In his first air show appearance as CEO of Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Corp., Wan Abd Majid turned over the keys of “The New Spirit of St. Louis,” the Columbia 300 Erik Lindbergh used to recreate his grandfather’s historic flight, to the St. Louis Science Center, at this year’s Sun ‘n Fun. “We’re so happy that […]
Young Eagles surpasses 1.3 million kids
On St. Patrick’s Day, Paul Rachels of Yuma, Ariz., flew 13-year-old Arlene Martinez on the 1.3 millionth Young Eagles flight since the program was started 15 years ago. Rachels is one of more than 40,000 pilots who have participated in the program, which gives kids their first flights in GA airplanes. “Some volunteers have flown […]
Jeppesen lightens the load for students
Jeppesen and Diamond Aircraft have joined forces to deliver an online private pilot training course tailored to Diamond airplanes. Jeppesen’s private pilot kit, which comes packed into a flight bag, has been a best seller for years, according to Kert Thielen, manager, business programs, aviation training. The new online program is designed to enhance those […]
Hate wires? Check out this new headset from LoPresti
R.J. Siegel hates wires. In fact, the retired Apple Computer executive, now vice president of operations at LoPresti Speed Merchants, hates wires so much he designed a wireless headset that not only allows you to talk to ATC and over the intercom, but also talk on your cell phone and enjoy music loaded onto your […]
Toxo LSA makes its air show debut
The Toxo Light Sport Aircraft, which recently had its first flight, made its Sun ‘n Fun debut this year. The plane, built by Composite Aeronautic Group (CAG) of Spain, received a lot of attention from the Sun ‘n Fun crowds. In fact, company representatives had a hard time preparing for a press briefing because the […]
Survivor: Adam Aircraft shifts from development to production
As Rick Adam recalls, in the early years of his company, executives measured their success by whether they made it to the next air show. “We used to show up year after year and people would say ‘we see hundreds of guys like you. How do we know you’re going to stay around?” said Adam, […]
Now this is news! Avemco drops its rates
Avemco Insurance Co. is dropping its rates. The rate decrease, unusual these days, was announced at Sun ‘n Fun. “We’re constantly evaluating the market and our analysis usually says we have to raise rates,” said Jim Lauerman, executive vice president. “But every once in a great while it tell us to lower our premiums. It […]
Don’t like the idea of user fees? Give the FAA some ideas
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey sent her regrets, along with eight top FAA officials, to Sun ‘n Fun. She needn’t have worried about an unfriendly crowd at the event’s Meet the FAA forum. Most of the seats in the FAA’s small production studio were filled with people wearing FAA shirts. There were a few outsiders, who […]
Will user fees ground GA? Pilot Town Hall meeting atSun ‘n Fun outlines threats
User fees and a proposed jump in fuel taxes are the biggest threats to GA today. That’s the message AOPA President Phil Boyer brought to Sun ‘n Fun in a Pilot Town Hall Meeting. Talking to a packed crowd at the Florida Air Museum Pavilion, Boyer urged pilots to sign one of the billboard-size petitions […]