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 […]
Cirrus introduces Generation 3
The week of Sun ‘n Fun was a busy one for Cirrus Design Corp. The company unveiled its newest airplane, the SR-22-G3, or Generation Three, on opening day of Sun ‘n Fun. Just hours later, company executives headed to AERO 2007 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, to debut the new model there, while simultaneous launches occurred in […]
Kit plane returns with new owner: VX Aerospaceflies the flag with the FX-300
The airframe may look familiar, but the name has changed. The aircraft kit manufacturer formerly known as Four Winds has returned under the name of VX Aerospace. “We took over the company in December,” explains VX Aerospace CEO Robert Skillin. The company is now based at Morganton-Lenoir Airport in North Carolina. The four-place aircraft, which […]
Around the clock repairs for Sun ‘n Fun’s sweepstakes plane
The good news is that for the first time ever Sun ‘n Fun has a sweepstakes airplane. For $5 a ticket you can buy a chance to win an American Flyer, a high-wing Light Sport Aircraft that made its debut at the April air show. The bad news is that on the way to the […]
Living the dream: Our reporter flies a DC-3
“If this is a dream, please, oh please, don’t let me wake up yet!” That was my mantra the morning of Thursday, April 19. It was the morning that a dream I’ve had since childhood came true. It was the dream of flying a DC-3. I was the left-seat pilot that morning for a flight […]
It really does take a village
For those who decry the evils of television and its questionable influence on our kids’ lives these days, get ready for a change of perspective. The devil’s workshop brought heaven to a bunch of kids – and parents – in Nigeria. During Sun ‘n Fun, Lyn Freeman, head of Build A Plane, shared the story […]
Mooney concentrates on bottom line
The new president of Mooney came to his first Sun ‘n Fun with one message: He’s committed to making sure the company’s bottom line remains strong. “A strong company financially is going to stay around a long time,” said Dennis Ferguson. Expected to bolster Mooney’s bottom line is the Acclaim, which was introduced at Sun […]
The Texas Sport debuts
Texas Sport Aircraft Co. introduced the Texas Sport at this year’s Sun ‘n Fun. The factory-new aircraft kit intended for amateur builders is from the same people behind American Legend Cub. The Texas Sport is similar in appearance to the Piper Cub utilizing a J-3 wing design, PA-11 struts, and outboard wing attachments like the […]