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12-543: The Florida Air Museum , formerly known as the International Sport Aviation Museum and the SUN 'n FUN Air Museum , is designated as Florida's "Official Aviation Museum and Education Center." It features a display of aircraft including one-of-a-kind designs, classics, ultra-lights, antiques and warbirds. The museum is housed in a main building and a hangar annex. Both are located on the campus of

24-731: A Mercury rocket motor share the display floor. The aircraft are supplemented by a collection of engines from World War I to the present day. It also houses a library, offices, a conference room and the museum's small gift shop. The hangar annex houses larger aircraft and engines. Also on campus is the Buehler Restoration Center. This 8,000-square-foot facility, located adjacent to the Florida Air Museum at SUN 'n FUN, houses SUN 'n FUN's year–round aircraft restoration activities. The facility, which opened in April 2006,

36-665: Is a development of the Van's RV-4 . Bohannon and Miller built the Miller-Bohannon JM-2 Pushy Galore to set the new time to climb records and compete in Formula One air racing. Bohannon continued to set records with his new aircraft. He acquired Exxon as a sponsor for record attempts. His B-1 was painted in a stylized tiger paint scheme and named the "Exxon Flyin' Tiger". The aircraft went on to set 30 altitude and time to climb records. The Bohannon B-1

48-709: Is an existing aviation-oriented high school and career academy that is already located on the airport grounds. Completed in August 2011, it accommodates 500 high school students, increasing its previous capacity of 175 students. The first weekend fly-in, called Mid-Winter Sun 'n Fun, was held in January 1975 at the Lakeland Municipal Airport and was limited to pilots and Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), SESAC and FSAACA members. A total of 1,980 guests and 365 aircraft were present. The following year,

60-573: The Sun 'n Fun fly-in and expo, which supplies much of the funding for the museum's collections and programs. The entire campus is located at the Lakeland Linder International Airport , just south of the runways. The main building holds much of the collection, especially smaller aircraft like a Boeing-Stearman Model 75 from the classic Red Baron Pizza aerobatic team. A wide variety of unique designs, homebuilts, and even

72-718: The Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in April 2019. In addition to the fly-in, at one time Sun 'n Fun also operated the Florida Air Museum and supported the Central Florida Aerospace Academy—an aviation-focused career academy operated by the Polk County School Board as part of Kathleen High School . In October 2019 a reorganization made the fly-in part of the Aerospace Center for Excellence, a non-profit organization that

84-723: The first US performance of the Breitling Jet Team. In 2017, the show featured the French Air Force Patrouille de France aerobatic team, making it the second appearance in the US (the first being at the Melbourne Air And Space Show on April 1–3) in more than 30 years. The team flew one show on April 4. Bohannon B-1 The Bohannon B-1 is a purpose-built aircraft to set new world records in its class for time-to-climb. It

96-465: The fly-in was expanded to a full week, and the City of Lakeland approved a lease for the convention site to be moved to the southwest quadrant of the airport. The public was invited on a limited basis. The number of visiting aircraft more than tripled compared to the first year, with 1,200 aircraft including 200 homebuilts; 180 antiques; 260 classics; and 28 warbirds on site. Snow fell at the airport for

108-552: The only time in show history to date during the 1977 show. In 1992, The Sun 'n Fun Air Museum (now the Florida Air Museum ) held its grand opening. In 1997, the Brazilian Air Force's Aerial Demonstration Squadron (known as the Smoke Squadron ) was the featured act. In 2000, Airshow legend Bob Hoover performed the last flight of his Shrike Commander at the fly-in. Two years later, Bobby Younkin debuted

120-406: The world's first aerobatic Learjet. During the 2004 show, Bruce Bohannon and his turbocharged Exxon Flyin' Tiger set four time to climb world records. On March 31, 2011, an EF1 tornado hit the grounds of the airshow, resulting in damage to 40-50 aircraft, along with display tents and exhibits. Fifteen people received minor injuries. The airshow continued the next day. The 2015 show featured

132-582: Was established in 2014 to provide young students with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instruction. The event was founded in 1974. The Florida Air Museum at Sun 'n Fun is also located on the Sun 'n Fun campus at Lakeland Linder International Airport . In April 2010, Sun 'n Fun received a US$ 7.5M grant from the Aviation Education Foundation for the new Central Florida Aerospace Academy building. The school

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144-406: Was made possible by a $ 300,000 grant from The Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust, with additional support from a State of Florida Cultural Facilities and Historical Grant. The museum's collection includes some unique and notable aircraft, including many homebuilt aircraft : Sun %27n Fun Previously called the ' Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In and Expo , for 2020 the event was officially renamed

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