The annual Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In and Expo in Lakeland, Florida marks the symbolic start of the airshow season for pilots and other aviation enthusiasts. The event combines a traditional airshow with a sport aviation fly-in and general aviation trade show.

The 36^th edition of this annual rite of spring for pilots kicked off on Tuesday, April 13 and ran through Sunday, April 18. Despite a rainy end on Sunday, the presence of the USAF Thunderbirds helped the event pull in strong crowds once again. Sun ‘n Fun is a somewhat smaller version of the larger EAA AirVenture held each summer in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but the afternoon airshow at Sun ‘n Fun plays second fiddle to no one.

Each year, Sun ‘n Fun boasts what may be the most extensive list of airshow performers of any airshow in the world. For 2010, over 30 civilian performers were spread out across the six-day run of the show. Add to that the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Navy Super Hornet East Demo Team, the USAF C-17 Demo Team, and the US Army Black Daggers parachute team, and you have all the ingredients for a great airshow.

The daily airshow also featured several performers who were flying in the Sun ‘n Fun show for the first time. Jacquie Warda, Kathy Hirtz, David Windmiller, CC Gerner, Chuck Vincent, and Gary Rower all made their debut as a performer at the Lakeland show in 2010.

Another first for Sun ‘n Fun 2010 was an appearance by the USAF Transport Heritage Flight.  Most airshow fans are familiar with the USAF Heritage Flight where modern day USAF fighters fly formation with historic aircraft from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The USAF Air Mobility Command now has its own version where a C-17 will fly alongside a vintage transport from the past. At Sun ‘n Fun, the C-17 from Altus AFB, Oklahoma flew alongside the Cavanaugh Flight Museum’s CV-2 Caribou.

Two special events that are always a highlight of the week are the Splash-In and the night airshow. Held on Thursday on Lake Agnes at Kermit Weeks’ Fantasy of Flight, the Splash-In is a celebration of seaplanes and amphibians and offers a unique change of pace from the main event. The annual Friday night airshow is also a crowd favorite. This year’s night show featured sunset performances by Freddie Cabanas in a T-6 and Team Aerostar. As darkness fell, Elaine Larsen brought out the Embry Riddle Jet Car to light up the night and the AeroShell Team took the show into darkness with their night routine. Steve Oliver flew a pyro/fireworks-filled routine in the modified Super Cub called Sky Magic  and was followed by night performances by Manfred Radius, Matt Younkin, and Roger Buis in OTTO.