Sun ‘N Fun

All 6,400 hot-air balloons in the U.S. must be inspected to ensure they are not equipped with potentially leaky fuel hoses made of “egeflex” material, the FAA said in an emergency airworthiness directive issued today. The AD is effective Aug. 29, and balloonists have 14 days after that to complete the inspection, which should take […]

Mustangs are among the most numerous warbirds but each is worth a close inspection. AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli took a look at Berlin Express, a rare B model, at this year’s Sun ‘n Fun. view on YouTube

Cirrus brought a mock-up of their final Vision jet interior to Sun ‘n Fun last week, but if you missed it, that’s because Cirrus, as usual, had no exhibit of their own in Lakeland — the mock-up was hosted at the Whelan tent. “The greatest thing about our jet interior is the modular seating design,” […]

Michel Gordillo, of Spain, was scheduled to talk at Sun ‘n Fun this week about his adventures flying an RV-8 around the world, via both North and South Poles — but the intrepid pilot’s plans were derailed by border-crossing bureaucracy. Gordillo’s team said that when he arrived at the Mexico/U.S. border, Gordillo did as he […]

“We have the data,” says the FAA, and they are looking for your ideas about how you can use it. The FAA wants to know what kinds of aeronautical data pilots would like access to in the cockpit, and what kind of data developers need for use in creating aviation products. “Our goal is to […]

As the FAA’s complex Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative moves to the second phase of its testing, General Aviation Modifications Inc. is closing in on final testing for STCs on its G100 unleaded fuel. GAMI started work on its fuel in 2010 and has been pursuing fuel approvals via STC, despite fierce resistance from the FAA. […]

Richard Hogan’s Commuter Craft Innovator, which attracted crowds recently at the Sport Aviation Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, is on display at Sun ‘n Fun this week and continues to attract the curious. The experimental canard airplane, which has been in development for a few years, first flew last September and now has about 30 […]

A new all-composite light twin built in Ukraine made its first appearance at Sun ‘n Fun this week. The four-seat Softex Aero V24 is being sold in the U.S. as an experimental, with a builder-assist center in Washington, company representative Dara Voss told AVweb at the show today. About eight of the aircraft have been […]

Aero Electric Aircraft Corp. says it’s doubled its order book for the Sun Flyer solar-electric aircraft with a deposit on 30 aircraft from Bloomington Corporation. Bloomington CEO Larry Williams is the former CEO of BRS and is also on the board of directors for AEAC. Bloomington intends to use the aircraft in a network of […]

It’s convenient for the media narrative to look at events like Sun ‘n Fun as barometers for the overall health of GA. If that were ever accurate, I’m not sure it still is. Attendance and exhibitor numbers spike up and sag down from year to year, seemingly not connected to anything to do with the […]