High Winds Damage 69 Airplanes, Several Buildings at Sun 'n Fun
31 Mar 2011
John Chambliss
LAKELAND | Destruction at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In in South Lakeland was the most visual evidence of the tornadoes that tore through Polk County about noon Thursday.
At least seven people were taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with minor injuries, while others were treated at the event. High winds toppled a shack a security guard was in, while poles and other flying debris struck visitors.
Lakeland Police said Friday morning that 69 planes were damaged causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and a dangerous situation with spilled gas. Dozens of vendor tents were uprooted.
Officials canceled all events and visitors were forced to leave the grounds, creating long lines of traffic.
The big question Thursday was how will the event continue today and into the weekend when the Blue Angels are expected to fly.
Gene Conrad, airport director for Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, said Thursday that volunteers would be working overnight, and employees from Karl's Event Services, the tent supplier for the event, were headed to the area to help.
City employees and a contractor expected to turn over the damaged planes Thursday night and tow them to a nearby field or lot.
"Don't leave for good," Conrad said Thursday evening. "We're going to have three great days of weather, put it back together overnight and expect to have a show."
He said the Blue Angels are expected to fly at 10 this morning.
John Burton, president of the Fly-In, did not return a phone message.
Things got dicey at the Fly-In about noon.
John Miller of North Carolina was standing under a vendor tent when heavy winds began to uproot it. Miller ran from the tent into blinding rain.
"I couldn't see five feet in front of me," Miller said.
Miller said he ran to a nearby building, but when he reached the door people wouldn't let him inside.
It took a couple of minutes before they opened the door. Several people had cuts and gashes on their heads because they had been struck by poles or flying debris, Miller said.
Randy Seaman of Michigan was stuck in his car when the storm, carrying hail, struck the vintage aircraft area.
Pilot Roger Brown was forced to take refuge beneath his 1941 Stearman biplane, which escaped damage.
"I was under a wing the whole time," he said. "I've never seen rain that horizontal."
One man, who declined to provide his name, was waiting on a friend to return with rope and supplies to pull a plane out of the mud and water.
"I'm not in the mood for an interview," he said.
A number of small planes on the ground had been blown into ditches or pushed by strong winds into parked cars.
For 36 years, Georgia resident Bennet Aiken has flown his Cesna airplane to Sun 'n Fun. But this year, bad weather forced him to drive to Florida.
Before he could get off Interstate 4 to come into Lakeland, his phone was ringing from friends telling him about damage at Lakeland Linder and how rain flooded the parking areas at the annual event.
"I couldn't believe it," Aiken said. "I've seen some bad storms here before but not like I've seen today," he said.
One of the messiest jobs belonged to George Manley, of United Sites Services, the provider of 750 port-o-toilets at the event.
Manley and his fellow employee were either cleaning out the toilets with a pressure washer or replacing the potties.
"We'll be out here awhile," Manley said. "We haven't found one that was standing up."
Manley said he hadn't found anyone inside a turned over port-o-toilet.
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