Troubled Fly-In Alienates Sport Racers

The not-so-fun-loving folks at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In have cancelled one of sport aviation's longest running performance races. Sponsored many years ago by US Aviator magazine, and more recently by other parties, the races were some of Sport Aviation's purest go-fast races... simple 60/100 mile, go-as-fast-as-you-can/dare races over a triangular course that started and ended at Lakeland, Florida. [They were always a blast and the times that I raced there count as some of the most enjoyable things I have ever done at Lakeland (and mind you I have raced some really weird birds there... flying one year in a Sukhoi Su-26 and another in a DC-3)--Jim Campbell, ANN E-I-C].

An official statement notes that, "We have just been notified by officials at the Sun-n-Fun Fly-In that from the recommendation of their insurance representatives and air operations director, they have cancelled the Sun 60 and Sun 100 Air Races for 2005. Their plan is to review safety concerns and race operations and possibly re-institute the races in 2006."

ANN is pleased to note that Sun 'n Fun is suddenly concerned about safety... over the past few years, Sun 'n Fun's refusal to deal with published safety concerns, that ANN and several other entities have brought up, have been causal in a number of tragic accidents, fatalities, and the resulting lawsuits. The lightplane area still has a number of hazards (though not as many as when we first put out a safety warning just days before a fatal accident claimed a pilot's life), pedestrians are still moved in too-close proximity to moving props and airplanes (resulting in two fairly recent pedestrian/airplane collisions that injured a volunteer and a child), and an arrival/departure profile that has resulted in a number of inflight and runway collisions... and fatal accidents. Sun 'n Fun continues to have one of the most dismal safety records in the fly-in biz while pilot complaints about the hazards (much less the Fly-In's "bad" attitude) are keeping flyers away in ever-increasing numbers. However; ANN is pleased to note that their insurance company has given them a reason to start thinking about safety.

Mind you, the Sun 60/100 races have (historically) been fairly safe events, and are usually populated by careful and reasonably proficient pilots... who only gain more expertise and insight into the aviation biz every time they match wits and skills with their fellow aviators. It's a shame that this race has apparently become another casualty of Sun 'n Fun's dismal safety record. We'll keep you informed if the situation changes...  

FMI: www.aircraftspruce.com/sunfunracebulletin.php