April 14-16, 2026 - Sun 'N Fun 2026
On this perfect flying weather day, Chuck and I are headed south to Sun 'N Fun in Chuck's 1960 Piper PA-24 Comanche.
   
Chuck and his new ride.
 
The first production aircraft, powered by a 180 hp Lycoming O-360-A1A engine, first flew on October 21, 1957. In 1958, it was joined by a higher-powered PA-24-250 with a 250 hp Lycoming O-540-A1A5 engine; this model was originally to be known as the PA-26, but Piper decided to keep the PA-24 designation.
 
Production of the Comanche ended when torrential rains from Hurricane Agnes caused the great Susquehanna River flood of 1972, flooding the manufacturing plant and destroying airframes, parts, and much of the tooling necessary for production. Rather than rebuild the tooling, Piper chose to abandon production of the Comanche and Twin Comanche and continue with two newer designs already in production at Piper's other plant in Vero Beach, Florida - the PA-28R-200 Arrow and the twin-engined PA-34 Seneca.
 
4,857 Comanches were built from 1957 to 1972.
   
Cruising down to Sun 'N Fun.
   
Happy flyers.
   
The Comanche's panel.  I liked its Engine Information System (EIS).  Displayed right in front of the passenger, it displays everything you could ever want to know about the engine.  The engine ran great.  It runs very cool.  I wish my RV-7 engine ran that cool.
   
Crossing over the Eastern Shore.  Actually, I don't know who took this picture, but it is blog-worthy.
   
Our first stop was Lumberton, North Carolina (KLBT).  Driving here from our house burns an entire day.  It took Chuck and I two and a half hours or so, and that's with a mild headwind.
   
The plan was to use the crew car to go to a nearby Waffle House.  But since this is Sun 'N Fun week, they had hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans and cole slaw on hand, for free!  So we never went further than Lumberton's nice Terminal/FBO building.
   
Our next stop was Baxley Municipal Airport in Georgia (KBHC). Normally Waycross, Georgia would be my stop -- a little further south -- but their fuel prices were over a dollar more than Baxley.  I had never been here before.  Turns out, like Waycross, Baxley is a great stop.
   

Inside the Baxley Terminal/FBO building.  They were serving BBQ, baked beans, cole slaw and sweet pound cake during Sun 'N Fun week.  Although we partook at Lumberton, we ate her as well.  Too good to pass up!

This friendly airport also has a crew car, and also something I've rarely see at airports, a room upstairs you can stay overnight in.  (You have to reserve it)
   
Leaving Baxley, we flew over Waycross than headed across the Okefenokee Swamp, then we were in Florida.
 
We landed at Plant City Airport (KPCM), which is about 8 miles east of Lakeland Airport.  In fact, on crosswind I could see Lakeland's main runway clearly.  We were able to keep the Comanche tied down here for a small parking fee.  The plan was to pick up our Turo car here but the owner made a mistake and parked it at Lakeland Airport.  We just ubered over and got it there.
 
Tying the plane down at Plant City reminded me of Fond Du Loc/Oshkosh.
   
The next morning we drove into the show.
   
A group of RVs  taxi by.
   
Chuck stands in front of a menacing Apache attack helicopter.
   
I was surprised to see a mighty P-3 Orion in the house.  Starting in 2013, by 2020 all the U.S. Navy P-3s had been replaced by the P-8 Poseidon except for a few specialty squadrons.  As you can see below, the Naval Research Laboratory is still flying one.  Quite a few other countries are also still using them.  Iran bought six P-3s in 1976.  I remember seeing a blue camouflaged one flying around Moffett Field.  I believe until recently four were still flying.  I imagine they are all gone now; as in blown to smitherines by smart bombs.
   
A NOAA P-3, highly modified.
   
Queen of the skies:  the great P-51 Mustang.
   
Aero Spacelines Super Guppy, flown by NASA and the only one of five still in service.
 
The Super Guppy is the only airplane to carry a complete S-IVB stage, the third stage of the Saturn V rocket.  It did so several times during the Apollo program.
 
One Super Guppy remains in service with NASA. Three are on display, and one was scrapped.
   
Mike Goulian's Extra 330SC.  On a tour of the Lycoming factory a few years ago, we saw his Thunderbolt IO-580 being belt.  It was yellow and black like the Extra.
   
A big TBM Avenger, in neat World War II Pacific theater livery.
   

A brand new Cessna 182 on amphibious floats.  Sweet!

The 182 is the bigger, more powerful, heavier-duty version of the 172.  It has a 230 hp engine compared to the 160-180 hp of the 172.  An amazing 23,237 have been built.   Of course, over 44,000 172s have been built, making it, measured by its longevity and popularity, the most successful aircraft in history.
   
