A Record-Breaking U.S. Sport Aviation Expo?

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 12:45 AM ET

Verified

** RANS Design's S-7LS Courier demo pilot
Jana Morenz on short final for Runway 18 after
a full day of demo flights at the LSA Expo on
Saturday.**

Key Takeaways:

The 8th Annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo at Sebring saw record-breaking attendance with 16,000 visitors and 3,434 flight operations, making Sebring Regional Airport the busiest in the country for two hours.
Expo success was attributed to a combination of great weather, increased marketing efforts, and the addition of new events and attractions.
Exhibitors reported an upbeat mood, brisk traffic, and either closed deals or cultivated new prospects, indicating a positive outlook for the sport aviation industry.
New additions to the expo included an aircraft auction, a model airplane contest, food-and-wine events, a seaplane base, and various forums, alongside debuts of new products and training courses.

See a mistake? Contact us.

For two hours last Saturday, Sebring Regional Airport was the busiest airport in the country. Just one of the preliminary indicators that the 8th Annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo at Sebring, Florida, saw a record-breaking turnout, at least in flight operations. In addition to the flight ops, early estimates show that 16,000 attended the four-day event and ticket sales were up 15 percent from last year.

According to Bert Simpson, FAA staff manager for the North Florida District, “There were a total of 3,434 flight operations during the four-day event, with Saturday being the biggest at 1,256.The busiest hours were Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m., with 222 flight operations taking place at that time, making Sebring Regional Airport the busiest airport in the country.”