'The most fun you can have in an airplane': Pilots and aircraft trickle in to Sun 'n Fun

LAKELAND — The 49th annual Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo is getting underway at Lakeland Linder International Airport. It officially takes place Tuesday through Sunday.

Aviation enthusiasts from across the country are flying in for the weeklong event. On Monday, The Ledger caught up with some of the pilots and owners who were flying in to talk about their unique aircraft:

U.S. Army, MQ-1C Gray Eagle

U.S. Army Warrant Officer Roger Wilson, out of Fort Stewart, Georgia, was answering questions about the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, an unmanned aircraft that serves as the nation's primary intelligence reconnaissance aircraft. It is the Army's version of the MQ-1 Predator, a predecessor of the U.S. drone that recently crashed into the Black Sea.

"What will happen [is] a ground force commander will have intelligence requirements and task out an asset like this to go out into an area of operations and provide him with a better picture of what's happening on the ground," Wilson said.

He said the unmanned aircraft — which he was careful to avoid calling a drone — is equipped with video, radar and other information-collection methods.

"This is the commander's primary eyes on the battlefield, beyond what he can see organically," he said.

Wilson said the unmanned craft can be used to survey anywhere from a singular building to an entire city depending on the commander's needs for a particular mission.

The aircraft is primarily used within warzones as a combat aircraft, as it is not allowed to be flown in national airspace because of Federal Aviation Administration regulations. Most of the unit's orders and tasks come directly from the Pentagon.

Wilson estimated there are about 100 MQ-1C Gray Eagles in use, based on the number of U.S. Army intelligence units. It is capable of carrying up to four Hellfire missiles, precision air-to-ground weapons, two on each side.

Steve Henry, 2022 Highlander made by Just Aircraft

Steve Henry, owner of Wild West Aircraft, is constantly tweaking and customizing his Highlander made by Just Aircraft. It's important so he can stay on top of his Short Take Off and Landing, or STOL, competitions and drag races.

"It's the most fun you can have in an airplane," he said.

Henry, a resident of Nampa, Idaho, traveled across the world in 2022 testing his skills and the plane's functionality at more than a dozen STOL competitions.

"We had as close as you could to a perfect season last year," he said.

In the first competition of the 2023 National STOL series in Jennings, Louisiana, Henry said he won first place with a 13-foot take off and 22-foot landing. He is signed up to compete in Lakeland's STOL competition at Sun 'n Fun.

Several features of the Highlander make it "perfectly equipped" for STOL. Henry said the plane has a powerful Yamaha with a large 92-inch, four blade propeller. The wings of the plane have slats on them to quickly slow the craft down to land. There's an "experimental" switch out to smaller tires with dramatically deep treads that Henry said he thinks will grip the grass for a quicker landing.

To imagine STOL drag racing, he said two planes are in parallel lanes around 2,000 feet long. The pilots must take off side by side when the light turns green, fly past the 2,000 feet mark and safely land as quickly as possible. Competitors must maintain control of their plane while making a quick turn and fly back down their lane.

"I can get going pretty fast, up to 130 mph in 8 seconds," he said. "Just like a rocket."

Those interested in seeing the STOL drag races can catch a glimpse on Henry's Instagram account @wildweststeve.

Wayne and Melody Mauro, with Matilda, in Socota TB 30 Epsilon

Wayne Mauro flew in from Melbourne Beach with his wife, Melody, and "co-pilot" Matilda to have some fun and do some business at the 49th annual Sun 'n Fun. The pair of snowbirds arrived in a Socota TB 30 Epsilon on Monday afternoon.

Mauro said the plan is a lightweight French military trainer that was used from 1986 through 2002. The tandem two-seat aircraft was used by the French Air Force and shared with some of its partnering countries in Africa. There were roughly 140 Epsilons made, according to Mauro. Some saw combat in Africa with additional hard points and gun pods added.

This particular plane was imported to the United States under a previous owner. Mauro said he became the aircraft's caretaker roughly three years ago.

"I'm still pinching myself," he said.

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Zach McNeill, American Honor Foundation, with AH-1G Cobra helicopter

Zach McNeill, a U.S. Navy veteran and chief pilot of American Honor Foundation, walked among the four military helicopters the Florida-based nonprofit brought to showcase at Sun 'n Fun this year.

"What we do is we find, purchase, restore and maintain American warbirds," McNeill said.

The organization brought three helicopters from its Vietnam collection: a Bell AH-1G Cobra, a U.S. Army OH-6A Loach and a Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey." These planes have been used extensively in combat, McNeill said. The Cobra was shot down twice, the Huey four times and the Loach six times. All the planes can be flown today.

"They are war veterans," he said. "It gives you an idea how reliable these things are."

The 501c3 foundation also has the oldest flying Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter in the world on display at the expo, McNeill said. On Tuesday, there will a shiny North American F-86 Sabre jet McNeill will fly in addition to the display.

His hope is one of these warbirds can win the title of Grand Champion among the aircraft entered into Sun 'n Fun's judged show, earning some recognition for the American Honor Foundation.

The nonprofit's goal is to find veterans who have flown these planes in combat and offer them the chance fly the aircraft once again, McNeill said. Its headquarters are under construction at Jumbolair in Ocala.

"They are the most unassuming people. they come walking up saying, 'Oh, I flew that in the war,'" he said. "Come here on this day and you can go fly it. They are floored and can't believe it."

McNeill hopes this helps other veterans heal and better recover from what can be a traumatic and difficult service experience.

"We are not a psychology organization, but we are trying to help them relive the positive and deal with the negative," he said.

Bob Graves, Nanchang CJ-6

Bob Graves of Columbus, Indiana, arrived at Sun 'n Fun in his Nanchang CJ-6. It has "The Red Dragons" emblazoned on its nose as a nod to its Chinese heritage. Onlookers can easily notice the lightweight trainer plane is labeled in Russian, as the aircraft was built based on the Russian Yak-18.

While the two may appear similar at first, Graves said there are several small difference in the two planes. One that's easily spotted by a casual onlooker is how the CJ-6 has dihedral wings, that form a subtle "V" shape rather than being flat.

"It makes the plane more aerodynamically stable," he said.

Graves, a retired American Airlines pilot, said he bought his first plane about 9 years ago. What interested him in the CJ-6 was its unique features.

"It's a challenge and an entirely different flying experience from what I've done before," he said.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Pilots and unmanned aircraft arrive in Lakeland for Sun 'n Fun