Sun N Fun is gearing up for their 50th anniversary air show. The annual fly-in is a big draw for Central Florida, welcoming avgeeks and aviators from around the world to celebrate aviation for an entire week from April 9 – 14.
In 2023, the event hosted more than 200,000 people, with 3,500 aircraft. This year, they expect even more, with a theme highlighting the passion for aviation and recognition of the nearly 3,000 volunteers who help make the event happen.
For any pilots wanting to fly-in, the FAA has put out a video about arrival procedures and the NOTAM. Watch that above. More info here.
Pilots can book campsites with their planes. Tent and RV campers can also camp if they’d like. It’s a unique way to enjoy a week of flying. You can read more about those options here.
Opening day concert and 600 exhibitors
An “Opening Day Concert” will kickoff the week on April 9, with musician Dylan Scott and special guest Sara Evans. More on that here.
Nearly 600 exhibitors and companies from across the U.S. and around the world will be on-site, showcasing their latest services, products, innovations and tech for aviation. Click here for a list of exhibitors who will be there, or to apply to be an exhibitor.
The biggest draw every year is, of course, the flying! Sun N Fun will hold an air show every day of the week from 1 – 5pm. Night air shows are also scheduled for April 10 and 13, which are always fun.
The daytime air shows
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are headlining the show this year, performing on April 13 and 14. They are scheduled to arrive on April 11, and practice on April 12. Might be a little loud.
The show this year will host a lot of vintage warbirds, including Mustangs, Corsairs, T-28s, T-6s, B-25, an SBD Dauntless, an RC-45J Expeditor and many more. Some will be flying in the shows, others will be static, and some will even be offering rides.
The military is sending a lot of aircraft for static display. Some include A-10s, Apache and Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters, C-130s, F-16s and QF-16s, C-17, KC-135 and KC-46, even an MH-6 and MQ-1C, among others. Many privately owned jets will be attending as well, like L-39s and S-211s.
Aerobatic performers will be tumbling through the skies too, including the legendary Patty Wagstaff and World Champion aerobatics pilot Rob Holland. Several others will be performing as well.
A Hot Air Balloon launch from the main flight line is also planned for Saturday morning between 6:30 – 8:00am. If weather allows, the balloons will take to the skies and “chase” another balloon.
For a full list and schedule of each day and night show, click here. The list includes the order of performances, as well as the performers and planes they’ll be flying.
The recently restored Lockheed Constellation “Bataan” from Lewis Air Legends will even be there, arriving April 9 and flying in the show April 10. It will remain on static display until leaving April 13.
The night air shows
The night show April 10 will kickoff with the Polaris MiG-29 and Ghost Squadron at sunset. They are currently training to launch to space with SpaceX later this year on the Polaris Dawn mission. They will also fly in several day shows.
We met them recently and flew in their MiG-29 for a story about their upcoming space mission and the jet-flying aspect of their astronaut training. CLICK HERE to read all about it!
The USAF F-35A Demo Team will take to the skies after Polaris on April 10, with their new pilot and commander as the sun goes down. Read about the new pilot and team here.
The night show on April 13 will not feature the F-35. The US Navy will take care of that night with an F-18 Super Hornet demo.
The Titan Aerobatic Team (formerly Aeroshell) will take their 4-ship of T-6 Texans into the sunset and fly as the sky turns dark on both April 10 and 13. Many other performers will take to the air after on both nights too, with lights and fireworks that shoot off their planes.
Fireworks will end the evening on both April 10 and 13.
Visit Sun N Fun’s website for more info & tickets
Tickets to attend the show start at $45 per adult for a single day, and $20 for youth ages 11-17. Kids 10 and under are free. Weekly tickets are available also. General parking is $10 per day, with a weekly parking pass available too. Click here for details and to purchase.
There is far too much info to write about here about the upcoming Sun N Fun 50th anniversary. Needless to say, it will be a memorable event. Learn more by visiting https://flysnf.org.
