'Kind of a dream': Air Force major and Lakeland native flies at Sun 'n Fun for first time
One of Lakeland's own is fulfilling his childhood dream by flying a plane in the 2024 Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo in front of family and friends.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Chad Smith, 40, piloted the KC-135 Stratotanker during the week at Sun 'n Fun. It's his first time performing in the Lakeland air show after watching it for years as a child.
"It's kind of a dream I had as a 7- or 8-year-old kid," he said. "This is what I wanted to do. To come back and fly where it all started for me is a huge honor."
Smith recalled watching the Sun 'n Fun airshow from the ground, with a fledging fascination with planes and knowing that one day he knew he wanted to fly.
"Aviation has been a passion of mine as far back as I can remember," he said.
Smith's growing interest was nurtured by his grandfather, a private pilot who kept a plane at Lakeland Linder airport. He took his first flight at Sun 'n Fun in 1994 with the Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagle program.
It was love at first flight.
While attending Lakeland High School, Smith was a member of the Lakeland Civil Air Patrol. During his senior year of high school, he earned his pilot's license at Lakeland Linder.
"It's very liberating. It's a sense of freedom," Smith said, describing how flying feels to him. "The art and science of flying has always appealed to me. It's not that hard to fly, but it's very difficult to fly well."
Smith enlisted in the U.S. Air Force during the 2005 Sun 'n Fun Fly-in. He spent the first seven years of service working as an aircraft mechanic. For a while, it seemed he would never get the chance to be a military pilot.
"I met a pilot who took the route I was looking to do, and he became a mentor to me," he said. "I finished up college while in the Air Force and applied for a pilot slot. I got accepted."
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Smith flies the KC-135 Stratotanker, a multi-purpose aircraft. Its main role is providing aerial refueling to other planes, but it can also be used for cargo and personnel transport and air medical evacuations. The KC-135 is capable of carrying up to 83,000 pounds — that's more than 40 tons.
At Sun 'n Fun, Smith is demonstrating the aircraft's main refueling purpose, which is accomplished through a flying boom. A second crewmember, known as a boom operator, sits at the back of the plane and controls the boom during in-flight refueling.
His first time flying and performing these maneuvers before family and friends was this week. Smith spoke with Kathleen High School's Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, or ROTC, on Monday. It offered him the opportunity to see the Sun 'n Fun campus and Central Florida Air Academy for the first time.
"It's new to me; it wasn't here when I started," he said. "The whole campus is amazing and the opportunities those kids have now."
Smith will be honored as a Hometown Hero by the City of Lakeland on Sunday afternoon before the airshow, where city commissioners present a proclamation and give him a key to the city. He was greeted upon his arrival at Sun 'n Fun by Commissioner Guy LaLonde.
"I'm very excited that he finally has the opportunity after 18 and a half years to fly at Sun 'n Fun," LaLonde said. "I'm really happy to help put the pieces together where they can help make something happen."
Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @SaraWalshFl.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Air Force major flies in the Sun 'n Fun event he loved as a kid
