The FAA's decision to delay its tower shutdowns until June was a save for Sun 'n Fun, but the federal government still has declined to pay all the expenses of sending 50 extra controllers and 20 technicians to cope with the traffic, so the bill -- an estimated $285,000 -- is going to the Sun 'n Fun organization. "That's a pretty substantial chunk of money," Sun 'n Fun CEO John "Lites" Leenhouts told AVweb on Monday. To raise the funds, Sun 'n Fun has put together a coalition of donors in the state and local area who are pitching in to support the event. Leenhouts also said the focus of Sun 'n Fun this year is on the pilot community, with more attention to workshops and sport flying, lower ticket fees for anyone who flies in, and less emphasis on the airshow.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/at-sun-n-fun-challenges-changes-and-high-hopes