Air Shows & Events

Diamond Aircraft launched its long-awaited Diamond Flight Center (DFC) program this week the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Fla. “We have heard for some time that flight schools wanted a fresh alternative to the status quo,” said Diamond Aircraft Industries President Peter Maurer. “There were several key elements we wanted to have in place […]

Recommend a Video |VOTW Archive At the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In a few weeks ago, AVweb‘s Russ Niles got to left-seat in Herpa’s DC-3, courtesy of Incredible Adventures. Join us for what some would call the experience of a lifetime, as Dan Gryder guides us (carefully) through the flight. Don’t see a video screen?Try disabling […]

On Wednesday afternoon following the daily airshow, the popular general aviation podcast, Uncontrolled Airspace, will be recording a special episode live from the Sun ‘n Fun fly-in grounds. Uncontrolled Airspace is a weekly, one-hour podcast featuring Dave Higdon, AVweb editor Jeb Burnside and Jack Hodgson, along with a variety of special guests. The episode to […]

Epic AIR introduced two smaller versions of its emerging line of turboprop and jet aircraft at Sun ‘n Fun on Tuesday afternoon. The four- to five-seat Victory single-engine jet will be powered by either a Williams International FJ33 or Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615-series engine. The Escape is also four to five seats with a […]

Comp Air owner and president Ron Lueck is wearing a giant smile this week at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Fla. That’s because the Comp Air 12 made it to the airshow as promised, just days after making its maiden flight. In a media briefing on Tuesday morning, Lueck said the airplane flew gear down […]

Those attending this week’s Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla., can catch a glimpse of Cessna’s possible future. The Wichita-based airplane manufacturer is displaying its Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) and Next Generation Piston (NGP) “proof-of-concept” airplanes at the show, though a white picket fence prevents attendees from getting too close to the NGP prototype. […]

Aviat Aircraft says FAA approval is imminent for a 200-lb. increase in gross weight for its popular Husky bush planes. The extra weight required beefing up landing gear and changing the angle of incidence for the horizontal stabilizer, but the extra utility it will bring is considerable. A full 192 lbs. of the weight increase […]

Cirrus introduced its third-generation SR22 at a media conference at Sun ‘n Fun on Tuesday. There are three of the new models on display at the company’s sprawling booth at Lakeland Linder Airport, Fla. The new aircraft, under development for about a year, doesn’t appear much different from earlier models, but CEO Alan Klapmeier told […]

One person was killed when an unidentified light plane crashed just east of the arrival runway at Lakeland Linder Airport Monday. It hasn’t been confirmed, but it seems likely the aircraft was on final for one of the two parallel runways recovering aircraft attending the annual fly-in. The sole-occupant pilot of the plane hasn’t been […]

The latest U.S.-built entry in the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) market, called American Flyer, is being launched this week at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla. The aircraft is built by Mountain Aircraft, of Nampa, Idaho, but will be marketed in North America by Sportsplanes.com. The aircraft is not yet in production a […]