Aviation enthusiasts gather for 2025 Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo

With ticket and exhibitor sales reportedly at record levels, pilots and aviation enthusiasts gathered at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Lakeland, Florida, to see what the fifty-first year of Sun ‘n Fun had to offer.

Aviators and families strolled among the aircraft that had flown (or in some cases driven) to the event, picking their favorites. Popular aircraft included Trent Palmer’s newly completed Legend Nomad, which replaces his beloved Series 5 Kitfox Freedom Fox backcountry airplane. Palmer’s airplane can be found at the American Legend Aircraft Co. display.

Jimmy Webb of YouTube channel Jimmy’s World fame brought his Elvismobile—an unlikely marriage between Elvis Presley’s 1962 Lockheed JetStar and a 1999 Freightliner motor home chassis. The Elvismobile, still sporting Elvis’s original red velour interior, is available for tours near the show's Warbird Country and worth the price of admission. Curiosity seekers made their way to Vintage Camping to gawk at a rare 1967 Aermacchi AL60-F5 painted like a bright yellow school bus with a huge decal of Sesame Street's Big Bird on its tail.

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Attendees shopped hundreds of indoor and outdoor exhibits while manufacturers announced the latest improvements to their aircraft. Epic Aircraft brought the latest version of its sleek, composite 333-knot E1000 called the E1000 AX. Among 25 upgrades made to the aircraft, the most significant is the addition of Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle.

Cirrus Aircraft announced an upgrade to its digital aircraft management platform called Cirrus IQ. The app- or computer-based platform is available for all new Cirrus aircraft (and about a quarter of the existing fleet) and informs the operator about the last known aircraft status, including fuel, fluids, battery, and hours status. Tech publications can also be accessed through Cirrus IQ. A new Cirrus IQ Pro version offers advanced features such as real-time aircraft status, flight summary, approach score, flight data export, trip logs, and aircraft location, among others. Cirrus IQ Pro is currently included with the purchase of a new aircraft for one year, after which an annual subscription will be required.

French manufacturer Aura Aero brought its aerobatic Integral R to Sun 'n Fun for the first time. This two-place aircraft offers side-by-side seating and is designed to be easy to fly. You'll see a full pilot report in AOPA media in the next few months.

Once the afternoon airshow roared to life, everyone took their seats or sat on the grass next to the flightline to enjoy the main attraction. The daily airshows last from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and conclude with spectacular (and loud) demonstrations by U.S. military jets.

Following the airshow, musical artist Uncle Kracker headlined the opening day concert on the Warbird Ramp, while those seeking a more aviation-oriented activity headed to the "ultimate STOL showdown at sunset" for a thrilling demonstration of short takeoff and landing techniques.

It was a glorious, sunny day at Sun 'n Fun—but Conrad promised more. The Wednesday and Saturday nighttime airshows will each conclude with a 25-minute grand finale choreographed to music that include ground-based pyrotechnics, fireworks, aircraft with fireworks, drones, and—new this year—drones with fireworks.

"If you've seen Disney fireworks, our stuff is Disney times 10 on steroids," said Conrad.

Conrad, who is also the CEO of the Aerospace Center for Excellence, teased improvements to the Florida Air Museum exhibits coming next year and a 20-year master site plan for the Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo that includes relocating the existing exhibit halls and adding much-needed air conditioning—but that is a story for another day.