LAKELAND, Fla. (WTSP) -- One of the largest air shows in the country continues this weekend in Lakeland. The Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In & Expo features aircraft from around the world.
The area of the festival called Paradise City features some of the quirkiest contraptions, from custom planes to homemade gyrocopters.
“A bunch of tubing and a bunch of fabric, and they get off the ground in less than a hundred feet,” spectator and pilot Robert Bennett said.
These aviation enthusiasts don’t see planes as just a way to get from one place to another.
“A lot of these aircraft exist just to go be in the air,” said Gary Furdell, who helps run Paradise City.
One of the more unique aircraft here isn't something you ride in, but something you wear: a powered paraglider.
It's basically a parachute and a motor that the flier wears like a backpack.
“This is the throttle,” said Paul Czarnecki, a powered paraglider instructor, displaying the handle-like throttle. “To go up, you squeeze the throttle. To decrease altitude, you let it off.”
At his company Planet PPG, Czarnecki teaches other people how to use a powered paraglider in just days. You can go hundreds of feet in the air, and there’s no license required.
The rigs are a lot cheaper than a plane, about $10,000.
“It feels like heaven,” he explained. “You're simply sitting in a Lazy Boy chair. You have no stresses. You can smell the flowers. You can feel the breeze.”
Sun N' Fun continues runs through Sunday.
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