It was 31 years ago when newlyweds Jude and Mike Dennis, the founders of Oregon Aero, took off for an epic trip in the AirCoupe Mike shared with his brother. “We loaded her with camping gear and cameras, and left Oregon on a two-month adventure that took us to all four corners of the country,” […]
Business is booming at KLAL
While Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport (KLAL) is a beehive of activity during the week of SUN ‘n FUN, it’s also pretty busy the other 51 weeks of the year. The airport, which had about 115,500 operations in 2016, expected to have anywhere between 8,000 and 9,000 during the week of SUN ’n FUN, according to Gene […]
Just having fun with the P-51
During SUN ‘n FUN 2017, Stallion 51 celebrated its 30th anniversary. The company, which provides flights and training in the iconic P-51 Mustang from its headquarters at Kissimmee Gateway Airport near Orlando, brought some friends to the show to help it celebrate. On April 5, a gaggle of Mustangs landed at SUN ’n FUN, then were ushered to […]
Alpina partners with airshow star Michael Goulian
For its first year at SUN ’n FUN, Swiss watchmaker Alpina made a big splash. The new official timekeeper of the fly-in, Alpina also is a sponsor of airshow star Michael Goulian. The company also exhibited at SUN ’n FUN for the first time, displaying a variety of watches in its exhibit on the Warbird […]
Work continues towards an unleaded avgas
At this year’s SUN ‘n FUN, visitors saw a fuel truck with Swift Fuels emblazoned on its side. It was there to promote the company’s unleaded UL94 avgas, the first of the company’s products to make it to market. “We introduced the 94 fuel two and a half years ago to make it clear that this stuff is […]
The Sherpa saga
More than two decades ago — in 1994 — the Sherpa made its Oshkosh debut. Heralded as a “Super Cub on steroids,” the airplane drew a lot of attention. But not much action. The first design, a five-place STOL aircraft powered by a Lycoming IO-720 400-hp engine, morphed five years later into an eight-place version […]
Michael Goulian kicks off 30th year as airshow star
When Michael Goulian took to the skies on opening day of SUN ‘n FUN, it was a performance he’ll remember. As he kicked off this year’s airshow season at SUN ’n FUN, he also kicked off his 30th anniversary of performing in airshows. Goulian’s first airshow flight was a home affair at Hanscom Field in […]
Celebrating the Bonanza
It’s an iconic airplane that is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. About 17,500 Bonanzas have been produced over the past seven decades, with production still continuing, but at a much lower rate. In 2016, 25 Bonanzas were produced by Textron Aviation, which bought the Beechcraft brand in 2014. The Bonanza is also a plane […]
The Doctor Killer
While the Beechcraft Bonanza has a loyal following, it also has an infamous moniker: The Doctor Killer. It gained that name decades ago following a spate of high-profile crashes, with many of the pilot doctors. In fact, that spate of accidents was part of the reason for the creation of the Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program […]