Had not both shows been cancelled or postponed, I would be gearing up for Sun ‘n Fun and Aero Friedrichshafen. The important spring events were due to start in less than a week.
Now, Aero is put off until 2021 and Sun ‘n Fun is about three weeks away from a Lakeland city-imposed final decision date (on April 17) regarding the new planned date of May 5-10, 2020. (I’m keeping my hopes up that our friends at that event will be able to launch their spring celebration of flight.)
To help all of us through the next few weeks, I will be posting virtual airshow material — that is, I’ll write about aircraft you would have seen had you been able to attend the show. Companies work very hard to get new products ready for these big spring events. To not lose momentum as governments around the world impose all manner of rules, I’ll take the shows online… hence, “Virtual.”
Why “Norden?”
“The plane is just the sum of my experience in this sector,” wrote Zlin Aviation developer Pasquale Russo.
Archives for March 2020
Mechanically-Minded — Rainbow Starts Light-Sport Repairman Training in Missouri
Coronavirus or not, departures from the Golden State of California continue unabated. Before this novel virus “plague” brought isolation around the world, one of our top Light-Sport Aircraft service companies picked up sticks and moved more than halfway across this big country to Kingsville, Missouri (about one hour southeast of Kansas City).
Years ago at the very beginning of Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot, Rainbow Aviation entrepreneurs Brian and Carol Carpenter started what would become the nation’s largest and most productive repairman training courseware provider.
I recall this husband and wife team coming to EAA headquarters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. At the time I was consulting to the organization as they prepared for the arrival of the new regulation. Brian and Carol showed up at EAA to brief them on their plans. That was 16 years ago and today Rainbow is the leading supplier of repairman classes.
As the new rule was announced back in 2004, one aspect was the Light Sport Repairmen section, including LSR-Inspection and LSR-Maintenance privileges.
Thinking Positively About A Post-Coronavirus 2020 — Pilots Still Want to Fly
“This, too, shall pass…” said my neighbor, Bill Chernish, who flies for Southwest Airlines. His industry is unusually battered by the coronavirus pandemic. His calm and forward-looking view is refreshing amidst the fear seen, well… everywhere.
For everyone around the globe, the word “coronavirus” or the clumsier “Covid-19” disease it causes, has been the major topic of conversations. Rarely have we seen one theme so dominate all the peoples of the planet. What comes afterward?
I have no crystal ball but two recent posts online gave me a lift. Perhaps you can feel similarly.
Psych’ Up ⬆️
A recent Facebook post showed a pilot flying solo, clearly enjoying himself with a caption something like: “I find many of my favorite hobbies involve social distancing.” I grinned at his use of the new ubiquitous phrase but in the background of his image, the sky looked beautiful and his joy at being aloft was a welcome change of pace from the nonstop bummer news.
Aero Friedrichshafen Postpones Europe’s Best Show Until 2021
Delay, postpone, or cancel — that seems to be the question organizers of events faced in the current pandemic scare.
Some, like the Twelve Hours of Sebring endurance auto race (not the former Sebring Sport Aviation Expo) or the Sun ‘n Fun airshow, elected to postpone and announce alternative dates in 2020.
Sebring quickly checked for a calendar opening and rescheduled for November, which presently looks safe.
Sun ‘n Fun postponed until May 5-10, which everyone hopes will be post-coronavirus. Seeing that China’s infection rates are now rapidly declining gives hope that the American situation could start to improve in the weeks ahead (I write hopefully).
No Aero Until Next Year
“Our world has been turned upside down,” stated longtime Aero Friedrichshafen lead organizer, Roland Bosch.
“Nevertheless,” he continued, “it is still imperative for Messe Friedrichshafen (the exhibit operator’s business name) to look to the future.
“Since the coronavirus forced us to postpone the Aero Friedrichshafen scheduled for April 1 to 4, 2020, we have considered many possible options for rescheduling the event to take place at a later date,” Bosch explained.
Sun ‘n Fun 2020 Has Been Rescheduled in Wake of Coronavirus Mess
Update: April 2020 — Faced with a difficult decision and under enormous pressure, Sun ‘n Fun organizers changed plans and have now rescheduled the event for April 13-18, 2021.
Relax, folks. We’re not going anywhere fast. Across all industries, shows and events have been “falling like dominos,” as publisher Ben Sclair put it when I called to discuss Sun ‘n Fun 2020. I knew Ben would be watching very closely as his company produces the daily show paper.
Yesterday, the Twelve Hours of Sebring — attended by 150,000 race fans — “delayed” their event, although in an extraordinarily deft move on their part, Sebring Raceway already rescheduled for November. This is impressive planning on short notice that reportedly came only after interacting with other scheduled racing events to find an open place on the calendar.
Later yesterday both the giant Florida theme parks Disney and Universal announced they will close Sunday through the end of the month.
Coronavirus Claims Another Victim: Aero Freidrichshafen 2020 is “Postponed”
That was several hours of my life I will never get back — booking airline, rental car, and a series of hotel rooms… and then cancelling all of them! Drat!
Yet my frustration in scuttling travel plans to attend and work Aero Friedrichshafen is minor compared to the effort by the people running Aero and the 700 vendors that all must now change their plans. Even noting this does not count the hundreds of small businesses from gas stations to restaurants to hotels and more that will suffer sharp revenue losses, possibly resulting in many jobs being terminated.
What a mess!
Not Just China’s Problem
“As Head of Aero Friedrichshafen, I have experienced many situations during the last 30 years which have affected the global economy and the aerospace industry in a negative way,” started Roland Bosch, the longtime leader of this very popular European airshow. “But never before has an incident had such a strong impact on the global economy like the new coronavirus.