Dave Piper
Light Sport and Ultralight Chairman Sun N Fun's Paradise
City, Light Sport Aircraft Pilot News
newsmagazine.
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Light Sport Aircraft Pilot is a directory of aircraft that generally fit
into what are described as ultralight aircraft, advanced ultralight
aircraft,
light sport aircraft, experimental light sport aircraft, experimental
aircraft, amateur built aircraft, ELSA or homebuilt
aircraft in the United States and Canada. These include
weight shift aircraft, more commonly known as trikes,
powered parachutes, and powered para-gliders.
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Dave Piper
Light Sport and Ultralight Chairman Sun N Fun's Paradise
City
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When you cover an event such
as Sun N Fun for over three decades, you become friends with
a lot of new people, and then over the years they become
"old friends" that you look forward to seeing each year.
The ultralight area or Paradise City was formed by a group
lead by ultralighter Bill McClung. Bill and his group
"negotiated" with the powers to be and changed what was once
a cow pasture into what is now know as Paradise City.
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When Bill retired he passed the torch on to
one of his students and also an ultralight pilot Dave Piper,
and for over 20 years Dave has been the force behind the
scene that ensures that the show goes on. Dave has nearly
150 volunteers working with him.
These volunteers do not get enough recognition for what they
do! I see them when I arrive at 7 a.m. and see them when I
leave at 8 p.m. - 12 to 14 hour days in the hot, windy
Florida sunshine, for basically three meals a day! Some like
Dan Moyer start working months before the show even opens
getting the site ready.
Others take their vacations around the show to be available
to help, getting the grounds ready, fences up, and of course
then their are the flight line personnel. This year an old
friend was also back, Vern Peckham the long time voice of
Paradise City could once again be heard over the loudspeaker
system filling in for Michael McClellan who wasn't able to
attend.This year Paradise City
underwent some major renovations with the ultralight camping
area being moved to the other side of the ditch. The runway
was lengthened and the ditch at the one end filled in. New
sod was put down and concrete pads were added, which are
used by radio controlled enthusiasts the rest of the year.
The runway in the Lightplane and
Ultralight area is now an "official" runway, and even more
changes are scheduled for it next year. Currently there is a
group of trees on the one side of the runway. The plan is to
remove them thus eliminating the problem of very turbulent
rotor action, that pilots have had to deal with for years.
Dave is also working looking at moving the big headquarters
tent to a more central area of the field. His idea is that
this would then open up that area for the Lightsport
Manufacturers and the LSA mall to move into, which is only
about 200 feet from where they are now. This would then give
them easy access to the runway.
It should be noted here than Dave and his
staff of volunteers are probably responsible for saving over
50 ultralight light and light sport aircraft at Sun N Fun.
It was because of their persistent efforts, and early
notification of the coming whether that pilots,
manufacturers and dealers where able to move their aircraft
into a hangar, so that where protected when the tornado hit! |
Vern Peckham - 80' ish and still going strong "the Voice of
Paradise City" |
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Dave Piper (center in white shirt)
surrounded by just some of his group of volunteers!
(file photo) |
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