Weather creates chaos at Sun N Fun

Provided by Mark Horne, Flying.com

Nothing will ruin a picnic quicker than some bad weather. No one knows this better than pilots. The best way to ruin a pilot’s day is by putting them in the middle of bad weather. This year’s Sun N Fun fly-in took a turn for the most unpleasant as a tornado reportedly touched down in Lakeland, Fl. Photos taken by those in attendance showed piles of damaged planes. Many single engine planes flipped over completely, wings folded, and ended in heaps tangled with other planes. Other more sturdy aircraft in some cases remained stationary only to have lighter aircraft hurled on top of them.

@jeppdirect I'm horrified to see the damage from #SNF11. I am glad to hear that no one from your group was injured.

March 31, 2011 9:20 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@Planeology

Rory S.

Thankfully no one was killed, but many took shelter in a tent that ended up collapsing and reportedly had to be rescued.

@Planeology Thank you - it was a very tense afternoon for the entire team.

March 31, 2011 10:42 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@JeppDirect

JeppDirect

Provided by Mark Horne, Flying.com

I am guessing that starting Thursday afternoon, the tent city swelled with the ranks of insurance adjusters trying to count up the damage in the tangled mess. 70 planes were damaged, a dozen were totaled.

That was Thursday. By Friday, many damaged planes were hauled away on trailers. According to Mark Horne, of Flying.com 90% of the damage was cleaned up by Friday mid-morning and the weather was absolutely clear. Organizers of Sun N Fun were concerned that the reports of damage and poor weather earlier in the week would effect attendance, but there will still lines to get into the airshow on Friday, so it sounds as if the weekend will go much easier. The Blue Angels were already doing their scheduled practice and shows on Friday, so all is well.

@planeology We're ok. Some of our new friends lost everything.

March 31, 2011 10:24 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@NFlightcam

NFlight Technologies

Provided by Mark Horne, Flying.com

It appears as if the people who are showing up on Friday and expect a great airshow throughout the weekend will not be disappointed. Though there were some injuries during the storm, it seems that both the Sun and the Fun are going to be in full force during the weekend.

To prove that people are having fun, we found people smiling on Friday. Here are some aviation celebrities. Our friend, Laura found John and Martha, and they have smiles all the way around!

Provided by Mark Horne, Flying.com