The Orlando Air Show is back at Orlando Sanford International Airport this weekend, bringing the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team and the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet back to Central Florida skies a year after a federal shutdown grounded the entire event just days before it was supposed to happen. Gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at 1200 Red Cleveland Blvd. in Sanford, with the aerial portion running from noon to 4 p.m. both days.
Last October, the show was canceled just days before its scheduled dates during a federal government shutdown. Organizers allowed 2025 ticket holders to either defer their tickets to this year's show or request a full refund. This year's return comes during America's 250th birthday year, according to reporting from the Orlando Sentinel, whose Patrick Connolly detailed this weekend's full lineup.
Fastest Jet in the World Leads the Lineup
The F-22 Raptor is described in the Sentinel's report as the fastest and most maneuverable fighter jet in the world, capable of supercruising at one and a half times the speed of sound without using an afterburner. Its demonstration will include mid-air stops, somersaults and sharp sudden turns, per the same account. The team is based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia, and is led for the 2026 season by demonstration pilot Captain Nicholas “Laz” Le Tourneau, an experienced fighter pilot with over 750 flight hours in the stealth jet, according to the Pacific Airshow.
Joining the Raptor is the Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet demonstration, which the Sentinel reports will feature dynamic maneuvers highlighting the aircraft's speed, agility and versatility.
Navy SEALs Parachute In, Stunt Pilots Fill Out the Card
The Navy SEALs Leap Frogs parachute team will perform a high-altitude jump with precise timing and landing, according to the Sentinel's rundown of the weekend's schedule. The team, officially commissioned in 1974 by the Chief of Naval Operations, is made up of active-duty Navy SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen and Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians who complete three-year tours before returning to operational units, according to Support Our Troops. Its roots trace back to Underwater Demolition Team skydiving volunteers in 1969.
Beyond the military headliners, the show will feature a slate of civilian stunt pilots including Galen Killam, Melissa Burns, the Racers Jet Team flying L-39s, and Florida-based John Black, the Sentinel reports. The RE/MAX parachute team is also on the bill. In one of the weekend's odder attractions, organizers have lined up a drag race between a custom high-performance Tesla Cybertruck and a P-51 Mustang, pitting electric torque against piston power, according to the same report.
A Runway With Nearly a Century of Military History
Orlando Sanford International Airport was commissioned on November 3, 1942, as Naval Air Station Sanford, serving as an advanced training base for World War II patrol bombers before becoming a Cold War Master Jet Base for carrier-based attack aircraft until it closed in 1969, according to the UCF RICHES Digital Archiving Project.
Part of a Larger National Tour
The Orlando Air Show is one stop on the 2026 Air Dot Show Tour, which opened its season in Cocoa Beach in April before moving to Fort Lauderdale in May, according to the Sentinel. After Sanford, the tour heads to Atlanta before returning to Florida for a special event, the Sentinel reports.
General admission tickets for the Sanford show start at $32, while Flight Line Club VIP tickets run up to $179, the Sentinel reports. Guests may bring up to one liter of sealed bottled water, along with sunscreen, ear protection, chairs and a personal-sized umbrella for general admission areas.
Safety in the Air, On the Ground and Beyond the Runway
Chris Dirato, quoted in the Sentinel's coverage, said the air show can be an educational experience that may inspire children to pursue aviation or military careers.
Investigators found that a February 2024 instructional flight at Sanford lost engine power because of fuel starvation, forcing a landing that seriously injured the student pilot; there were no fatalities.
