Even though the Sun ’n Fun fly-in officially begins on Monday, homebuilts are already pouring into Lakeland Linder Airport. Len “Leggs” Leggette landed his Van’s RV-8A a little after noon, completing his flight from Columbia, South Carolina, along with wingman Tom Parrish in his Van’s RV-14A. Tom’s first officer was RV legend and recently retired college president James Clark.
The flight of two RVs had smooth weather until Jacksonville, where flight following urged them west and down to 1800 feet. There they encountered the yellow and red blobs of an advancing storm front and pulled a U-turn back to Jacksonville, hugging the coast until they cleared the line of weather and turned west toward LAL. The last leg (no pun intended) was hot and bumpy, leading to a sporty landing with winds at 15 knots, gusting to 22. All ended well, with Len, Tom and James setting up tents in Homebuilt Camping and being welcomed into the HBC big-tent living room.
If Len’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he has exhibited his beautiful RV-8A at scores of fly-ins, and he was a member of the renowned Team RV formation team for several years. Team RV is where Len picked up the call sign “Leggs.”
A few years after completing his stint with Team RV, Len decided he would take his RV-8A to new and exciting places. In 2023, he flew the homebuilt to Alaska, followed by trips to Yellowstone and Prince Edward Island in 2024. Later this year, he plans a flight to Roswell, New Mexico, to visit Big Bend National Park—home of a “Dark Spot” far away from any man-made lighting—for some spectacular stargazing. Not bad for a little two-seat airplane built in his garage.
