Sun N Fun 2025 Review
The 51st edition of the Sun N Fun Aerospace Expo has come and gone and I must say Gene Conrad and his team have really made this event into something special. The often referred to “Oshkosh of the South” has grown into six day spectacle that attracts roughly 200,00 visitors every year. This year was no exception with an estimated 210,000 visitors that migrated to the greater Lakeland area. I believe that the Saturday was sold out which has never been done in the history of this event. Incredible feat for an event of this size. One thing I always look forward to in the event data released is the number of aircraft movements. This year, Sun N Fun stated in their report of having eight thousand aircraft operations and four thousand registered aircraft. Those are fantastic numbers and really show the growth of general aviation attending fly ins like this. Along with the 200,000 visitors, Sun N Fun is on a upward trend for all the right reasons! Now for the review:
A couple aircraft announcements that really brought Sun N Fun 2025 onto my radar was the attendance of the AV-8B Harrier II and the A-10 Thunderbolt II. Both aircraft types were there in celebration to their years of dedicated service. The Harriers from VMA-231 “Ace of Spades” were attending their last airshow before the squadron and aircraft were deactivated and standing up as VMFA-231 flying the F-35B Lightning II aircraft. The sole remaining Harrier II squadron in the USMC is VMA-223 “Bulldogs” which has plans to retire sometime early 2026 when they also transition to the F-35B Lightning II. I hope the Sun N Fun crew can pull what they did this year for next year and get the Bulldogs in for one last hooray! For the A-10, it was a pleasant to see the Maryland ANG send two A-10s before the squadron stands down and retire their aircraft to the boneyard later this year. With A-10 operations winding down across the board, seeing these aircraft will become sparce and then gone for good. I’m glad they were able to attend one final time!
Other statics that were seen at Sun N Fun included: C-17, KC-135, HH-60, T-38, F-16, a wide variety of warbirds including the C-47 “Tico Belle” from Valiant Air Command in Titusville, FL and the local CAF wings in Lakeland and Tampa. Others are P-51 Mustang owners from around Florida and a slew of trainers, liaison and others. The real fun begins when you walk the rows and rows of general aircraft that fly in to attend the event. It’s always fun to walk a row that contains everything from Cessnas, Bonanzas, Pipers, and then a Model 18 at the end of a row. I love how friendly and welcoming people are as well so while everyone is attracted to the warbird ramp for the “new and shiny” military aircraft, the soul and spirit of Sun N Fun honestly resides in the general aircraft parking!
For the flying portion of Sun N Fun. Starting on the military side, it was an absolutely stacked lineup this year. They had the F-16, EA-18G, F-35A, F-35C demonstration teams and the Blue Angels as the main event. The AFA (Air Force Academy) Glider Team made their first appearance to my knowledge as well. Jack Aces were a major highlight for me as they had formed a three ship P-51 Mustang team and started touring this year with Sun N Fun being the first event of the their year. All of the regulars like Michael Goulian, Nathan Hammond, Jim Peitz, Greg Koontz, Titan Aerobatic, Red Line and others preformed throughout the week displaying their dazzling routines. And you can’t forget about the two or three Amazon aircraft either arriving or departing each day delivering packages to their next destination!
Time for a quick talk about the grounds themselves. This year saw record numbers in the exhibitor aspect with 561 registered. I remember the days when they had 300-400 exhibitors and I thought those was record numbers. It’s a remarkable sight to see that many exhibitors and the growth of their exhibition areas. Another thing to witness is the concert on Tuesday night. While I was unable to attend this year, it has become a staple to end the first official day of the expo. I’m aiming to attend next year to experience it for the first time. One thing people always ask me in general is how are the grounds laid out compared to a typical airshow or even to EAA’s event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The grounds at Sun N Fun are laid out in a way which ever way you decide to look and walk, there’s something to do. While it is a decent walk from the parking lots to the flight line, you walk past everything that the event has to offer. Vendors, exhibitors, food, aircraft, the museum (which is a MUST when you visit), the NOAA hanger, and if I didn’t mention aircraft before: lots of aircraft! There is always something to do while on the grounds.
Sun N Fun has always been a go-to for me over the past two decades I’ve been attending airshows and the past decade doing photography. Growing up in Melbourne and always attending the TICO Warbird Airshow in Titusville quickly shed light on this event in Lakeland. It has had me hooked ever since. I always tell people that Sun N Fun is one of those shows that they need to attend at least once. So with that, I’d give Gene and company a 10 out of 10 for this year’s event and look forward to Sun N Fun 2026! A little side note, with the United States 250th anniversary next year, I’m ready to see what they have in store for the 52nd edition of Sun N Fun!
