Photo Gallery: Multiple Aircraft Make Their Sun ‘n Fun Debuts

The TBM 980 is the newest aircraft in Daher’s fleet and made its airshow debut at Sun ‘n Fun this year. Daher has delivered 10 of the aircraft in the U.S. market and has production availability for 2027. 

The pressurized, six-seat TBM 980’s cockpit features Garmin’s third-generation G3000 Prime avionics suite and has a touch-controlled flight deck with three 14-in. edge-to-edge touch screens.

The six-seat TBM 980’s cabin features 100-watt USB-C ports, an upgraded passenger display with enroute flight data and a factory-installed, Starlink Mini satellite-based internet connectivity system.

The Kodiak 100 demonstrator that Daher brought to Sun ‘n Fun uses the company’s latest livery named Tehuano after a powerful mountain wind in southern Mexico. The TBM 980 at the show sports the same custom paint scheme.

The Kodiak 100’s flight deck combines large glass screens with a rugged center pedestal with throttles and other controls.

Piper announced on April 14 that it secured a European Union Aviation Safety Agency supplemental type certificate (STC) for a composite seven-blade MT-Propeller for the M700 Fury. The aircraft was on display at Piper’s booth. The Vero Beach, Florida-based company expects to receive an FAA STC for the prop soon. The Fury has a maximum speed of more than 300 kt. true airspeed and has a 2,048-ft./min. climb rate.

One of six Trojan Thunder T-28s that peformed at Sun ‘n Fun taxied on the runway prior to peforming in the opening day airshow. 

NASA brought its bespoke Super Guppy aircraft to Sun ‘n Fun for the first time this year. The aircraft, developed during the Apollo era to carry spacecraft sections and components between NASA centers, borrows parts from a range of aircaft. It is a highly modified KC-97 Stratotanker with its cargo area blown out to a 25-ft. dia. and 111-ft. length. The nose gear is from a Boeing 707 while the main gear is from a B-52 bomber. Its four Allison T-56 engines were first used on the P-3 Orion antisubmarine warfare aircraft. The nose swings out 110 deg. to permit full cargo loading from the front. When the nose is open, struts taken from a dump truck support the fuselage, James Goetze, the load master, says. The Super Guppy at Sun ‘n Fun, one of four built, carried the Artemis 1 crew and service modules and Orion rocket sections. 

The Chinese-built Nanchang CJ-6A that performed at Sun ‘n Fun is a 3,000-lb. fully aerobatic military trainer. Its HS-6A nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine produces 285 hp. and propels the aircraft to a maximum speed of about 190 mph. China originally developed it for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

The Vought F4U-4 Corsair dubbed Korean War Hero was near the entrance to War Bird Alley at Sun ‘n Fun 2026. The aircraft had U.S. Navy Bureau No. 97143.