Air Shows & Events

The Colyaer Freedom amphibious light sport aircraft, designed and built in Spain, will be marketed in the U.S. by Waterbirds LC and LSA Aero, of Little Rock, Ark., the companies announced at Sun ‘n Fun this week. Waterbirds will provide sales and marketing support, and LSA will import the aircraft and provide customer service. The […]

Mooney brought the first customer copy of its new Acclaim Type S to the show this week, just a week after it was certified and delivered. The airplane will replace the earlier version of the Acclaim, so all Acclaims going forward will have the Type S speed enhancements, which boost the aircraft’s top cruise speed […]

Cirrus Design has leased extra space in Duluth, Minn., to work on its jet prototype, CEO Alan Klapmeier said at Sun ‘n Fun on Tuesday. The jet now under construction will be used for aerodynamic flight testing, and Klapmeier says he hopes it will be very close to the final conforming prototype that can be […]

Continental Motors is celebrating Sun ‘n Fun with the announcement that it’s sold 100 engines equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC). The 100th engine will go in a Liberty XL-2. The 100 engines have accumulated 13,000 hours so far. “Delivering the 100th engine and surpassing the 13,000-hour in-service mark in the high-use flight […]

The Commemorative Air Force has increased its presence at Sun ‘n Fun with a mass arrival of priceless aircraft that represent a storied period in aviation history. Among the CAF aircraft confirmed for the event are P-51D Mustang Red Nose, LT-6 Mosquito, Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, PT-26 Cornell, Curtiss SB2C Helldiver and the B-25J Mitchell Yellow […]

Perhaps the most technologically advanced kit aircraft created to date is on display at the “Lancair Village” in the Sun ‘n Fun exhibit area. Lancair General Manager Tim Ong flew the prototype of the Evolution to Lakeland from the company headquarters in Redmond, Ore. “This thing’s a rocket,” he told about a dozen staff members […]

Diamond Aircraft has already installed Garmin’s G1000-based Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT), and it will be unveiled at Sun ‘n Fun today at 3 p.m. at the Diamond display. Garmin announced the system had been certified on Monday, and Diamond CEO Peter Maurer said his company wanted to waste no time in showing its capabilities. A […]

Click for a Larger Image Sun n Fun is a big show for most aviation concerns but its especially important for the up-and-coming Light Sport Aircraft manufacturers. And theyre not going to let anything like taking a direct hit from a tornado keep them from the show. Sportair USAs hangar in North Little Rock, Ark., […]

AVweb will be at the big spring airshow held annually at Lakeland, Fla., this April 8 – 13, providing full coverage — video, podcasts and text updates, every day. Sun ‘n Fun this year includes all the latest gear, gadgets and aircraft ready for prime time … and may include some early previews of big […]

copyright John Fleck We’ve chosen the winners to fly left seat in the Herpa Wings DC-3 at Sun ‘n Fun! Aircraft owner Dan Gryder has opened up another flight for a left-seat winner, so we were able to pick two of our favorite essayists from more than 200 entries. First and foremost, we say thank […]