Arts and Entertainment

Photo gallery: Gator Fly-In Armed Services and Appreciation Day

WUFT | By Delia Rose Sauer

Published March 29, 2026 at 2:54 AM EDT

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The Commemorative Air Force Tampa Bay Wing offers flights on the PT-19 at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Gator Fly-In attendees wait in a winding line to explore the interior of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Jaden Dapilmoto stands on the wing of a T6-B Texan II at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Planes flew over Gator Fly-In attendees in a "Flown West" ceremony honoring fallen troops at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Members of Buchholz High School's Junior ROTC program present the U.S. and Florida flags at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Jamie Macpherson, a member of the Commerorative Air Force Tampa Bay Wing, smiles before preparing for takeoff at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Tom Yates reaches for a pen in his uniform after arriving to the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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A helicopter hovers in the air at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose

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Logan DeLapp grins as he explains the role of a search-and-rescue team at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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A Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk is on display at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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The tail of T6-B Texan II is on display at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Benjamin Stallmann, a member of the 41st Rescue Squadron, smiles beside an HH-60W at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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An HH-60W, a variant of the Black Hawk and combat rescue helicopter, was on display at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Andrew Walls listens as he learns more about the T6-B Texan II at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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A plane flies overhead the Gator Fly-In Armed Services and Appreciation Day event at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Garrett Sheehan, who flew in from the Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, packs up a T6-B Texan II after arriving at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Savannah Gustafson tries to peer inside a fire rescue helicopter at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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University Air Center staff watch as a Lockheed C-130 Hercules arrives at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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A Lockheed C-130 Hercules is tied down for display at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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Kyle Spears stands beside the Lockheed C-130 Hercules at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

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The wings of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules shine in the sun at the University Air Center in Gainesville, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT)

The University Air Center hosted the 10th annual Gator Fly-In Armed Services and Appreciation Day on Saturday.

The event offers a space for pilots to showcase their planes and for attendees to admire military aircraft typically inaccessible to the everyday civilian.

Attendees could take rides on a helicopter for a tour of The Swamp, or Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. They could also fly through Gainesville airspace on the Fairchild PT-19, an aircraft model used during World War II.

The event honored fallen military with a “Flown West” ceremony, an open-mic chat in which UF alumni Air Force veterans shared their stories and presented a “Best Civilian Aircraft Award.”

Throughout the festivities, attendees enjoyed live music and food trucks.

Photo gallery: Gator Fly-In Armed Services and Appreciation Day

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