Now if you really want a seaplane to go have some fun in, this Cessna Caravan on floats is it!
 
The strutted, high wing Cessna 208 Caravan typically seats nine passengers in its unpressurized cabin, is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A tractor turboprop and has a fixed tricycle landing gear, floats, or skis.  First available in 1982, this sport utility vehicle of the air remains in production,  By 2022, 3,000 had been delivered and 24 million flight hours have been logged. Caravans have been used for flight training, commuter airlines, VIP transport, air cargo, skydiving and humanitarian missions.
   
Chuck's fun meter is maxed out.
   
But mine is pegged!
   
Chuck has a Trio Avionics autopilot in his Comanche and he uses it, to put it mildly.  He got some tips at the Trio booth.
   
Aircraft Spruce always has a big presence at Sun 'N Fun and AirVenture.
   
Heck, they set up a mini-store here.  I've given the Aircraft Spruce folks so much business the last year it's ridiculous.
   
Beautifully polished Cessna 195.
   
I always have to see the Flying Rowboat when at Sun 'N Fun.
   
One of the four big vendor buildings.
   
The same panel the RV-10 I am help building has.  I have no idea how to use the Garmin avionics.  Should learn one of these days.
   
Quite a few Essex Skyparkians were here today.  Left to right:;  JJ, Charlie, Chip, Chuck, Bruce.  Not pictured Mark and myself.
 
One nice thing about Sun 'N Fun is that you can sit down and have a cold beer in the shade.  For us older guys walking around in the sun all day, a cold beer really helps!
   
Enjoying a cold brew with my flying buddy Bruce.
   
The beer tent was very popular as you can see.
   
This biplane amphibian looks like it would be fun.
   
My favorite plane of the show:  an immacule, polished Ryan ST-L.   The ST stands for Sport Trainer.
   
What can you say?
   

A big Antonov AN-2 painted like a Zebra.

The An-2 was operated in large numbers by the Soviet Air Force and Eastern Bloc forces.  Over 18,000 were built.
   
This AN-2 has a fancy interior.
   
A little Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann wearing German World War II markings.  First flown in 1934, it was the primary basic trainer for the German Luftwaffe, before and during World War II.
   
We hiked over to Paradise City to see the Ultralights.
   
By good luck, we arrived during a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) contest.
   
I've seen STOL contests in Alaska on TV but this was the first time I've seen it in person.  And I could see it really well as we were close to the grass runway.  It was quite amazing to see the planes approach the landing line with power just on the verge of a stall, then chop power, touching down right on the finish line, stand on their brakes with tail high in the air, and come to a complete stop in a ridiculously short distance.
 
On takeoff, they would go to full power standing on the brakes, then release.  The tail would come up immediately.  After a few feet, they would haul back on the stick and the plane would stagger into the air.  Amazing.
 
Quite a few planes were competing and there were hundreds of people watching.
   
One of the classic ultralights; a two-place Quicksilver.
   
Another classic; a two place Weedhopper.
   
Leaving Paradise City, we came across this unbelievable RV-10.  The paint job is quite striking, but everything about this plane is beyond outstanding.
   
Look at that front end!  The engine, engine mounts, baffles -- all purple.
   
Even the ignition wires and brake fluid reservoir are purple!
   
Hexagonal pattern on the wing with curved wingtips.
   
There were a number of RV-10s on hand and all were of exceptional build quality.
   
The Green Hornet!
   

Nice tail art on the Green Hornet.

There was discussion amongst us about whether the "No Push" labeling on the rudder was necessary.
   

I liked the paintjob on this Osprey GP-4.

The GP-4 is the fourth aircraft from designer George Pereira, It is a low wing side-by-side retractable gear aircraft of wood construction. It has a single spar stressed to +8 to -6G loading.  The aircraft's wooden construction is labor-intensive and an estimated 3000–4000 hours are required to construct it.  You can buy the plans to build one from Aircraft Spruce.
   

In this area are a bunch of RVs all belong to the Full Throttle RV Formation Team from Atlanta, Georgia.  I talked briefly with one of the pilots.  They have seventeen pilots, and do a routine consisting of twelve aircraft.   They weren't flying in today's airshow but were scheduled to fly in the airshow everyday Thursday through Sunday.  Sorry I missed them.

 
   
Notice the "Full Throttle" lettering on the flap and the Full Throttle Formation Team sticker on the veritical stabilizer.
   
Another Full Throttle RV.
   
Nice paintjob on this RV-10.
   
