Source: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Gustavo Gonzalez / Wikimedia Commons
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…