See America’s Ambassadors in Blue, the USAF Thunderbirds at Sun n Fun. The  F-16 demonstration team returns this year to Sun n Fun to dazzle and amaze Central Florida audiences with precision flight choreography demonstrated at Lakeland airport (KLAL) and on the Lakeland tarmac and in the Florida blue skies over Lakeland. 

Watch the Thunderbirds LIVE Webcast on this Fun Florida Flying Friday at 2:40 PM Eastern.

Thinderbird Show Times:

Thursday, April 15th -Thunderbirds Practice Demonstration
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.??

Friday, April 16th – Thunderbirds Practice Demonstration
Time: 2:40 p.m. p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 17th – Thunderbirds Performance
Time: 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 18th – Thunderbirds Performance
Time: 4:00 p.m.

*Please note, all times are subject to change.

Triple Tree Fly-In 2008

The Second Annual Fly-In at the Triple Tree Aerodrome (SC00) ran from October 8-12 2008. This is not your port-a-potty and picnic table kind of fly-in. 

No, siree. Triple Tree Aerodrome is owned by Pat and Marylou Hartness and the airfield is best known for hosting radio-controlled airplane events.  Pat bought the tower for $100 from a nearby military airfield and had it cut into quarters from top to bottom and reassembled on the Triple Tree airstrip. He won’t say how much that effort cost. This grass strip has a tower manned by volunteers from the Greenville, SC tower, like Sonny Massey.

Surrounding the grass strip lies 400 acres of lush camp ground, two small lakes, a wooden pavilion, two wooden restroom buildings, a large building on the crest of a hill overlooking the north lake that has a walk-in fireplace and kitchen, and an army of friendly volunteers.

Volunteer greeter Carol McKinney told about the radio-controlled airplane events held on the field that features one quarter-, one-third and even half-scale models. The power to weight ratio is off the scale for these models. Carol referred to the October fly-in as a full-scale model event.

Greenville Jet Center supplied a fuel trailer and a van for the event and Michelin supplied wheel chocks, tote bags and other supplies. The local chapter of the Civil Air Patrol sent a group of volunteers to help and a VHF Comm Radio for the control tower.

For information on next year’s events, see www.tripletreeaerodrome.com.

Watch this video clip from a recent RC fly-in. 

St Petersburg Airfest 2009

There’s only one thing better than flying in to one of the most scenic waterfront airports in the country. That’s flying in for an Airshow… 

The air show at St. Petersburg Airfest is Oct. 23-24-25, 2009 at Albert Whitted Airport (SPG) in St. Petersburg, Florida.  This is class D airspace and lies beneath the Tampa Class B airspace. Tower frequency is 127.4, ground frequency is 121.8. SPG ASOS 118.87. Check with flight service for the latest notams

Pilots, note runway 7/25 will be closed from Noon on Thursday until 6:00 PM on Sunday. Runway 18/36 will close between noon and 4:00PM on Saturday and Sunday for the aerobatic performances.

Airfest Video

Plan to attend the St. Petersburg Airfest at Albert Whitted Airport (SPG) Oct. 23-24-25, 2009

St. Petersburg Airfest 2009 Schedule of Events
Friday 5PM Gates open. Static aircraft & exhibits available for viewing.
Wings & other food concessions open. Kid’s Zone open.

5:30PM Warbirds On Parade
6:00PM Rock ‘n Wings Concert (opening act.)
7:30PM Night aerobatic performance (Note: This is not the full air show seen on Saturday and Sunday)
8:30PM Rock ‘n Wings Concert (headline act) 10PM gates close.

Saturday 10AM Gate open. Static aircraft & exhibits available for viewing. Wings & other food concessions open. Kid’s Zone open.

12:30 Airshow opening ceremonies.
1:00PM Airshow. Full airshow lineup with top name performers.
4:00PM – 10PM Rock ‘n Wings Weekend Concert continues with National & regionally acclaimed acts.
5:30PM Warbirds on Parade
6:00PM Rock ‘n Wings Concert Continues
7:30PM Night aerobatic performance.
8:30PM Rock ‘n Wings Concert (headline act) 10PM Gates close

Sunday 10AM Gates open. Static aircraft & exhibits available for viewing. wings & other food concessions open. Kid’s Zone open.