Homebuilt camping parking seemed filled to capacity.  I was here at Sun 'N Fun last year -- on a Friday -- and the homebuilt camping area was sparsely populated I thought.  But not this year on Wednesday.
   

The Homebuilt Camping tent where I believe they have breakfast and dinners and all sorts of stuff.  I looked inside; a happening place.

As usual, a single person is usually the cause of good things happening.  In this case, to quote someone from Vans Air Force "the basis for comfort & enjoyment at Homebuilt Camping is Heidi.  Those that have been at HBC know that she's the hardest working person at SNF."

Here's a nice AvBrief.com article on Heidi and Homebuilt Camping at SNF:  Link.
   
Chuck stopped by Comanche Town to check it out.
   
Looking down a row of Comanches.
   
I don't think this Comanche has a factory paintjob.
   

Bruce posing by this interesting Spirit SE-1 Light Sport aircraft.

This little single-seat plane only weighs 440 pounds.  Gross weight is 740 pounds.  It cruises at 112 mph and climbs at 750 fpm.  It only carries eight gallons of gas but Spirit Engineering claims it only burns two gallons per hour.
   
The Spirit's skin is all polished aluminum.  Do you know how much work this represents!?  A lot.
 
Spirit Engineering designed and manufactured the Spirit V2 aircraft engine themselves!  The Spirit V2 is a normally-aspirated, two-cylinder, four-stroke, inverted “V”, air-cooled, direct-drive aircraft engine featuring a dry sump lubrication system, and a magnetic discharge ignition.
   
The wings fold!  Amazing.
 
The Spirit SE-1 is a Special Light-Sport Aircraft (SLSA) sold ready to fly. The SE-1 is not sold as a kit.  Price starts at $69,500.  Built in Grand Junction, Colorado.
   

We came across this Cirrus SR20 with a Deltahawk engine.   I've been curious about the Deltahawk engine ever since a Deltahawk Sales Rep came to our EAA Chapter meeting and briefed us about it -- back in 2007!


Back at AirVenture 2023 I wrote this:  "Kitplanes Magazine says it far better than I ever could:  "The Racine, Wisconsin based company has been promising their all-new engine for many years and faith that anything would come from all the press releases and thinly-staffed trade show booths had worn their story to the bone.  But things are different this year. Deltahawk has arrived at AirVenture with a nice new booth, display engines, engineers on hand, two aircraft with Deltahawk V-4’s installed and most importantly, FAA certification. That last part is so easy to say but so difficult to achieve, yet despite we naysayers Deltahawk has met that difficult goal. It’s a rare achievement and gives them instant entree to the important certified airplane world. ... The initial offering is the DHK180, displacing 202 cubic inches (3.3 liters) and rated at 180 hp. ... the big advantage surrounding the Deltahawk: it burns widely available and affordable Jet-A. "
 
Someone with deep pockets must be funding these guys, for sure.  I wonder if this engine will ever catch on. 
 
   
A closer look at the Deltahawk engine.  Wow, not much room under the hood.
   
Vans Aircraft Company hasn't attended Sun 'N Fun in years, and now Sonex is gone.  Zenith is still handing in there.  I gather it's tough times for the kit plane industry these days.
   
But the big guys seem to be doing OK.  The Cirrus booth was extravagent.
   
The unique Junkers A50 Junior.
   
The Howard DGA-6 was a pioneer racing plane, nicknamed "Mister Mulligan." It was the only airplane ever designed for the specific purpose of winning the Bendix Trophy.  This is a replica.
   
I'm looking forward to watching the F-22 Raptor fly in the airshow!
   
Speaking of F-22s, there were two on hand.
   
The Air Force Thunderbirds were also on hand, although we would not get to see them fly today.
   
Two F-16s.
   
And four count 'em four AV-8B Harriers.    I was surprised to see them as they are being replaced in the Marine Corps by F-35Bs, a process which started in 2016.
   
They were trying something new today with regards to the airshow.  Usually, the Sun 'N Fun Day airshow starts around 1PM and goes to 5:30 or so.   The Night airshow goes from 7 - 9:15 PM.
 
But today they tried for the first time a composite airshow which started at 5pm and continued to 9:30 PM, combining nonstop the day and night airshows.
 
Here, Mike Goulian goes verticle in his Extra.
   
As the sun sets, the F-22 Raptor turns and burns down low.
   
Watching the sunset.
   
While I have seen P-51 Mustangs perform solo airshows many times, this was the first time I've seen multiple Mustangs do a close formation routine.  Very cool.
   
