Sun ‘N Fun

AVweb was on hand for the annual Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida from March 29 to April 3, 2011. Click here for a handy index to all our coverage from the show, including podcasts, videos, and (yes) the storm.

The Sun ‘n Fun tornado last week was certainly a dramatic enough event, and affected enough people, that a T-shirt to commemorate it was inevitable. By Saturday, show-goers were turning up with gray T-shirts that proclaim, “I survived Sun ‘n Fun 2011,” with a graphic of a spinning tornado tossing tents, airplanes, and various critters […]

Able Flight, which helps people with disabilities learn to fly, awarded its first-ever career-training scholarship on Tuesday at Sun ‘n Fun. The scholarship will provide funding for Paul Lampasso, a former New York City firefighter, to attend a three-week course that leads to an FAA repairman certificate for light sport aircraft. Lampasso’s first career goal […]

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who chairs the General Aviation Caucus in the House, visited Sun ‘n Fun on Saturday to host a “Town Meeting” with a panel of GA leaders. Graves, who is a pilot himself, said it’s important for all of GA to “stick together” to ensure that vital policy issues are addressed. […]

The National Weather Service confirmed in a report released on Friday that a category EF-1 tornado hit the Lakeland airport on Thursday about noon time. The tornado had top winds estimated at 95 mph, a path length of just over a half mile, and a path width of about 30 to 40 yards. The NWS […]

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. […]