12:30PM Airshow opening ceremonies.
1:00PM Airshow. Full airshow lineup with top name performers
5:00PM Gates close.

St. Petersburg Airfest Friday, Saturday & Sunday Oct. 23-24-25, 2009

Nothing compares to really getting inside and attending all the action from the yearly Sun n’ Fun Fly-In at Lakeland (KLAL), but if you can’t go in person this year, you can nevertheless catch a bit of the excitement streaming live video from Sun n’ Fn Fly-In Video Webcast Live Friday, April sixteen, from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Interviews on the flight line, questions and answers from a panel of aviation specialists all on-line!  Learn why Polk County and Central Florida are good places for General Aviation, Flying, Learning To Fly, Pilots, and the #1  reason why Central Florida may be the ideal destination for your next cross-country flight. Additionally, you will get an online glimpse associated with fly-in places, sights, sounds, as well as aviation safety forums being broadcast from the Federal Aviation Administration Productions Studios within the FAASTeam’s Nationwide Resource.

Check out live video from the USAF Thunderbirds and also the every day Sun n Fun Fly-In  atmosphere and airshow for 2010. And throughout the day, you are able to share your Sun n’ Fun questions and answers with others online Worldwide!

Sign-up now to recieve this Free Video Webcast streaming Live!  All you need is a computer with internet access to log on and watch the 2010 Sun n’ Fun Fly-In Video Webcast Live beginning Friday April 16th, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 pm.

This 2010 Sun n’ Fun Fly-In Video Webcast Live is produced by PGTV (Polk Federal Government Tv), PGTV is an operation of the Polk County Panel associated with County Commissioners.

This year’s Sun’N Fun International Fly-In & Expo kicks off  Tuesday April 13 through  – Sunday April 18, 2010  at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport Lakeland, Florida.  This years show will feature one of the finest collections of vintage and current military aircraft in recent memory. In addition to Sun’N Fun’s usual array of antique, classic, contemporary, kit built, homebuilt, ultralights, light sport and aerobatic airplanes, the 36th Annual 2010 Spring Break for Pilots features hundreds of privately owned vintage “Warbirds”, many from the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and EAA Warbirds of America. It is just about the most significant lineups of current military aircraft ever gathered, via a flight or on the ground in recent history.

Highlighting this year’s current military participation is america Air Force’s precision jet demonstration team, “The Thunderbirds,” in their F-16 “Fighting Falcons; an F-18 “Super Hornet” demonstration team from the U.S. Navy and a C-17 “Globemaster” cargo jet. In addition, three V-22 “Osprey” tilt-rotor aircraft have also indicated their intention to help mark the “Start of the 2010 Aviation Year” at SUN ? FUN.

 F-18 “Super Hornet” C-17 “Globemaster” V-22 “Osprey”

“This year’s military line up is among the most spectacular we’ve ever had at SUN ? FUN,” said SUN ? FUN President and Event Chairman John Burton. “We are especially pleased to see increasing participation at our event from our nation’s military forces. Combined with the longstanding support SUN ? FUN has received from EAA’s Warbirds of America members and increasing participation from the Commemorative Air Force, Sun? Fun offers a rare and significant opportunity to see probably the most famous and recognizable aircraft in military history – past present and future. I tip my hat to SUN ? FUN’s Air Operations team who have worked tirelessly to coordinate this year’s line up.”

Sun’n Fun Air Operations has confirmed the planned arrival of the following military aircraft (subject to global events) over the course of the show:

C-17 “Globemaster” demonstration
KC-135 “Stratotanker”
C-130 “Hercules”
MH-53 “Sea Dragon”
Two A-10 “Warthogs”
Two TH-57 “Sea Rangers”
T-6 “Texan II”
Two T-45 “Goshawks”
F-5 “Tiger”
T-34C “Mentor”
Two T-38 “Talons”
America Air Force Academy’s T-41 “Mescalero” and T-52 “Enryu”
C-12 “Huron”
T-1 Jayhawk
P-3 Orion, AS350 Helicopter & 38 foot boat (Customs)

In addition Sun’N Fun has received pending commitments for the following aircraft:

Three V-22 “Osprey” tilt-rotor aircraft
A fly by featuring two (2) B-52 “Stratofortresses”
An additional C-17 “Globemaster” on static display