After more than 20 years of sponsorship from AeroShell, the team’s title sponsor relationship ended at the end of 2023.  Starting in 2024, they rebranded as the Titan Aerobatic Team, sponsored by Titan Aviation Fuels.   The pilots, airplanes (the AT-6 Texans), and the overall act are essentially the same team continuing on.
 
For some reason, only three T-6s were flying tonight instead of the usual four.
   
Very pretty in the twilight.
   
Five powered-parachutes putting on a show just after dark.  I imagine 911 gets a few calls reporting UFOs from these guys.
   
The finale was simply spectacular, featuring drone swarms -- something I've neer seen before --, lasers, and lots of gigantic fireball explosions.
 
Here the drones simulate Artemis II blasting off into space.  The drones didn't just show a static picture.  The picture moved!
   
Red Bull sponsored the show, I think, so here is an drone aerial display of a can of Red Bull.  The can rotated.
   
A jet roars past after dropping a bomb.
   
Inverted F-16 with fireworks high above.  Sensory overload!
   
American flag.  If you look closely you can make out President Trump's face embedded in the flag.
 
And so concluded the best airshow I've ever seen (the night portion).  Amazing.
   
Everybody has been saying that if you go to Sun 'N Fun, you have to stop at Parkesdale Market and have their strawberry shortcake.  It's in Plant City, just a short distance west from Lakeland.
   

So before heading for home on Thursday, we were at Parkesdale Market when it opened at 9AM to to get our strawberry shortcake.

Only to find out the strawberry season ended two weeks ago and there was no strawberry shortcake to be had!   What!  We begged and pleaded but to no avail, so we ended up getting strawberry milkshakes, which were quite good.
   
The market was very colorful and a nice place.
   
The giant strawberry chair.
   
Then it was over to Plant City Airport to start the journey home.
   
Getting the Comanche ready for flight.  Weather couldn't be better.
   
Heading north, passing over Gainesville in Florida, looking down at "The Swamp", where the Florida Gators play football.    It's the largest stadium in Florida, the 12th largest stadium in the United States, and the 21st largest stadium in the world, as measured by its official seating capacity of 88,548.
   
We stopped at Baxley Municipal Airport again for their relatively low avgas price and free BBQ.
   
Then we flew to Gilliam - Mc Connell Airfield in North Carolina.  The airport identifier is BQ1.  Yes, this is the home of the famous Pik 'N Pig restaurant!
   
The full restaurant opened in 2007.  The concept took off quickly:  Pilots literally fly in for lunch, park on the grass, and walk to the restaurant.  Diners can watch planes taxi and land just yards away while eating.  This turned it into a destination for both pilots and BBQ fans, not just a local spot.  Among aviators, it became one of those “you’ve gotta fly there at least once” places—kind of like a Southern version of a grass-strip burger joint.
 
In May 2021, the original building was destroyed by a fire.  The cause was never definitively determined.
 
The remains were demolished, a new building was built, and the restaurant officially reopened in February 2023.  The fire destroyed all their big grills, and they only have one now, so they have a limited cooking capacity.  As a result they are only open Thursday through Sunday from 11AM to 4PM.
 
BQ1 is a long haul from Essex Skypark -- 275 nm -- so I haven't been here since before the fire.  This was my first time seeing the new restaurant building.
 
But the P-40 Warhawk replica I remember.
 
 
   
Heading into the Pik 'N Pig for some North Carolina barbeque!
   
The new restaurnat.  It was about 3PM so we had the place to ourselves.
   
"We rub our Butts by hand with our own blend of seasonings, slow smoked for up to 10 HOURS over sweet hickory coal. Each order is hand pulled, tender and juicy. It doesn't get any better!"
 
I can confirm that!
   

This full-scale replica of a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was built by Zeb Harrington, a local builder and aviation enthusiast.  It took him three years to build from scrap metal, pipes, tin, and salvaged parts.  It was placed here in 2012.

The plane honors Lt. Robert Hoyle Upchurch, a local pilot from Carthage.  Upchurch flew P-40s with the Flying Tigers in China during WWII.  He was shot down and listed MIA in 1944.

As you can see, the Warhawk needs some restoration work.
   
We flew about 30 miles east over to Harnett Regional Jetport for some relatively low-priced avgas.  I've always liked this airport.  They have a courtesy car.  I've used it before to go to the nearby Waffle House.
   
Taking off at Harnett.
   
Almost home.  Crossing the Chesapeake Bay; Essex Skypark dead ahead!
   
Safe on deck at Essex Skypark.  During the 14 hours of flying time in the last three days the Comanche performed flawlessly.  A nice cruiser for sure.
   
 
   
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