News

Cessna will build a permanent facility on the Sun ‘n Fun campus. The Cessna Center, which will be built with a $200,000 donation from The Cessna Foundation, will be used for Sun ‘n Fun’s year-round education programs, an essential element in bringing more young people into aviation, said Jack Pelton, Cessna’s president. During the annual […]

You’ve heard the expression “”fight fire with fire?””‘ When it comes to chasing nuisance birds, such as starlings, away from your airport, try using a bigger bird. It works, say Ted Rosander and John Tekell. The young men are part of the falconry program at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. According to Rosander, the […]

The popularity of the recent movie about Howard Hughes, “The Aviator,” has resulted in a six-fold increase in attendance at the Florida Air Museum on the Sun ‘n Fun campus. The museum has such a vast collection of Howard Hughes memorabilia that officials are still cataloging items. Included are photos, newspaper clippings, flight suits and […]

The crash of an air tanker may prompt another grounding of air tankers during the 2005 fire season. All three crewmen on board were killed when the military surplus P-3B Orion crashed near Chico, Calif., during a training flight April 22. The aircraft, built in 1966 for the United States Navy, was converted to a […]

An Eclipse 500, the first flying, fully conforming very light jet, made its maiden public appearance at Sun ‘n Fun last month. Only days later, the company announced a firm order for 239 of its jets from DayJet Corp., a pioneer in what it calls “per-seat, on-demand” jet services. DayJet also took options on 70 […]

A new visual warning system (VWS) for the Washington, D.C. ADIZ becomes operational May 21. The VWS is a ground-based system that uses low-level beams of alternating red and green lasers designed to alert pilots that they have violated the ADIZ or flight restricted zone (FRZ). Pilots who see this signal should immediately contact ATC […]

Imagine, if you can, an eight-place corporate jet kit plane. Imagine that it cruises at 400 mph, at nearly 30,000 feet, and will carry you 1,224 statute miles on its 480 gallons of Jet-A. Steve Young and Ron Lueck of Aerocomp not only imagined such a plane, they built it, they’ve flown it and they’ll […]

Diamond Aircraft will begin building its DA40 Diamond Star in China. “We are investing in Chinese domestic production as China is an important emerging GA market,” said Diamond CEO Christian Dries. The new facility is designed to employ as many as 1,700 workers and produce more than 600 aircraft a year, as the Chinese market […]

The Epic LT turboprop is a phenomenon. Two years ago it was artwork on display stands. Fourteen months later it was an airplane, flying to the Oshkosh air show, where it was introduced. Last month, it was in the Homebuilt area at Sun ‘n Fun, fully fitted with a glass panel cockpit and luxurious interior. […]