Don’t miss the best show in town

Of all the proud, long-lasting institutions in general aviation, SUN ‘n FUN is certainly one of the stand-outs.

Scheduled for April 5-10, 2022, the grounds of Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL) in Florida will once again be awash with aviation enthusiasts from all corners of the globe. The sky, the ramps, and the grassy infield will be filled with an almost unimaginably broad selection of aircraft birthed in factories, T-hangars, garages, and barns.

Best of all, perhaps, attendees can avail themselves of educational forums and workshops that will help them get the most out of their own aeronautical pursuits when they get back home…wherever home may be.

With all that being said, there is one inspirational story that is so convenient to the SUN ‘n FUN visitor they may miss it entirely. It’s something of a forest for the trees situation. It’s right there, big as life, practically begging you to step inside and discover it. And by “it” I mean a program so unique, but so easily replicated, you will never forget the impression it makes.

Seriously, don’t miss the best show in town at the best show in town.

The lessons waiting to be learned just inside the SUN ‘n FUN gates may be exactly what your town or city needs to revitalize general aviation, boost your local economy, and push your school system’s educational potential up to the next level.

Do I overstate the importance of this attraction? You be the judge.

When you arrive at SUN ‘n FUN this year, take a sharp right turn just after walking though the gate. Wander down James C. Ray Drive for a hundred yards or so, just past the Boeing 727. You’ll see a large white hangar with red trim. On the wall you’ll notice a peculiar wording: “High School Flying Club.”

Those are words seldom seen on airport grounds. But here in Lakeland, they bring to life the potential of aviation to transform young people, jump-start careers, and put lessons about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) into context.

The hangar door is open, the students will be working and volunteering throughout the week. I encourage you to walk inside, see for yourself that it is possible to put teenagers and aircraft together in a meaningful way. More than that, I hope you see that it is possible to transport this model of vocational and motivational training to your own hometown.

The Lakeland Aero Club is your destination. It is presided over by Mike Zidziunas (more commonly referred to as Mike Z, for obvious reasons) a flight instructor and highly experienced A&P with IA privileges. Mike has fostered a long string of shy, inexperienced teenagers through the labyrinth of youthful distractions into a future that includes college, or technical school, gainful employment, and civic pride.

Mike is more of a mentor than a shop foreman. He’s done more with his scant staff and few volunteers than far larger organizations have managed to achieve with significantly larger budgets and regular infusions of government dollars. That success is catching. Thank goodness.

This year, for the first time, the Lakeland Aero Club hangar will be populated by not only the student members of that proud organization, but also by members of the Aspiring Aviators Aero Club, a separate high school flying club established in Winter Haven on the eastern side of Polk County, Florida. Modeled almost exactly on the successful example of the Lakeland Aero Club, the Aspiring Aviators are restoring classic taildraggers that they will fly and maintain for years to come.

This year, the Lakeland club is hosting the Winter Haven club, with the guidance of Don’s Dream Machines of Bessemer, Alabama. It’s a first, but it will most certainly not be the last.

The teenaged members of the Aspiring Aviators will be re-assembling the components of a Continental 85-horsepower engine, under the watchful eye and capable guidance of staffers from Don’s Dream Machines, where the engine was cleaned, disassembled, evaluated, prepped, and returned to Lakeland for final assembly.

Let’s get a sense of what progress looks like with a quick peek into recent history. A year ago, at SUN ‘n FUN 2021, the Aspiring Aviators were offered an Aeronca L16 that belonged to a flying club that was folding its tent. Several months of negotiations, fundraising, and planning to transport the airplane were the result. The airplane, a military version of the venerable Aeronca Champ, was well out of annual with significant issues needing to be resolved. Yet, it was all there. The club took the deal, moved the L16, and got to work restoring it to its former glory.

One year later, that airplane is in the Aspiring Aviators Aero Club hangar in Winter Haven. Its wings have been reattached, new tires and tubes have been installed. The tailwheel has been rebuilt, lubricated, and returned to its rightful place on the airframe. And now, during SUN ‘n FUN, the engine that will pull that classic skyward will be reassembled and readied for installation.

By this summer the plan is to have that airplane flying again, with teenagers at the controls, flying behind an engine they built with their own hands.

That’s something to see. It’s also a program you could replicate back home.

So, stop in to watch the rebirth of a classic airplane as it happens. Ask Mike Z how he does it, and how you can do it too. Stop by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Campus and look me up to ask for an assist in building the same sort of program in your town, with your local high schools. I’ll be there all week. I’m happy to fill you in.

And if I may be so bold, while you’re in the Lakeland Aero Club’s hangar, marveling at what a group of teenagers have done and are continuing to do, don’t rule out the possibility of dropping a dollar or two into the pot of either organization to help continue the program. Both the Lakeland Aero Club and the Aspiring Aviators Aero Club operate entirely on funds raised privately from benefactors large and small who see the value in what’s happening in this little corner of the world.

Is a movement afoot? I certainly think so. I hope you’ll let me know your thoughts after you visit and see for yourself.