Florida Air Show Cancelled Due To Lack Of Sponsor | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-06.23.25

Airborne-NextGen-06.24.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.25.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-06.26.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.27.25

Sat, Dec 15, 2007

Florida Air Show Cancelled Due To Lack Of Sponsor

Fort Lauderdale's Air & Sea Show Comes To End After 13 Years

It appears a staple aviation event in South Florida has witnessed its last sunset. The Fort Lauderdale Air & Sea Show will not go on as scheduled for 2008, after event organizers were unable to attract a title sponsor.

Organizers told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel rising fuel costs and a general downturn in the nation's economy are to blame for the end of the 13-year event.

"It's just not economically viable to produced without a title sponsor," said Mickey Markoff, president of the promotional firm that has held the event since 1995, MDM Limited. "We don't have the capacity or financing to put on the show."

Most recently, McDonalds sponsored the event... but a "change in leadership" at the fast food giant led to its withdrawal after six years of endorsement, Markoff added.

During its run, the Air & Sea Show attracted such notables as the US Navy Blue Angels and USAF Thunderbirds aerial demonstration teams, and civilian acts including Sean Tucker and the Red Baron Pizza Squadron (which, sadly, also lost its sponsorship recently -- Ed.)

One event associated with the early May event, Fleet Week, will go on as scheduled -- taken over by the Navy League.

Show spokesman Michael Goodman said a "glimmer of hope" remains for the show, if a sponsor were to come forward now... but Goodman adds that appears highly unlikely.

"This economic climate is really changing things," he said.

The local climate may also be a factor in the show's demise. While the free event brought in revenue to local hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in the area, residents on the east side of Fort Lauderdale also complained of traffic snarls and other inconveniences during the two-day show, which attracted tens of thousands of spectators.

"In my neighborhood, people were locked out of their homes on many occasions," said Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Christine Teel, who lives behind the nearby Galleria shopping area. "Who in their right mind would want to go there during the show?"

Not surprisingly, Teel also voted to pare down costs the city paid for the event -- from "more than $500,000" in services, including police and fire personnel in 2005, to only providing "in-kind" services in 2007.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle took a more even-handed approach in reflecting on the show.

"It had a great run in the city," Naugle said. "I think most residents were for it, some were against it... It's a beautiful setting for an air show, with the ocean there. Who knows, maybe we'll have another one some day."

Markoff regrets the loss of a show intended to offer a "thank you" to persons serving in the armed forces. "I feel very strongly about that," he said. "I feel like we've done right thing."

FMI: www.airseashow.com/

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Douglas A-4K

Pilot Applied Full Aft Stick And Nose-Up Trim, But The Airplane Remained On The Runway Analysis: The pilot reported that a preflight inspection and flight control checks revealed n>[...]

ANN FAQ: Q&A 101

A Few Questions AND Answers To Help You Get MORE Out of ANN! 1) I forgot my password. How do I find it? 1) Easy... click here and give us your e-mail address--we'll send it to you >[...]

Classic Aero-TV: PBY Catalina--From Wartime to Double Sunrise to the Long Sunset

From 2022 (YouTube Edition): Before They’re All Gone... Humankind has been messing about in airplanes for almost 120-years. In that time, thousands of aircraft representing i>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.01.25): Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) A transportation system that transports people and property by air between two points in the NAS using aircraft with advanced technologies, including el>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.01.25)

Aero Linx: MQ-1B Predator The MQ-1B Predator is an armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft that is employed primarily as an intelligence-col>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC