I have been attending SUN ‘n FUN for so many years I have lost track of how many I have been to.
For the first few years, I would come for one or two days, but each time I became aware of things I was missing. I decided that the best plan was to spend the week at the show so that I would be able to take better advantage of what was offered.
A few years ago, I joined the Experimental Aircraft Association, found a local chapter, and became interested in building an airplane. At this point in my history, I didn’t have any aircraft building skills but I had some experience in restoring a wooden boat and learned some composite skills repairing my fiberglass sailboat.
Now that I am in my 80s, for various reasons my flying days are over. However, I thoroughly enjoy building a Pietenpol Air Camper with my local EAA chapter. I have found those limited woodworking and fiberglass skills I used to keep my boats in good repair can be used in building this aircraft. But I still have a lot to learn.
During my visit to the 2022 SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo, I decided to explore the workshops area and was pleasantly surprised by how many do-it-yourself workshops are available to learn a new aircraft-building skill.
When I got to the workshops area, I found Marcia Buckingham, who is the chairperson of the workshops. She is the CEO of the DIY teaching that is going on here. She took me around to visit the many teaching locations on the SUN ‘n FUN campus and introduced me to many of the key people who are doing face-to-face teaching each day.
I counted 19 different DIY courses being run during a single day at the show. These are all hands-on courses taught by experts who have been using these skills for many years. The courses run the gamut from sheet metal working, welding, electrical, avionics, fabric covering, magneto timing, engine rebuilding, and more.
When I asked Marcia how much these courses cost, she said the cost was covered in the gate fees the attendees paid to get into the show. I asked about the cost of the materials used in teaching some of the courses, such as sheet metal or wood used in building wood jigs to put together wing ribs. She said that materials are covered by SUN ‘n FUN and its sponsors.
These DIY workshops are a great opportunity to learn new aircraft building skills. The workshops are held at other airshows, as well, including EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. It just makes sense to take advantage of these workshops wherever they are offered.