Sun n’ Fun Lite

Les Abend

Monday, August 09, 2021 at 03:00 PM ET

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The newer faces of the Blue Angels: Lt. Julius Bratton No. 7 and Lt. Katlin Forster No. 8. Courtesy Les Abend

Key Takeaways:

The author highlights the National STOL Competition, a refreshing new event at the Sun 'n Fun Holiday Flying Festival, which showcases impressive pilot skill in short takeoffs and landings.
Aviation leaders from AOPA, EAA, and Sun 'n Fun discussed the resilience and positive outlook for general aviation amidst the pandemic, with plans for future expos and increased activity.
The STOL competition captivated the author with its display of pilot expertise, demonstrating remarkably short takeoffs and precise landings that prove "takeoffs and landings are a spectator sport."
Despite enjoying the event, the author expressed significant concern over the lack of adherence to advertised COVID-19 safety protocols, including poor social distancing and sparse mask-wearing.

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As a longtime contributor to Flying, I have been blessed with the good fortune of attending many events, including airshows. Having spent a career mostly mastering the art of straight-and-level flight in the stratosphere, I have tremendous admiration for the aviators that perform physics-defying maneuvers at stepladder altitudes. I am awed by the skills involved.

That being said, it was refreshing to observe a new type of event that didn’t involve a smoke-infused outside loop or an eardrum-shattering fly-by. On Friday, December 4, 2020, at the Sun ‘n Fun Holiday Flying Festival and Car Show in Lakeland, Florida, I was introduced to the National STOL Competition. It is an event that only reaffirms what pilots already know: Takeoffs and landings are a spectator sport.