On Friday last week the word came down that SUN ‘n FUN was being postponed until May. That shift in dates represents more than most of us know.
Literally hundreds of businesses are now scrambling to determine if or how they might change their long-established plans in order to participate. Hundreds of thousands of loyal, enthusiastic visitors are scratching their heads, reviewing vacation dates, and wondering how they can juggle their calendar to attend.
Yet in all this wringing of hands, shuffling of plans, shifting of staff, revisiting hotel and travel arrangements, the question that should be asked — but never really is — is this: What is SUN ‘n FUN anyway?
That might seem like a simple question with an obvious answer.
SUN ‘n FUN is clearly a long-standing annual event where homebuilders gather to compare notes and show off their work. Or it’s the first opportunity each year for owners and restorers of classic aircraft to get some air beneath their wings and compete for prizes. It could just as easily be said that SUN ‘n FUN is the premiere Spring destination for warbird pilots who want an excuse to fly south for a couple weeks to enjoy warm temperatures, bright sunshine, and the camaraderie of friends old and new.
Each of those explanations is true. There are others, as well. Plenty of others.
When you gather a quarter of a million visitors to attend an event each year, it’s reasonable to assume each will have a slightly different perspective on what the event is all about. And they’ll all be right, at least within the realm of their own limited perspective.
As heartfelt as those views of SUN ‘n FUN may be, they are almost all as incomplete as they are accurate.
SUN ‘n FUN is probably not what you think it is. For while it is a destination that attracts large numbers of people, pilots and non-pilots, and an aeronautical event that encourages the public to bathe in the beauty of aeronautical pursuits for almost an entire week out of each year, that’s not the central point of it. That’s just the benefit most of us are aware of, because that’s the part most of us see, hear, and experience during that annual adventure to Lakeland Linder International Airport in the heart of central Florida.
SUN ‘n FUN is, at its core, a fundraising vehicle that bankrolls educational initiatives that run all year, benefiting folks in ways we might never have imagined.
Greg Gibson is SUN ‘n FUN’s Chief Marketing Officer and Airshow Director. If this was Star Trek the Next Generation, Greg would be Will Ricker acting as Number One to CEO Lites Leenhouts’ Captain Picard.
Take care when chatting with Greg, however. Should you find the opportunity to ask him exactly how much SUN ‘n FUN puts into the coffers of educational pursuits each year, and what form those initiatives might take, you’ll want to have some free time, because Greg is about to hit you with a list of programs and entities that will go on for quite some time.
Bring a snack. That’s all I’m saying.
The number is in the area of $2 million annually. That’s a lot of cheddar, baby. All aimed at engaging, educating, and accelerating the next generation of aerospace professionals.
That’s what SUN ‘n FUN really is. A cash machine that pays out to educational programs for the benefit of aerospace as an industry and the participants in that industry as individuals. It’s noble work. Thank goodness the staff and volunteers at SUN ‘n FUN have taken on the task.
It’s hard work with plenty of built in frustration to balance out the satisfaction of the successes. Take this most recent postponement as an example. How would you like to be sitting in the executive offices this week, figuring out how to pull off the second largest aviation event in North America with only a few weeks to rearrange everything?
One of the funding projects is The Spirit of Lakeland: A Zenith 750 being built in partnership with Able Flight. The airplane will be outfitted to meet the physical needs of the pilots and student pilots who fly it, because we’re not all equally fitted out with working arms and legs. And it’s not enough to just raise the money to get people involved in aviation. You have to have the appropriate equipment to train them in, too.
Transition to the Sky is another program that’s little known, yet serves a great purpose. Using the Piedmont 727 on site at SUN ‘n FUN, individuals with special needs are introduced to the process of accessing commercial aviation in a real-world environment. Utilizing real TSA personnel, as well as volunteers, passengers learn how the screening process works. They board the airplane, stow their carry-ons, strap in, and actually experience the engines firing up. It’s as close to the real thing as possible, which can alleviate a lot of stress and anxiety in folks who need that relief.
Classroom to the Sky is another ongoing process that brings teachers into an aeronautical environment to learn how to use aerospace in the classroom to support and enhance the teaching of traditional math and science courses. At the conclusion of the program those teachers experience flight first-hand, too. Which is the real cherry-on-top moment that gives them a frame of reference when teaching or discussing aerospace topics.
And let me not forget the Central Florida Aerospace Academy Foundation, which provides scholarships for post-secondary education at institutions like Polk State College or Embry-Riddle.
SUN ‘n FUN is a good time. It’s an exciting opportunity to see aircraft we rarely encounter. We meet legends there, and gather with friends to enjoy the aeronautical life. But in the process, whether we know it or not, we are contributing to aerospace education in a meaningful way.
That being the case, you can bet I’ll be there on May 5, 2020, when the rescheduled SUN ‘n FUN throws open its gates and welcomes visitors back to the grounds. I’ll be there because it’s a great time, it presents me with amazing opportunities, and because everyone who passes through those gates helps fund aerospace education.
I want to be a part of that again. I hope you will too.
While I am not my brother’s (or sister’s) keeper, if they are standing on the railroad track and there is a train coming, I WILL say something.
