Necessity is the mother of invention. Just ask Greg Turton, an Atlanta businessman who owns a Cirrus. Often spending 30 minutes or more waiting to takeoff in the crowded Atlanta airspace, he realized he needed air conditioning. But at $25,000 to $30,000, it was just too expensive. “I wouldn’t pay that much for it,” he […]
What’s it like to be a fighter pilot?
What’s it like to fly F-15s? “It’s a great job,” says Capt. Tony Bierenkoven, demonstration team commander and pilot for the West Coast F-15 Demonstration Team, which performed at Sun ‘n Fun. “I’ve flown every day this week.” The team that flew at Sun ‘n Fun is based at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. […]
How Sun ‘n Fun saved a life
For Lewis Long, volunteering at Sun ‘n Fun has been a life-changing experience. The formerly homeless man, who kicked around most of the country before settling in Lakeland, Fla., has been volunteering for six years now. The first year he volunteered for just two days, but he was “hooked” right away. “I felt for the […]
Scott Crossfield, supersonic pioneer
Scott Crossfield was a hero who lived up to the expectations of his admirers. Not all of them do, you know. Crossfield died during the night of April 19 after encountering a Level 6 thunderstorm over Georgia, while flying his Cessna 210 toward Virginia. The wreckage was found the next day in a wooded gully […]
Forward looking with Forward Vision
When most of us think of Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) we envision police helicopters looking for people on the ground or expensive all-weather systems in Gulfstream cockpits. It’s hard to imagine FLIR in small general aviation aircraft at a price of $18,680. Harder to imagine than that is the many ways in which FLIR can […]
ADS-B for situational awareness
If you’ve never heard of ADS-B or seen how it shows what’s sharing airspace with you, you need to get together with Todd Sprague of PC Avionics. He can show how his software and an ADS-B box aboard your airplane can enhance your safety exponentially. ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) tracks all air traffic around you […]
Flying machines with souls
The very newest thing in Light Sport Aircraft looks for all the world like an airplane from the early years of aviation. It’s the Aerolab LoCamp from Italy, sporting two open cockpits, fabric covering, a fine wood instrument panel and a radial engine – but it’s so new that it has yet to achieve LSA […]
Sensenich adds composites to classic wood propellers
Sensenich Propellers, among the oldest in the aviation business, showed the newest of propeller technology at Sun ‘n Fun this year. Famous for its elegant wooden propellers – things of beauty as well as function – Sensenich featured its new composite props at its fly-in display. The ground-adjustable blades are built of carbon fiber and […]
It’s a flying motorcycle — really
Futurists have been writing about flying cars for at least 70 years. Larry Neal has been working on one for 12 years and his first version – the Super Sky Cycle – went on sale at Sun ‘n Fun in April. It is the first time in history that a truly roadworthy aircraft – one […]