Air Shows & Events

In the main exhibit area at Sun ‘n Fun, most airplanes came through Thursday’s storm unscathed, but a few suffered minor dings, and a few others were totaled. At Cessna, a couple of airplanes ended up with cracked fairings, where they apparently were hit by flying debris, but for the most part, a little extra […]

on-site audio accounts: Russ Niles Terri Smith, Lakeland PD Jim Bernegger “It looks like there was a small tornado” among the straight-line winds and downbursts that hit Sun ‘n Fun on Thursday, a National Weather Service spokesman told AVweb on Friday morning. Daniel Noah, in the Tampa Bay NWS office, said meteorologists are working on […]

There were some scary moments for about 70 people, including nine former Women Air Service pilots in their 90s, when the storm that ripped through Sun ‘n Fun on Thursday collapsed the tent structure in which a luncheon was being held in the WASPs’ honor. The event was sponsored by the Wings of Dreams Aviation […]

American Legend Aircraft Company said on Thursday it is adding a new model, the Super Legend, to its Legend Cub two-place sport aircraft line. The Super Legend comes with the Lycoming 233 Series lightweight engine, a Super Cub-style pressure cowling, and a classic Super Cub paint scheme. With a base weight of just about 845 […]

The Lindbergh Foundation’s day-long series of forums about alternative fuels and cleaner aviation technology was under way Thursday in Sun ‘n Fun’s new Central Florida Aerospace Academy building when the storm hit. Everyone in the building was told to move into the hallways, away from doors and windows, as the wind whipped and rain poured. […]

on-site audio accounts: Russ Niles Terri Smith, Lakeland PD Jim Bernegger A strong storm front whipped through the Sun ‘n Fun campus at about noon on Thursday, with heavy rains, hail, damaging winds, and possibly a tornado, wreaking extensive damage to airplanes and exhibits. After the brief storm passed, the site was strewn with knocked-over […]

Damage at Lakeland, Florida’s Sun ‘n Fun air show may be in the millions after a storm blew through late Thursday morning, damaging aircraft and structures on the ground. Everyone has been accounted for on-site, and there are no reports of serious injuries. Initial reports on cable news channels indicated that 70 people were trapped […]

Aspen Avionics sees a big opportunity in the light aircraft retrofit market and it’s moving aggressively to stake out its market share through joint ventures with at least three other avionics companies. At the top of the list is Bendix/King, whose long-delayed KSN770 has buyers waiting for competitive choice against Garmin’s dominant panel-mount products. Aspen […]

Eclipse Aerospace said at Sun ‘n Fun on Wednesday it has received a Supplemental Type Certificate from the FAA for its Avio Integrated Flight Management System. The system was developed by Innovative Solutions & Support. “We at Eclipse Aerospace are very proud to be able to now offer a fully integrated FMS system not only […]

Cirrus is showing off its limited edition SR22 at the Sun ‘n Fun show this week, with a spiffy paint job and every imaginable option, but what everybody wanted to know about at Wednesday’s news conference was, what’s up with the China deal? “Is Cirrus going to move to China?” asked co-founder Dale Klapmeier, rhetorically. […]