In Search of Electric Aviation: ED Heads to Sun ‘N Fun and Flite Fest 2026

Electric aviation is on the rise and Electronic Design’s Lee Goldberg will be on the road to cover the latest developments at two of this year’s most exciting air shows.

Lee Goldberg

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Electronic Design

March 23, 2026

3 min read

What you'll learn:

Fossil-free aviation is becoming a practical reality as advances in electric motors, batteries, and power-management technologies enable e-planes with greater speed, payloads, and range.
As e-flight technologies become more widely adopted by both commercial and amateur aircraft makers, we’re seeing many new electric fixed-wing and eVTOL craft entering the market.
Over the summer, Electronic Design will bring you front-row coverage of two airshows where many new developments in electric aviation will be featured.

New advances in batteries, motors, energy management and other electric aviation technologies are changing expectations and realities for private, commercial, and even military aircraft. To give Electronic Design’s faithful readers a closer look at electric aircraft and the technologies behind them, we’ll be reporting from two airshows where the latest developments in fossil-free flying will be on display this summer.

Sun ‘n Fun: April 14-19, Lakeland, Florida

Hosting over 4,000 aircraft and over 200,000 aviation enthusiasts, the Sun ‘n Fun Aviation Expo offers visitors an opportunity to simultaneously explore aviation’s fascinating history and get a look at its exciting future. So join me as a pack up my pop-up, set up in one of the air show’s well-appointed campgrounds, and explore the frontiers of electric aviation.

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Grassroots Innovation

Operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Sun n’ Fun is a mecca for a special breed of aviators who enjoy designing, building, and flying their own aircraft as well as restoring vintage planes from bygone eras.

Since EAA’s founding in the 1950s, its members have pioneered advances in aerodynamics, materials, construction, avionics, and propulsion technologies that shape the evolution of commercially manufactured aircraft. This included the development and adoption of innovative powerplants that are more powerful, efficient, and dramatically less expensive than the engines found in most conventional planes. It’s no wonder then that the EAA community is very active in electric aviation, and that much of that work will be on display at Sun n’ Fun.

Although the e-aviation revolution is in its early days, several manufacturers will be exhibiting power plants, battery systems, and entire aircraft at the show. This will likely include Aura, Bristell, Pipistrel, and Pivotal. If the rumors prove to be true, we can expect at least one manufacturer to be introducing a DIY kit that will enable budget-minded e-aviation enthusiasts to build their own electric aircraft.

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There’s no telling what other electrifying developments will be making their debut at Sun n’ Fun. One certainty, though, is you’ll be able to read about them here.

Flite Fest: August 6-9, Dayton, Ohio

One of the most enjoyable events I had the privilege of reporting on in 2025 was the Flite Fest model airplane festival. Held in the town of Marion, Ohio, the DIY-centric campout/fly-in event drew over 6,000 hobbyists for a long weekend of building, flying, crashing repairing, and relaunching their electrically powered model aircraft.

This year, I’ll be returning to Ohio to report on Flite Fest 2026, which will take place in Dayton at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in collaboration with the DARPA Lift Challenge. Attendees will still enjoy Flite Fest’s 24-hour build tents, open flying, crazy builds, R/C air combat, and STEM education, but the program will now also include one of the most ambitious drone innovation challenges in the world:

It’s going to be an exciting week in Dayton, so be sure to join us either in person in Dayton, or here at Electronic Design.

About the Author

Lee Goldberg

Contributing Editor

Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.

Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.

Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.

Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.

Lee also writes the regular PowerBites series.