LAKELAND, Fla. — Thousands of pilots are making their way to Lakeland for its annual fly-in and airshow event. This is the first time in history that Lakeland Linder International Airport will host Sun 'n Fun while also navigating cargo and passenger flights.

What You Need To Know

  • This is the first year that commercial flights will take place during the Sun 'n Fun airshow, requiring careful coordination to ensure safe operations

  • Airport personnel are working together to maintain safety and smooth operations for the airshow, cargo and commercial flights

  • The FAA has brought in 60 air traffic controllers to help manage the airspace during the event

Operations coordinator Shawn Burkett started his day with a full agenda ahead of Sun 'n Fun’s opening show on Tuesday. Judging by the constant communication coming through his radio, he wasn’t the only one.

“Today’s kind of our initial test to make sure everything we have in place is set accordingly because we want to make sure that as we get busier and busier, there’s no issues with anything else,” he said.

This is Burkett’s first year ensuring that operations on the south side of Lakeland Airport run as smoothly as those on the north. He said this includes confirming pilots have proper equipment, responding to incidents and helping manage air traffic.

“I’ll be in the air box tower helping coordinate when we secure the aerobatic box, coordinate my guys on the ground and gals on the ground to make sure that we are keeping that area secure, making sure I’m relaying any information from the air boss down to those folks. That way, we can make sure that if we see something that could potentially be unsafe, I can send my people to go and address it directly,” Burkett said.

Airport Director Kris Hallstrand said she and her team have fine-tuned the details since May. Though this will be the first year commercial flights will take place during the air shows, she says the aircraft will not interfere with one another. This is largely thanks to a “Notice to Airmen” sent out to pilots days before the event.

“It explains our approach procedure into the airport, and they’re different during the event than the rest of the year, so that allows separation of aircraft,” she said. “And air traffic control also tells them to speed up or slow down, to separate where they need to be, and we essentially land two airplanes at a time.”

The FAA brought in roughly 60 air traffic controllers from across the country to assist with the tailored approach. As for Burkett, he and his crew will be on hand to keep the pilots and the public safe. He said they may also get a chance to catch a glimpse of the show.

“Obviously, we’re there to make sure everything is opening securely and safely, but you still get front-row seats to one of the best air shows in the world,” Burkett said.

The airport also has extra security on the ground to ensure the event remains secure. They’ll stay until the final show on April 6.