EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026 was packed with people, aircraft, and announcements.
Even before the show kicked off, CubCrafters announced the Carbon Cub ULT, a turbine-powered version of the popular Carbon Cub. Garmin announced the AXIS flight display, Dynon added IFR navigation to the SkyView HDX, and Cirrus announced the Rotax-powered TRAC10 trainer.
I don’t recall ever seeing so many pre-AirVenture announcements. I do hope this trend continues.
What follows is from the notes I took at AirVenture. And these just scratch the surface.
True Blue Power’s 1985 SIAI-Marchetti S. 211 was on the jet ramp showing off its TB50 lithium-ion battery. What makes it cool? It is half the weight of a similar lead-acid battery, has stronger cranking power throughout the start sequence, and enjoys 10,000 full cycles.
Able Flight pinned its latest crop of pilots at a Theater in the Woods ceremony. Sadly, I was only able to perform a fly-by for this worthwhile event.
Mark Ladwig is both a CFII and an Olympian (mixed pairs skating). I don’t think many people have both of those boxes checked on their bingo card. At AirVenture, Mark showed off MAGDROP. The idea is to secure an electronic flight bag (EFB) to your leg with a magnet. When you need to refer to the EFB, release it from the magnet, raise it to eye level, then return it to your leg when done. Interacting with the EFB in this manner keeps the head and eyes up, which helps prevent spatial disorientation. It is a clever and simple design that is also EFB agnostic.
Sporty’s Pilot Shop honored founder Hal Shevers, who passed away May 12, 2026, with an opening day gathering at the Sporty’s tent. The event was simple, understated, and respectful. Perfect for a man who gave so much to the aviation community.
Lightspeed Aviation showed off its new custom audio profile for Rotax-powered aircraft for the Delta Zulu headset. There is little doubt the Rotax noise signature differs from Lycoming or Continental engines. And with all the Rotax-based announcements of late, this could be an important new product for the marketplace. The new audio profile is designed to support clearer comms and improve cockpit comfort.
Mike Ciochetti, founder of the Heaven’s Landing airpark in north Georgia, told me their new 36-hangar project is nearly sold out. He’s already looking for more space to build additional hangars at the airpark.
Dan Tarasievich, owner of Para-Phernalia, maker of the Softie line of parachutes, based at Arlington Municipal Airport (KAWO) in Washington told me the airport is hosting the inaugural Hometown Fly-In and Community Airport Day Aug. 21-23, 2026. KAWO was host of the multi-decade Arlington Fly-In.
Patrick Ealy, a University of North Dakota graduate student, presented research and thoughts from their Master’s Thesis regarding 100LL. Presented as an emissions issue, Ealy posits that a combination of reducing fuel burn, switching from 100LL to 100VLL (Very Low Lead), and sequestering the lead from the exhaust emissions could be a way to preserve the use of leaded fuel while greatly reducing lead exposure.
The AIRO Group, parent to Aspen Avionics, has consolidated avionics, electronics, and drone development in a new facility in Phoenix, Arizona. While 80-85% of current revenue is from military drone contracts and support, AIRO CEO Joe Burns is bullish on the future of Aspen. That bullishness comes from the rapid advancement of drone technology, which will feed back into the general aviation marketplace.
Zenith Aircraft’s Sebastien Heintz walked me around the new CH750 Super Cruzer. Similar in many ways to the Super STOL, the Super Cruzer omits leading edge slats from the Super STOL wing, uses a symmetric horizontal stabilizer, and a beefier landing gear to support the larger gross weight. The pre-production unit on display still needed some refinement, but the Lycoming-powered unit will scoot along at 125 mph. More to come on this new model from Zenith.
I got to meet Jensen Li, owner of Murphy Aircraft. He bought the company from Darryl Murphy in 2021. Down to just four employees when Li bought Murphy Aircraft, today 18 are on the payroll. Half are working on the Radical. They’ve cut build time by 50% by pre-drilling all rivet holes. After they complete updating the Radical, the Moose and Rebel models are next.
Li is not a pilot, but loves aviation and looks forward to earning his pilot certificate. He lives about an hour from the Chilliwack, British Columbia, factory, so he sleeps at the factory during the week and returns home on the weekend.
Following up its pre-OSH announcement of the Carbon Cub ULT, CubCrafters hosted a media gathering during the fly-in to show off the plane and its turbine engine. During the short gathering, CubCrafters VP Brad Damm mentioned the first year of production is already sold out. That represents 16-17 aircraft. At present, sales are limited by engine availability. The Turbo-Tech engine burns 7-9 gallons per hour and runs cooler than a piston engine. Base price is $690,000. With popular options, the ULT sells for $744,000.
US Sport Planes had a Jabiru J432 at its display. It is powered by a pair of Jabiru GEN4 2200 engines, each mounted on pods to the left and right of the nose. The propeller plane is ahead of the nose and just nine inches separate the propeller arcs. The J432 is not a new design. Jabiru and US Sport Planes have been patiently waiting for MOSAIC to introduce the 125-knot, 550-nm range light twin.
In a meeting with Continental Aerospace Technologies CEO Karen Hong and VP of Global Sales and Application Engineering Oliver Leber, they told me they expect to receive a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) by the end of 2026 for the company’s IO-370 on 2018 and newer Piper Archers. Once in hand, they’ll expand the approved model list. Hong told me their lead time for engines has dropped to 75 days and they have units, of certain models, on the shelf awaiting orders. Hong and Leber, like Burns from the AIRO Group, are bullish on Continental’s future.
Wandering down to the Fun Fly Zone, formerly the ultralight area, I stopped at the Hummel Aircraft display to marvel at the twin engine Multi-Cruiser. A full-on Part 103 ultralight, there is no way to look at the Multi-Cruiser and not smile.
Simbird Montauk Systems makes the Simbird 1000C Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD). During a meet-up with Simbird President and CEO John DiMattei, I learned the company is working on a round instrument version of the Simbird. While the G1000 is a popular platform, the vast majority of training aircraft are still outfitted with traditional round gauges. Simbird primarily focuses on schools with STEM programs for its BATD.
It is always fun to catch up with Kitfox Aircraft owner John McBean. Front and center at the company’s display was the Patriot Fox, which honors America’s 250th birthday and is built on the Series 7. The model on display had a number of fun surprises for people to find.
I met David Desrosiers at SUN ’n FUN this spring. He was also at AirVenture showing off Pilot Duty, an automated digital logbook for general aviation. While still new to the market, Desrosiers was quite pleased with the app’s growth. Initially powered by a portable beacon, Pilot Duty will soon be able to source logbook data from onboard ADS-B equipment.
As I wandered through one of the display hangars, I stopped at 360 Avionics. Owner Vlad Miloslavine walked me through some of what its avionics can do — which is just about everything. Designed for experimental aircraft, the touchscreen displays can display data and control third party autopilots, engine monitors, trim systems, radios, ADS-B transponders, AOA sensors, audio panels, lidar sensors, and more. The system Vlad showed me was the ELM1000 10.2-inch EFIS with a touch display. Other sizes are available. The system is three years old. The company is seven years old. When I suggested it feels very much like the newly announced Garmin AXIS display, Vlad just shrugged and offered a shy smile.
This was one of the busier shows I can recall for new products. It is hard not to be excited by the myriad of new products, services, and experiences that are coming online.
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