PHOTO PROVIDED The Air Force Thunderbirds performed every day at Sun-n-Fun in Florida, attracting huge crowds and making it easier for small companies and associations, like Sentimental Journey, to find new customers.

LOCK HAVEN — The Sentimental Journey Fly-in, a summer staple in Lock Haven since 1986, was a surprise star at a huge airshow in Florida last week. This should result in hundreds more visitors coming to the Lock Haven area in mid-June.

The Fly-in used a Clinton County economic development grant to exhibit at the Sun-n-Fun Airshow in Lakeland, Fla. Sun-n-Fun attracts about 250,000 pilots, their families and other visitors who shop, eat, party and ogle the eye-popping performances of the world’s premier aerobatic pilots including the Air Force Thunderbirds.

“An airshow like Sun-n-Fun is the best possible place to look for pilots who could come to our Fly-in in Lock Haven in June,” explained Mike Jones, marketing director for Sentimental Journey. “It’s the first big show of Spring, every pilot is eager to get in their plane and there we were, suggesting to everybody, ‘Come to Lock Haven!'”

At their booth, the volunteers focused on pilots who lived on the east coast, roughly from the Carolinas to Maine, and as far west as the Mississippi River. But they spoke to flyers from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South America and one plucky couple in Iceland who own a Piper airplane.

The Fly-in booth was very professional with a handsome backdrop, abundant literature and five volunteers staffing the booth for the entire duration of the airshow.

It was not hard to attract the interest of pilots. The Sentimental Journey Fly-in features spot-landing contests, a flour-dropping competition and fly-outs to local airports every day. Another big attraction is the world-famous Piper Museum, located right on the airport. There also will be two days of free airplane rides for teenagers while Saturday will feature planes demonstrating their hair-raising “short take-off” techniques.

Eighteen speakers are scheduled to speak, including such luminaries as world-famous aviation photographer David Tulis. Friday will be “Youth Aviation Career Day” sponsored by Parker Aviation Insurance with about 20 companies, schools and recruiters on-site to promote their programs for young people. At sunrise Friday and Saturday flyers from Jersey Shore will demonstrate their powered parachutes and formation flight.

Two very important aspects of Sentimental Journey were emphasized to visitors: the Fly-in is both affordable and family-friendly. Many airshows charge high prices, are highly commercialized or fail to offer attractions for youngsters. The Lock Haven event is the antithesis of those kinds of airshows, with events for all ages and prices anybody can afford.

By the close of the show on Sunday, the Sentimental Journey team had spoken with 1,103 different qualified pilots who might attend, and 243 of those shared their email addresses with the team. For a small Fly-in in a small city, these numbers are enormous. Traffic to the Sentimental Journey website has increased 300% since the Florida show opened, and the Fly-in’s social media presence has scored thousands of new views and “likes.”

“We wanted to make the most of the Clinton County economic development grant, and we did,” said Mark Stewart, a member of the Board of the Fly-in and one of the volunteers in Florida. “Many of the people we met will show up here this summer, stay in local hotels, shop in our stores and eat in our restaurants. It’s a win-win for Lock Haven, for the Piper Airport, for Clinton County and for our Fly-in.”

The Sentimental Journey Fly-in began in 1986 with a group of volunteers building an aeronautical reunion in Lock Haven, the city where Piper Aircraft built almost 70,000 airplanes over 50 years. Now in its 40th year, today’s Sentimental Journey welcomes all types of planes. Parked on the field will be Aeroncas, Bellancas, Cessnas, Cubcrafters, Luscombes, Pitts, Stearmans, Stinsons, Swifts, Taylorcraft, Wacos and RVs, and just about anything else with wings. Everybody and every plane is welcome!

Mark Your Calendar! The 40th Annual Sentimental Journey Fly-In opens on Tuesday, June 9, and runs through Sunday, June 14, 2026.