The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation will present the Lindbergh Award and the Lindbergh Spirit Award at a celebration at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Thursday. Legendary inventor Forrest Bird will receive the 2012 Lindbergh Award and Florida businessman-philanthropist James C. Ray has been named recipient of the Spirit Award. “This is […]
Garmin debuts AC-U-KWIK for glass panels
Garmin reported at Sun ’n Fun that it will begin offering AC-U-KWIK Airport Directory data for its glass flight decks. “Pilots around the world depend on the AC-U-KWIK directories for up-to-date information on unfamiliar airports,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin’s vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “The electronic extension of this data integrated right into Garmin […]
Cessna employees rally for Veterans Airlift Command
Cessna Aircraft Co. donated $25,000 on behalf of Cessna employees to benefit the Veterans Airlift Command on opening day of the Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In & Expo in Lakeland, Fla. The Veterans Airlift Command (VAC) is a nonprofit organization that provides free transportation for injured veterans. Cessna has designated a Citation Mustang, named “American […]
The family flying station wagon
There are many men who will tell you that when they suggested the idea of buying an airplane to their wives, it very nearly resulted in divorce. But Kenneth Spivey Jr., from Vestavia, Ala., says he had a completely different experience when it came to the purchase of his Cessna 170B. “My wife actually MADE […]
Students take to the skies to thank their benefactor
Thursday at the Sun ’n Fun fly-in in Lakeland, Florida, two 17-year-old students will perform a special fly-by honoring James Ray, the man who donated the money to build the Central Florida Aerospace Academy on the Sun ’n Fun campus. The students, Phillip “Maverick” Herrington and Angel “Talisman” Castellanos, wanted to perform the fly-by to thank the […]
CAP cadets pitch in to build first RAF Fire Hub
By CONNIE SUE WHITE When Civil Air Patrol Seminole Composite Squadron Deputy Commander Kenny Eads asked a group of five cadets to volunteer for a unique mission, it caught on like wildfire. The assignment: build the first-ever Fire Hub on the SUN ’n FUN campgrounds. Eads explained to the young men that it would the […]
Why would you fly to Sun ’n Fun?
Questioning pilots flying into Sun ’n Fun is an unexpected thing to hear from the fly-in’s new safety advisor to the president, Ben Coleman. Coleman is a nationally renowned aviation safety expert with more than 38 years of experience, much of it with the NTSB and FAA. He has investigated more than 400 aviation accidents through […]
StormReady: Lessons learned from last year’s tornado
When the tornado ripped through the Sun ’n Fun grounds last year, it took a lot of people by surprise — and ensuring that never happens again became a top priority for the fly-in’s new president, John “Lites” Leenhouts. “When I got here I asked how prepared they were for the storm,” he said in the […]
Cessna owners in the Cloud
On opening day of Sun ’n Fun, Cessna introduced a custom-designed interactive online portal called Cessna Connect. The customized, cloud-based program provides a way for Cessna owners to streamline their record keeping, track flights, log expenses and tax reports, and connect with other owners and enthusiasts. The subscription-based service is designed to work with a […]