Next week’s Sun ‘n Fun event unofficially kicks off the 2010 fly-in season, and Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (KLAL) will be buzzing. For many pilots, it’s just too intimidating to even consider flying in to such a hornets’ nest. Maybe most of their flying is in rural areas where they seldom see another airplane in the landing pattern. But even for those of us who fly in more congested airspace (I can see the Manhattan skyline as soon as I clear the tree line at my airport), preparing to fly into an event like Sun ‘n Fun takes some doing. This will be my first time flying into Sun ‘n Fun, and I’m looking forward to it.
The other biggie, of course, is EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and I have plenty of experience with that procedure. I always make it a point to express how well that works when I meet pilots who shy away from attending because they’re scared of the arrival format. Here’s what I suggest: First, make sure you have the notam and carve out some quality time at home to read it over a few times as part of your flight planning. For Sun ‘n Fun it’s 43 pages (I suggest printing it two-sided and in grayscale to save paper, ink and clutter) and there is a lot there that you don’t need to know, but you’ll only learn the difference by studying the whole thing. Then you can highlight the key parts that you’ll need to have at your fingertips as you enter the high-traffic zone. Attach the key elements of the notam to your clipboard where you assemble your charts.
