Looks like we both missed it again, this year...
Been to Sun-N-Fun several times, though.
Privileged to have spent 45 minutes one-on-one with Burt Rutan back in 1976, Dean Wilson for an hour and a half in 1998 and about a half an hour with Jay Carter back in the late 90’s, picking his brain on rotor performance issues.
I was then and am still amazed that these world renowned aeronautical geniuses would take that much time to talk with and mentor a nobody who also loves the “out of the box” aspects of aviation design.
Great memories!
Back to the subject at hand, Gary Schmidt brought a Highlander and an Escapade to our local Jackson County fly-in not long after they moved operations to Walhalla.
It is good to see that they are still around and doing so well.
I had an opportunity to consult with one of Rutan's former engineers about a personal project I was engaged with. Seems he had left under less than amicable circumstances, but confirmed my belief that Rutan is committed to advancing aeronautical knowledge. I'm sure that must have been some interesting discussion you had with him!