation and Micro AeroDynamics.

On takeoff and climb, it was the MT propeller on an O-360 that took away all my worries and put a big smile on my face every time I pushed the throttle forward.

So there you have it, the three main protagonists of my trip.

I really love that stuff because it worked perfectly for me.
So I called the three companies and told them how much I liked them and their stuff and asked them if there was a way to give back some of my good vibes with their products.

Of course, they said, we really like you as a customer and appreciate your experience and would love to support you. McFarlane and Flight Resource, for example, gave me a big banner and some swag.

Now you know where to find me on Vintage Camping... LOL
Stop by and we can talk about my experience with the MT prop.

And the same goes for Willie Stene’s sportsman cuff and the Micro AeroDynamics vortex generators.
These are interesting mods and I love to talk about them.

Looking forward to meeting you and having a nice chat down at Sun’n Fun.

CParker wrote:... happy to start a message or whatsapp group to coordinate.

Great idea, a whatsapp group would be cool. I'd love to meet BCP'ers.