2026 - Who's going?

It's right around the corner! Last year was a record and I think this year will be even better. T-birds are the headliner this year. But a Double-Ugly will be there too! As usual we'll be volunteering all week putting together all of the volunteer lunches and we'll be camping in the volunteer area next to Paradise City. Hope to you there.

The big change for this year is the Wednesday Composite Airshow. Historically on Wednesday, they have had a daytime airshow from 1-5 PM, followed by a Night airshow from 7-9:30 PM. THIS YEAR… in an effort to provide more time to enjoy everything SUN ‘n FUN has to offer, they are introducing THE COMPOSITE AIR SHOW on Wednesday that combines the day show and night show into one. The NEW Composite Air show will start at 5 PM and run through 9:30 PM.​


WHAT DOES THIS CHANGE MEAN:
  • Longer arrival/departure window for fly-in guests from 7 AM – 5 PM. Aircraft looking to depart must be taxing to the runway by 4:30 PM.
  • Additional Showcase Flying and entertainment on the Warbird Ramp.
  • The opportunity to see STOL demos during the day at Paradise City.
https://flysnf.org/

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Saturday Sunday is my norm
 
This will be my first year.


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I’ll be there. Not sure which days yet; I’ll see how weather shapes up, and if there are any workshops I want to attend.
 
I'll be there for a day or two, hopefully parking my plane at IAC tent.
 
If I still lived on the east coast, the answer would be yes. Now that I'm settled in the PNW, the answer is a firm NO. Too bad because I prefer the Sun-N-Fun venue over AirVenture's Oshkosh layout and setting.
 
Flyhound said:
If I still lived on the east coast, the answer would be yes. Now that I'm settled in the PNW, the answer is a firm NO. Too bad because I prefer the Sun-N-Fun venue over AirVenture's Oshkosh layout and setting.
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If only there was some way to shorten travel distances while hurling ones' self through the sky :)
 
I'm still undecided, but will likely come for a few days, My last few visits though I've not found much interesting...few workshops or speakers that caught my eye and most of the kit makers I'm interested in either aren't there or only have minimal presence.
Still I'm retired now and only live a few hours away, so why not?
 
I’ll likely come for a day to get some cheap oil and spend imaginary money on a cool plane
 
I usually do two days,looks like I’m going to keep with that plan
 
I’ll be there. We’re thinking about renting a motorhome and staying for a couple nights. I’ll probably come back for one more day, flying in.
 
I'll be there Monday night through Saturday sometime. I've signed up to give forum presentations again this year on the topics of Lean-of-Peak, Starlink, and flying small airplanes to large airports. Wednesday is my birthday, so I'll pretend that the night airshow and fireworks are really just a big birthday party in my honor! :D
 
Looks like we're stuck in CO for another month, so I won't make SnF this year.
 
Half Fast said:
I may try to attend that one. Which day?
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Looks like Friday 11-12 is the tentative slot for that, but Sun 'n Fun hasn't completely locked in the forum schedule yet ("ALL SUN ‘n FUN Forums – Coming Soon!" is what the website says). Once it's official, you can see the forum schedule (and search for topics or presenters) here: https://flysnf.org/activities/forums/

Half Fast said:
(OTOH, flying large airplanes to small airports might be more exciting...)
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I would come to that presentation! :D

- Martin
 
Well, best laid plans. We’ll still be camping so my wife can volunteer during the week but I’ve got to work now due to on going operations in the Middle-East so will only be there during the day on the 18th, and maybe the 19th.
 
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For anyone who is planning to fly down and is considering using Winter Haven (KGIF) instead of KLAL, here's the info:


