Hosted at Paradise Field in Lakeland, FL, Florida Jets is an annual "jet-together" that has been going on for 18 years. With more than 120 registered pilots this year, the event has grown dramatically, and along the way, it has become a showcase for manufacturers and suppliers in this unique segment of the RC hobby. It is run as a fly-in rather than a contest, so participants are pretty much free to fly as much as they'd like. There is no judging or scoring, just pure "jetting around" in the near-perfect Florida sky. For this year's event, which took place March 5-8, the light breeze was steady, but went right down the runway. This allowed some of the larger, heavier models to touch down at just above walking speed. The big news for 2014 was the outstanding, newly installed blacktop runway and relocation of the actual flying site to a more "user-friendlv" location. Previous jet participants had been vocal about the grass runway, so promoter Frank Tiano responded by installing a 60- by 700-foot strip of asphalt. Everyone was pleased and some commented that this improvement will likely trigger a huge increase in participation in the future. The flightline, vendor booths, suppliers, and food stands were far more accessible than in previous years and everyone noticed.
No comments:
Post a Comment