What's new at Sebring 2014?

[Merlinspop]

Anyone get hands on the Rans S-20? Super Legend?
Anything else there new?

[Nomore767]

Darren hart told me that they would have a Super Legend on floats. I spoke with a guy who went to the seaplane area and didn't see it.

I was surprised that they didn't have a model on wheels, so the competition carbon Cub stole their limelight. Legend had 3 Cubs and a Cub on floats.

SeaRay is cool..but I'm not a seaplane type so…several other seaplane type LSAs.

I did see the Rans 20…didn't look too close but I think it was on giant tundra tires?

The Rotax 912i engine was in several models but not as many as I thought I'd see.

Thought I'd see a stand on the new GA fuels but didn't . I'll look again tomorrow.

[Jack Tyler]

Well...'we' were new. With a last-minute snap decision, a few of us Florida RAF members proposed renting a booth for the show just to see if there was much interest in opening/preserving/maintaining backcountry airstrips in recreationally interesting locations. The RAF Board quickly approved the idea and we put a minimalist booth together. We were quite surprised at the results:
-- ran out of membership registrations; ran off more and ran out of them, too. End up taking names on notebook paper. For a small show, it was very productive for us.
-- the booth visitors we talked to were geographically far more diverse than expected. It wasn't just Carl who showed up from a state a thousand miles away. Talked to a number of Canadians and also folks attending from all four corners of the country
-- another surprise were how many airstrip owners we met & signed up. This stemmed from our work to revise Recreational Use Statutes in all 50 states (which protects the landowner/airpark owner from liability). 20 states down, 30 to go.
-- at - literally - the very last minute, Jana Filip the Expo Marketing Manager, created a campground immediately adjacent to the show itself after one of our members requested it. Several of our booth workers stayed there from Wednesday thru Sunday and, if she's willing to do that next year, we will promote it to our members as everyone can have a more convenient way to visit the show multiple days at far less cost. Don't think there was a single night that wasn't freezing temps; our folks are hardy!

As a 'show', I'd describe attendance as consistently light. I gave a series of suggestions to Jana about attracting vendors that - based on who came to our booth - weren't there but should have been. Compared to several years ago when I attended, I thought the crowd attending looked similarly 'light', the show itself was presented in a much more professional way, both the vendors and attendees seemed to be more serious about being there, and I learned yet again how my feet and back feel about only standing on a hard concrete floor for 8 hours. (We don't sit on our booth chairs; they are for our visitors).

Here's the basic puzzle I see re: Expo: Will the Light Sport industry be large enough & profitable enough to sustain a Light Sport show with the necessary critical mass? Or put differently, if it doesn't grow, can the show be sustained financially? (The airport authority continues to try and bill the show as more inclusive than only 'Light Sport' but I don't think that washes based on what I saw).

We're very pleased with our results, and with how accommodating the show management was.

[Daidalos]

I love to hear about the World Aircraft, Spirit & Vision aircraft if anyone sees them.

[Nomore767]

Sorry we missed you Jack,

Wife and I trolled through the hangar a few times so we must have just missed you.

We also missed the dulcet tones of Paul in the Flying Musicians.

So many planes and toys…so little time!