News

This year Sun ‘n Fun paid special tribute to veterans, especially those who served in World War II. But sometimes people forget that a few scant years after the end of the war, the Allies were flying into Germany again, this time bringing food, medical supplies and coal to the people of Germany who were […]

Is an airport the best use of state-owned land? It depends on who you ask – especially in Arizona. In the Grand Canyon State, the State Lands Department is mandated to use land held in the public trust in “a manner that generates the most revenue for the state.” The revenue is used for education. […]

Coming soon to an airport near you (maybe): the Automated Weather Sensor System. “It’s the next generation in FAA-approved automated weather systems,” explains Ralph Petragnani, director of marketing and sales for All Weather, Inc., the Sacramento, Calif.-based company that makes the unit, which was designed in conjunction with the FAA. “Think of it like a […]

The average high school textbook gives the impression that Amelia Earhart was the only female pilot during the 1920s and 1930s. Rarely do you read about Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie. Born in 1902, she was one of the first women to become a licensed pilot in the United States and the first to receive an aircraft […]

The Iowa 4-H “Travel Your Universe” camp is slated for June 12-15. During the camp, children 9 to 12 will build and launch rockets, design and program robots, learn to fly, and use GPS on a scavenger hunt. Along with aviation-related activities, participants also will enjoy traditional camp programming in the evenings. The camp is […]

In addition to being able to put an airplane through its paces and get out alive, test pilots have to be good communicators. Their notes help aircraft designers and engineers fine tune and improve designs. But during the Golden Age of aviation, test pilots sometimes flew stunts to benefit their reputations rather than improve aircraft. […]

“Glacier Girl,” the famous P-38E salvaged from beneath Greenland’s ice cap and restored to perfection, arrived at Sun ‘n Fun early on opening day of the fly-in in Lakeland, Fla. Despite the hour, she was surrounded immediately by admirers. “She’s like a rock star,” said advance man Richard Buchanan. “She gets a lot of attention […]

NASA has awarded a $100,000 grant to the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC) to design and build a prototype Mars planetary suit. The year-long project, which involves students at several universities and colleges around North Dakota, will culminate in the production of a prototype spacesuit in March 2006. College teams from around the state […]

The new Davis Education Center is ready for visitors. “We’ve been planning the center for years and it’s exciting to see it finally come to fruition,” said John Burton, president of Sun ‘n Fun. The center is the focal point of year-round education programs, both for young people and adults, on the Sun ‘n Fun […]