By Jim Caniff
The Sun n Fun expo and fly-in took place April 14 -19, 2026 at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Lakeland, FL. Before the actual event started there was much discussion as to what to expect in attendance from the general aviation community. The collective opinion was that the price of avgas would probably curtail attendance to a significant degree. As the old cliche goes, somebody did not get the memo. There were more fly-in aircraft than we anticipated. By the end the first day the some groups were using their overflow areas. By the second day groups were looking to “barrow” land from other groups that had space. All of the groups have always worked together in these situations and as usual we adapted and overcame. Everybody got parked.
One reason for the good attendance was the weather. The sky was mostly clear and the winds at the airport were light to moderate most of the time. The front to the north causing IFR conditions did not develop this year. That was a major help.
Undoubtedly the most unusual aircraft present was the NASA “Super GUPPY” transport plane. It has to be seen “live” to really appreciate how unique it is.
An Antonov AN-2 biplane was parked in vintage. and get the interior pictures. The cabin is very nicely done.
This year the USAF Thunderbirds were the main attraction. Of course they did a great (and loud) performance. Not as fast or loud but well worth seeing was the “Full Throttle” RV formation team.
The night airshows are really fun to watch. There are explosions and fires and lasers and drones all firing at once. And through it all comes Bob Carlton in his jet sailplane firing more pyrotechnics. Bob lives at the same airpark CarolAnn Garratt does in Moriarty, New Mexico.
As a volunteer working most of the day on flightline I don’t get much time to look for product releases and stuff like that. There is so very much more than I can put in this article.
I think another reason for the good attendance is Sun n Fun has made a large effort to make the event a destination more than just an airshow. They really want the fly-in crowd and I hope things continue up. Located in just about the center of the
aircraft parking areas is a facility called the “The Island”. It has grown from a couple of food trucks and store to a complex with facilities for pilots, amenities like showers, multiple food choices and now night entertainment. It is great meeting place after a
day at the show. There is a smaller similar facility in the Light Sport (Paradise City) area called the “Sandbar”. A new facility called the “Swamp” is located near the West Campground. It offers food, relaxation under the trees and even an adult beverage.
It should be noted that these facilities are aimed a the pilot and camper community. The daily airshow crowd has plenty of their own choices for food.
This year was a good time, hope to see you there next year.
