LAKELAND, Fla. — The annual Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo is celebrating its 50th year.

What You Need To Know

  • Chad Smith, a Lakeland native, is flying in the expo Sunday

  • Chad serves in the Air Force and learned how to fly at Lakeland International Airport

  • Sunday is the final day of the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo

From planes flying through the skies to being able to step into others on the ground, it’s a return home for Lakeland native Chad Smith.

“I grew up coming to this air show from as little as I can remember,” he said. 

Chad started flying lessons at Lakeland International Airport at 15 years old before getting his pilot’s license at 17. 

He’s since dedicated his life to flying, spending nearly 20 years in the Air Force where he now contributes as an instructor pilot teaching others to fly the KC-135.

“This plane was built by Boeing back in the 1950s and it’s been in service ever since, so it’s one of the older planes that the Air Force has in its inventory,” he said.

Seeing kids and adults alike line up to catch a glimpse of the planes that fascinated him growing up is one of the reasons it’s important to him to be a part of this expo.

“You see kids wearing the shirts with the planes on it and kids who are in the little flight suits and I know I felt the same way I did when I was eight,” he said. 

Sunday is the last day of the expo.