Sun 'n Fun is a "Fly-in

Fly-in

A fly-in is a pre-arranged gathering of aircraft, pilots and passengers for recreational and social purposes.Fly-ins may be formally or informally organised, members of the public may or may not be invited, the gathering may be at an airport or in a farmer's field.Fly-ins can be aimed at specific...

" and airshow

Airshow

An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....

 held annually at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport is a public airport located four miles southwest of the central business district of Lakeland, a city in Polk County, Florida, United States...

 in Lakeland

Lakeland, Florida

Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, usually during the second or third week of April.

The event was founded in 1974 and was first organized by the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association

Experimental Aircraft Association

The Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....

, but is now an independent corporation and not affiliated with EAA. Sun 'n Fun is primarily a volunteer organization, with a small year-round staff.

Participants in the fly-in include owners who fly their aircraft to the event from all parts of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Many pilots fly their own vintage, homebuilt aircraft

Homebuilt aircraft

Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch," from plans, or from assembly kits.-Overview:...

 or restored ex-military aircraft

Vintage warbird restoration

Vintage Warbird Restoration or classic aircraft restoration is the process of taking exotic and complex aircraft from the World War II and postwar era, and performing processes such as maintenance, repairs and refurbishments in order to restore these military aircraft to their original wartime...

.

The Florida Air Museum at Sun 'n Fun, Florida's Official Aviation Museum and Education Center, is also located on the Sun 'n Fun campus at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport is a public airport located four miles southwest of the central business district of Lakeland, a city in Polk County, Florida, United States...

.

In April 2010 Sun ’n Fun received a US$

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

7.5M grant from the Aviation Education Foundation for new the Central Florida Aerospace Academy building. The school is an existing aviation-oriented high school and career academy that is already located on the airport grounds. When completed in August 2011 it will accommodate 500 high school students, increasing its current capacity of 175 students.

Attendance

• 1975 1,980 Guests, 365 Aircraft
• 1978 10,100 Guests
• 1985 615 Aircraft
• 1989 1,055,088 Guests

Notable events

• 2006 Sun 'n Fun marked the first civilian appearance of the new F-22 Raptor
  F-22 Raptor
  The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation supermaneuverable fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals...
  
  
• 2010 Sun 'n Fun marked the return of US military flight demonstration teams to the event, in this case by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.
• 2011 On March 31, An EF1 tornado
  Enhanced Fujita Scale
  The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause.Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, it began operational use on February 1, 2007. The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale:...
  
  hit the grounds of the airshow, resulting in damage to 40-50 aircraft, along with display tents and exhibits. 15 people received minor injuries. The airshow continued the next day.