As Officials at SUN ‘n FUN
2013 have been saying all along, "The event will take off as scheduled with
official, certified FAA Air Traffic Controllers insuring safe and expeditious
handling of all arrivals and departures at Lakeland Linder Airport, April
8-15. Contrary to popular belief, the issues in Washington, D.C. will not
deter the aviation community from coming together to share the thrills and
excitement of the 39th Annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In & Expo.
We thank our sponsors, exhibitors, vendors, volunteers, benefactors, airshow
performers and guests for their continuing support," according to a memo from
Sun n Fun CEO, John R. "Lites" Leenhouts.
"The FAA is coming, but we are having to do a reimbursable with FAA, essentially paying for them to be here. The show will go on!" according to Airport Director, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Gene Conrad. Earlier, Lites indicated that the resourses for FAA controllers could come from Aviation Scholarship funds.
The airport, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Central Florida, on the FAA list released today warned that the closure would hurt a Sun 'n Fun aviation event involving 5,000 aircraft and 200,000 visitors between Tampa and Orlando.
The event is scheduled to start two days after the closure, from April 9 to 14. But in the past FAA has sent 50 air-traffic controllers and technical-operations staffers to the airport to help manage 15,000 takeoffs and landings during the event.
"The tower at LAL is not a luxury but rather is essential to the operation of this facility," Conrad, the airport director, wrote in a letter to the FAA.
Many of the contract towers support military training and emergency medical flights, aircraft manufacturing and a variety of needs including safety.The FAA is also expected to close up to 43 towers with fewer flights where agency controllers work. But the agency hasn't yet announced which ones or where midnight shifts will be eliminated for controllers. B Meyer, FMI:Sun n Fun