Sun ‘N Fun Operations 2026
Alternative Operations Monday, 4/13 – Sunday, 4/19
Winter Haven Tower~
Operating on Frequency 119.125.​
Operational Monday, April 13th through Saturday, April 18th from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.​
Operational Sunday, April 19th from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.​
Movement Areas and Runways~
Runway 11/29 will be closed from 6 am Monday, 4/13 to 2 pm Sunday, 4/19.​
If a prevailing crosswind arrives, we will transition to close 5/23 and open 11/29.​
Associated taxiways will be closed as well (‘C’ east of the South Apron Entrance).​
Parking~
The North Grass Overflow lot, near the airport terminal, is the primary parking location for transient​
aircraft.​
The North Apron is the primary parking location for Jets, Turbo-props, and heavy aircraft.​
Ropes and Anchors available upon request.​
5 FBO Golf Carts~
FBO Golf Carts will be Operating on Frequency 122.775.​
FBO Golf Carts will have multi-colored flags for arriving aircraft to follow.​
Fuel~
Mogas is still unavailable.​
Jet A and Avgas are both available for the week.​
Shuttle Service (Tuesday, 4/14 – Saturday, 4/18) ~
Ticket pricing and sales are available at the FBO front desk.​
The cost for shuttle service between KGIF and KLAL is as follows.​
Adults:​
$12 One Way​
$20 Round Trip​
Youth (12 & Under)​
$10 One Way​
$15 Round Trip​
The KGIF-KLAL Express will operate every hour on the hour from 8 am to 5 pm. The Shuttle will make a​
late night pick up in Lakeland after the evening air show on Wednesday and Saturday nights.​
The KGIF-KLAL Express will leave KGIF on the even hours and KLAL on the odd hours.​
FBO Contact Info~
Main line (863) 298-4551 / After Hours (863) 224-1079 / Operations Team (863) 287-7206​
 
I might camp a couple of days as a shakedown for July. Or just come Thursday. We have work or family event until Wednesday afternoon.

Notice / Reminder to everyone that the county temporarily lifted the burn ban until 4/16. There’s no rain expected, so it will go back into effect on Thursday. Charcoal grills for cooking (attended) are permitted during the ban.
 
Row 5!


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I plan on being there for most of the day Friday trying not to spend too much money.
 
I still have a room in a house in Lakeland available if anyone needs accommodations. We are a group of professionals. Message me if interested!
 
Half Fast said:
I'm planning to be there Wed and Fri.

The AOPA town hall is scheduled for 11:30 on Wed. I understand the EAA is selling pitchforks and torches as a fund-raiser.
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Deserved. My account runs out next month and I’m not renewing.
 
Half Fast said:
I'm planning to be there Wed and Fri.

The AOPA town hall is scheduled for 11:30 on Wed. I understand the EAA is selling pitchforks and torches as a fund-raiser.
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I'm at it right now. 30 minutes in and no mention yet of the whole controversy. It's the only reason I'm here, I'm sure they will either address it later, either by choice or by questions.

It's been a lot of talk about fees based on ADS-B tracking, MOSAIC, etc, but we all know why everyone's here.

My membership expires this month. I turned off auto-renew last month. So they need to convince me to re-up, and this town hall is their chance to do that. We'll see how they do.
 
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Well it's over and they didn't address it, nor did anybody in the audience apparently care enough to ask!
 
I’m here today. 60 year old white guy in cargo shorts and a sun hat. If you see me, feel free to say hi! :)

(They’re not actually cargo shorts)
 
Dave Theisen said:
I’m here today. 60 year old white guy in cargo shorts and a sun hat. If you see me, feel free to say hi! :)

(They’re not actually cargo shorts)
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New Balance shoes?


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RussR said:
Well it's over and they didn't address it, nor did anybody in the audience apparently care enough to ask!
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Un-friggen believable. Both parts, they didn't say anything and no one asked. Golden opportunity for them to get out in front of it and totally wasted. I hope they get a refund from the PR firm they hired.
 
RussR said:
Well it's over and they didn't address it, nor did anybody in the audience apparently care enough to ask!
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I discussed the situation with Luke Wippler (chariman) after the meeting and with Charles Lynch (trustee) before the meeting. Lots of arm waving about the difficulty of mail-in or online ballots, completely unwilling to make any sort of committment. Quote from Mr. Lynch: "Well, it's not completely off the table." Way to step up, brother.

They simply don't get it. I don't expect any meaningful change. The proposed bylaws updates, without enabling membership voting, are equivalent to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic for all the good it will do.

The AOPA staff members I spoke with, including Katie Prybl and Jill Baker, were engaged, open minded, and tried to be helpful. If you read their faces, you could see a lot of frustration there, but they're professionals and played their roles as they should. The staff has taken a lot of the brunt of this, and they're caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
 
Hang 4 said:
Both parts, they didn't say anything and no one asked.
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There were hands up for questions, but they only called on three people who had benign inquiries. I got the feeling they were running out the clock, and careful about who they called. I decided private conversations would be better, as I was looking for back and forth dialog instead of pat answers. I spent a while talking separately with Luke Wippler, Charles Lynch, Jill Baker, Katie Pribyl, Stacey Heaton, and a couple of others.
 
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