More than 250,000 people and some 3,000 planes will buzz into Lakeland this weekend for the Sun 'N Fun Fly-In & Expo -- making it, for a short celebratory time, the busiest airspace in the world.
Those dare-devilish Blue Angels will be performing air shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as will the superheroic Geico Skytypers, who gave ABC Action News reporter Sean Daly an up close -- and UP HIGH -- sneak peek of the team's up-up-and-away show.
"The planes [we fly] are 75 years old," says Ken Johansen (call sign: Ragnar!), one of the pilots for the Geico Skytypers Air Show squad. "They were World War II fighter trainers. These airplanes were actually flown by the pilots going out to the Pacific and Atlantic theaters in WWII. These actual models and these actual airplanes."
The Skytypers, who rely on precision and timing for their acrobatics, will often get as close as one and a half feet from each other, so watch for that this weekend. Air shows start at 1:30 p.m. each day; the Skytypers perform around 2:30 p.m. The air shows end around 5:30 p.m., with the Blue Angels as the grand finale.
Another must-see, and an Instagrammer's dream, is the Warbird Ramp, where you can get right up next to the majestic warplanes including a C-17 Globemaster that is roughly the size of Raymond James Stadium (okay, a slight exaggeration but this thing is HUGE.)
You don't have to be an aircraft aficionado to enjoy Sun 'N Fun, which sprawls over the huge Lakeland Linder Airport and 1,000-acre Sun 'N Fun campus. Bring shoes, although shuttles are available to take you across the grounds. There are fair-style vendors, plus rides and bounce houses for kids.
We also recommend downloading the FREE Sun 'N Fun Find It app on your phone. It's available on iTunes.
Ticket information can be found HERE.
Parking information can be found HERE.
