{"id":54740,"date":"2025-03-26T16:10:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T20:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=54740"},"modified":"2025-03-26T16:10:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T20:10:53","slug":"local-pilots-mural-covered-plane-to-be-focal-point-for-lakelands-massive-aerospace-expo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2025\/03\/26\/local-pilots-mural-covered-plane-to-be-focal-point-for-lakelands-massive-aerospace-expo\/","title":{"rendered":"Local pilot\u2019s mural covered plane to be focal point for Lakeland\u2019s massive aerospace expo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Liam Hawkins, a local pilot, is turning heads with his 1967 Mooney M20F\u2014dubbed the Mooney Anomaly\u2014whose prismatic, mural\u2011covered design by artist Matt Kress has earned it cult\u2011like status. \u201cIt\u2019s a piece of art that flies,\u201d said Kress. The plane\u2019s striking appearance has caught the attention of SUN \u2018n FUN, the second\u2011largest aerospace expo in America, which has made the Mooney Anomaly its focal point for 2025. The expo runs from April 1\u20136 at 4075 James C. Ray Dr., Lakeland, FL. Tickets are available here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Pilot Liam Hawkins flying the Mooney Anomaly by the Sunshine Skyway. Photo via Evan Lewis<\/em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cAlmost 100 percent of interactions have been overwhelmingly positive,\u201d said Hawkins. \u201cWhen people see the plane, it makes them happy.\u201d Air traffic controllers at Albert Whitted Airport affectionately refer to the Mooney Anomaly as \u201cSkittles.\u201d Fans even present Hawkins with miniature models of his plane. \u201cIt sounds so cheesy. I\u2019ve never been the most charitable guy, but, man, this has melted my heart\u2026because Matt [Kress] put paint on a plane,\u201d he added. The hype is so contagious that Hawkins jokes he signs autographs because the plane can\u2019t. \u201cI\u2019m just a jokey for this horse,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Hawkins claims not to be the most charitable guy, he\u2019s leveraging the Mooney Anomaly\u2019s hype at SUN \u2018n FUN to support good causes. At his event station, raffle ticket sales will benefit the Women in Aviation International Lakeland Chapter, Lakeland Aero Club, and Friends of Albert Whitted Airport\u2014organizations that support youth, women, and people of color in aviation by providing funds, access, and inspiration. \u201cI\u2019m a dude who can fund his own airplane,\u201d said Hawkins. \u201cOthers can\u2019t. I can help out by raising money and handing it over to these organizations.\u201d. \u201cOthers can\u2019t. I can help out by raising money and handing it over to these organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breathtaking daily airshows at SUN \u2018n FUN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUN \u2018n FUN 2025 will attract over 500 exhibitors and 250,000 attendees\u2014it\u2019s \u201cspring break for pilots,\u201d according to state event organizers. The expo\u2019s aircraft areas include vintage, homebuilt, aerobatic, warbird, jet, and light sport categories. While a boon for aviation enthusiasts, SUN \u2018n FUN also offers attractions for curious newcomers and families. Attendees can explore STEM and Career Fair activities, a Family Oasis, and world\u2011famous daily and night airshows featuring breathtaking displays from dozens of military and civilian performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the SUN \u2018n FUN website, \u201cSUN \u2018n FUN Fly\u2011In, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non\u2011profit that markets and supports dozens of year\u2011round events, including the Aerospace Expo. Proceeds from these events are the primary source of funding for The Aerospace Center for Excellence<\/a> (ACE), a nationally recognized leader in STEM\u2011related and aerospace education through its various learning centers, outreach programs, scholarships, and summer camps aimed at engaging, educating, and accelerating the next generation of aerospace professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out SUN \u2018n FUN on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Liam Hawkins, a local pilot, is turning heads with his 1967 Mooney M20F\u2014dubbed the Mooney Anomaly\u2014whose prismatic, mural\u2011covered design by artist Matt Kress has earned it cult\u2011like status. \u201cIt\u2019s a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"7254","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDNcL01vb25leS0xMDI0eDU3Ni0xLndlYnA_Zml0PTEwMjQlMkM1NzYmc3NsPTEiLCJ0eHQiOiJMb2NhbCBwaWxvdFx1MjAxOXMgbXVyYWwgY292ZXJlZCBwbGFuZSB0byBiZSBmb2NhbCBwb2ludCBmb3IgTGFrZWxhbmRcdTIwMTlzIG1hc3NpdmUgYWVyb3NwYWNlIGV4cG8iLCJ0ZW1wbGF0ZSI6ImhpZ2h3YXkiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNjMwNDA2NjF9.TjDgPp5uKLAm4Rak3hnNgks5hdtAyP9esvkWYXZmTWAMQ"},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":54741,"url":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mooney-1024x576-1.webp","type":"image\/webp"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[7254],"tags":[11160],"class_list":["post-54740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sun-n-fun","tag-local-pilots-mural-covered-plane-to-be-focal-point-for-lakelands-massive-aerospace-expo"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54740"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54742,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54740\/revisions\/54742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}