The Big Question: How Will Sun ‘n Fun Go, As Fly-In Gets Off To a Sunny Start

John "Lites" Leenhouts, president and CEO of Sun 'n Fun and the Aerospace Center for Excellence, addressed reporters before the start of Day One, saying that 1.2 million tickets have been sold for Sun 'n Fun by Tuesday morning, an increase of around 20% from even good years in the past. Exhibitor action was good too, with the number dropping by around 20%, which might sound like a down year, but many expected a huge dip in exhibitors.

Leenhouts, when asked about eliminating the cap on attendance each day, said that the grounds, which have more than 2,000 acres, are plenty to accommodate even a big crowd with the Florida-recommended three feet of social distancing. The exhibit halls themselves are more problematic, because with two entrances in each one, it's difficult or impossible to keep an accurate head count. Sun 'n Fun staff will essentially eyeball the number of folks in the building and shut off entries until it decreases to the point where there's enough room for more customers to head in.

As far as the health implications are concerned, Leenhouts said that masks are not required outside, but they are in enclosed spaces. Despite Florida's rap for being mask unfriendly, mask wearing is, in fact, widely practiced, as is social distancing.

We'll follow up with a story about how the attendance fares in light of such high expectations.

Find more Sun 'n Fun coverage here.