The biggest problem with Coronavirus is that nobody really knows what is going on. The Chinese government botched the initial response, and the news as to what is actually going on there NOW is tightly controlled and edited. Our own government’s response has been denial, cynicism, obfuscation and suddenly reality has somehow set in. Our own government closed a department responsible for responding to precisely this situation, and cut funding to the CDC – because this is America, it can’t happen here. The Secretary of the Treasury, Mnuchin, is quoted as saying this is a once in a lifetime investment opportunity (never mind that people are dying, here’s a chance to make some money), and our President, the person we elected to guide our nation, first said it was a Chinese or Democratic (or both) hoax, then it was nothing more than a bad cold, and now suddenly he has run into something he can’t bribe, bully or BS away – and he has ZERO idea what to do about it. Of course, there are no experts left to ask because he’s fired them all since he believes in hunches (and probably witchcraft). I don’t want to be the guy who gets to break it to him that the earth isn’t flat . . .
So my approach to this is to fasten the seatbelts in my life. If you want to ride a motorcycle and not wear a helmet, that is your decision and primarily affects you (and your family). I’ve been riding motorcycles for almost 60 years and I won’t even start one without putting on my helmet.
This situation is different. There is something serious going on, and we don’t yet know the scope of it. We might want to look at Italy and Iran to get an idea. As much as I enjoy going to Sun&Fun (other than doing the EAA salute – open wallet, invert, shake, repeat as needed), I’m going to pass this year. I’m not going to the gym, to the movies, or out to eat for a couple of weeks or maybe months. That won’t kill me, but there are indications that Coronavirus very well might, so I will be careful.
As to government restricting our freedom of movement being undemocratic and totalitarian, right now there’s a guy under police guard in Kentucky. He has tested positive for Coronavirus, he is contagious, and he REFUSES to stay home. It is the duty of the state to protect the citizens, and if this guy’s “inalienable rights” are (temporarily) denied for the good of all his neighbors and everyone he comes in contact with, well that’s too d**n bad. I don’t feel like risking my life (or yours) because this guy insists on being a moron.
Sun&Fun will be there next year, and I want to make sure I am too. While it is distinctly possible the sky isn’t falling, it is prudent to prepare in case it does.
And the reason everyone is buying toilet paper is because it is a very rational response to what continuously comes our way from Washington.
Keep your TDS to yourself, Miami Mike! Using personal pronouns to steer away from using the Presidents name doesn’t alieve you of being held accountable for disrespect.
I demand that GA News remove your blog. It’s inappropriate at this serious time.
Great look at what all goes into these shows… The don’t happen magically and the people who put them on, it is with blood, sweat and many tears…
Once again Jamie, thank you….
Here is to all the airshows of 2020 that were almost.
….wow….Whilst I wholeheartedly agree that what they do is totally beneficial to aviation in Florida, to encourage folks to go to such a huge gathering of people during a real, serious pandemic is simply WRONG. Even the town of Lakeland is FINALLY stepping in and stopping this. This will not be going on in May or any other time this year, and that’s the SMART thing to do. All of the pics I’m seeing of folks packed on the beaches of Florida in the last few days does make me see how poorly run that state is….it’s just ridiculous. Let’s be smarter than that, okay?
While others exercise their right to be Free Americans to decide for themselves how they want to live and/or die, you “Lovers of Government” stay safe in your little pod. Everyone now knows what the “suggested” thing to do during this scare tactic that has netted 51 deaths. Virtually all older people with health risks to begin with.
Read the dates here carefully:
Flu season is hitting its stride right now in the US. So far, the CDC has estimated (based on weekly influenza surveillance data) that at least 12,000 people have died from influenza between Oct. 1, 2019 through Feb. 1, 2020, and the number of deaths may be as high as 30,000.
The CDC also estimates that up to 31 million Americans have caught the flu this season, with 210,000 to 370,000 flu sufferers hospitalized because of the virus.
Overall, the CDC estimates that 12,000 and 61,000 deaths annually since 2010 can be blamed on the flu. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the flu kills 290,000 to 650,000 people per year.
This is a FAR CRY from what you seem to think is “The sky is falling”.
Being careful is good advice. Telling people how to live is Un-American. If people want to smoke, they should be able to smoke. If they want to ride their motorcycle without a helmet, it’s their choice. You know what they say about opinions….
If you don’t want to chance it, stay home and mind your own business. You will be safe. If not, well, it’s your life and this is America. Who am I to tell you whether you can go to the beach or not? How Florida is run is their choice and the people that live there. Liberals need to mind their own business.
I agree wholeheartedly, Doug. I found the following pictorial on pandemics which shows this one for what it is … a pimple … currently:
visualcapitalist.com/history-of-pandemics-deadliest/
For this people are stockpiling toilet paper !!
EVERY DAY, 100 people die on the roads of this Country in auto accidents (38,000 last year) yet we aren’t restricting the freedom to drive. As of 9 Mar, three times the number of death from CoV-19 were occurring from rabies. As you said, 30,000 people died of the flu in four months.
The media and lefties are largely responsible for an over reaction to this problem.
And the long term economic impact of this over reaction will be felt for years to come.
The R0 rate of spread of CoV-19 is 2.5 vs 1.5 for flu yet FAR less than mumps, measles and small pox was. The R0 rate is the number of people who can be expected to be infected from one case in the general population.
Wash your hands a lot, be careful where you go but get on with your life, people
Michael every word out of your mouth from previous post as well as this current post is nothing but negative negative negative . YOU do not know for certain that this years event will be fully cancelled all together and to spout negative remarks about the state itself and how it is “poorly run” is another false narrative. Please do us all a favor …show us your intelligence , and follow the golden rule . If you do not have something good to say then do not say any thing at all .