SUN ’N FUN RECEIVES $7.5 MILLION GRANT FOR NEW CENTRAL FLORIDA AEROSPACE ACADEMY BUILDING

LAKELAND, FL. – (April 15, 2010.) – Officials from the SUN ’n FUN Fly-In and the Polk County School Board (PCSB) broke ground today on a new $7.5 million facility that will house the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA), an aviation-oriented high school/career academy already located on the SUN ’n FUN campus.

The new 58,000-square-foot facility, which will house up to 500 high school students at CFAA when it is completed, it is scheduled to open in August 2011. Current CFAA facilities at SUN ’n FUN have a maximum capacity of 175 students.

The building has been made possible by a $7.5M grant to SUN ’n FUN from the Aviation Education Foundation, a Naples-based not-for-profit organization founded by James C. Ray. In addition, the Aviation Education Foundation is donating up to $500,000 to PCSB towards the purchase of furniture, fixtures and equipment for the new CFAA building.

“It is my belief that teaching young people the discipline required to learn the science of flight builds character and confidence,” Ray said in announcing the grant. “The experience of solo flight teaches them that they are independent and free-thinking individuals who are fully capable of being in control of their own life.”

Ray, a pilot with 70 years of flying experience, is a successful businessman with a background in ranching, oil and gas exploration, real estate development and investing. A B-17 “Flying Fortress” pilot and Captain in World War II, Ray has provided start-up funding for more than 300 businesses, including aviation enterprises such as Eclipse Aviation and Cirrus Design.

The Aviation Education Foundation and Mr. Ray have a long history of philanthropy, especially to aviation-oriented youth education programs and institutions such as SUN ’n FUN, including the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in Oshkosh, Wis., and EAA’s “Young Eagles” program; the University of North Dakota Aerospace programs; the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Wash.; and the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour in Everett, Wash.

“SUN ’n FUN is ecstatic to have such significant and inspirational support for an educational facility of this magnitude that underscores our organization’s core values and is in lock step with our educational focus and mission,” said SUN ’n FUN Board Chairman Bill Eickhoff. “We sincerely appreciate Mr. Ray’s generosity as much as we admire his vision for our nation’s young people and his commitment to building and supporting aviation-oriented youth education programs like those that we offer here at SUN ’n FUN and at the CFAA.”

Eickhoff recognized the efforts of the SUN ’n FUN team who helped coordinate details of the grant, including Board Treasurer Rick Garcia, Executive Committee member Gene Strickland, General Counsel John Wendel and President John Burton. He also expressed thanks to SUN ’n FUN’s “partners in education,” especially the PCSB, Superintendent Dr. Gail McKinzie, Senior Director of Workforce Education John Small, Assistant Principal of Kathleen High School over CFAA Chad Smith, Kathleen High School administration and CFAA staff.

Eickhoff also identified additional members of a consortium who have been working on CFAA-related issues since the idea for the CFAA was formulated three years ago by Small and Gulf Coast Avionics owner and President Rick Garcia, including Polk State College, University of South Florida Polytechnic, Central Florida Development Council, FAA Safety Team and Production Studios, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Traviss Career Center and Workforce Education.

Garcia said the creation and growth of the CFAA is the realization of a dream. “I share the same dream of Mr. Ray that giving young people the opportunity to experience flight can ignite the passion and confidence within each one of them to change their life,” he exclaimed. “It is a dream come true for me and can come true for these students.”

PCSB Superintendent Dr. Gail McKenzie stressed the advantages of the partnership and the advantages for area students. “We are excited to be part of bringing together private-public partnership to enhance the educational experience for young people in Polk County,” McKinzie said. “The specialized satellite school programs provide high school students specialized training and experience in a host of life career fields. That experience combined with the cooperation from Polk State College in providing dual enrollment and college credit for approved coursework gives these students a big boost in a competitive academic environment.”

Small and CFAA Assistant Principal Chad Smith emphasized the educational advantages of the CFAA experience. “We see improved student attendance and academic performance at the existing Academy,” Small explained. “Students who come to school here don’t want to leave at the end of the day!” “The new Academy will allow us to almost triple the enrollment,” Smith added. “It will also provide more students the opportunity to learn the mathematics, physics and sciences of aviation in a stimulating environment.”

The current CFAA facilities, located on the SUN ’n FUN campus and operated by PCSB, are in their second year of operation and house 115 high school sophomores and juniors. Within five years, PCSB estimates enrollment to grow to between 400 and 500 students. Existing facilities could not accommodate this kind of growth so the need for a new facility became painfully apparent. With PCSB budgets being cut each of the past several years, funding for a new facility was not likely. The $7.5 million Aviation Education Foundation grant changed that.

SUN ’n FUN will apply the grant money toward a new three-story CFAA building that will occupy land adjacent to the Florida Air Museum. SUN ’n FUN will lease the building, which will be constructed to meet local and state requirements for educational facilities, to PCSB for 25 years. At the end of the initial 25-year period, the CFAA building will become the property of PCSB. PCSB can continue to lease the site for up to five additional five-year terms.

Ninety percent of the lease fees from PCSB to SUN ’n FUN will, in turn, support a Flight School operated by a separate not-for-profit corporation – the Central Florida Aerospace Academy Foundation – whose goal and purpose is to offer CFAA students opportunities for ground school instruction, flight training and, ultimately, the experience of solo flight.

Beechwood Development, LLC, is the Developer of the new CFAA building and Rodda Construction, Inc., is the General Contractor. Jonathon Kirk of SCMH Architects is the Architect/Designer.

SUN ’n FUN, a 501(c) (3) not–for–profit organization based in Lakeland, Florida, is best known for its annual International Fly–In & Expo, which is currently taking place at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida, and will run through Sunday, April 18. The event is the primary source of funding for SUN ’n FUN’s expanding year–round aviation education programs. These include operation of the Florida Air Museum, the state’s “Official Aviation Museum and Education Center,” which is also supported through grants from the Division of Historical Resources and Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State. In addition, SUN ’n FUN has initiated education programs for aviation enthusiasts of all ages – especially young people – featuring valuable “hands on” learning experiences, such as the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA) in partnership with the Polk County School Board, Polk State College, the University of South Florida Polytechnic, Gulf Coast Avionics and other education-minded organizations. A growing scholarship program provides financial support to ensure SUN ’n FUN’s education programs are accessible to all. For more information, access SUN ’n FUN’s website (www.sun-n-fun.org) or call the SUN ’n FUN offices (863–644–2431).