Sun ‘N Fun

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. […]

The Central Florida Aerospace Academy now has a new home on the Sun ‘n Fun campus, which was formally dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday morning. The 58,000-square-foot building features classrooms, a media center, a cafeteria and an engineering lab, and can serve up to 500 students. The school aims to help students prepare […]

The popular Zulu headset now has several new added features, Lightspeed Aviation said this week at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Fla. The innovations, some of which are patent-pending, include microport vent technology that provides greater consistency in the active noise reduction capabilities, anda new lighter design for improved fit and less side pressure. A […]

Piper brought a mock-up of its Altaire single-engine jet to Sun ‘n Fun this week, and reported that the program is on track for first flight of the conforming prototype in 2012. “We now have 175 engineers at work on it, and production parts are being cut for the first four conforming test articles,” said […]

EAA wants to reach beyond the faithful and bring new converts into general aviation, EAA President Rod Hightower said at Sun ‘n Fun on Tuesday. “How do we reach out to the non-flying public?” Hightower asked. One way he proposes is to expand the audience of the organization’s Sport Aviation magazine, which currently is available […]

Cessna has announced a major upgrade of the Corvalis high-performance single, featuring the “first touch-screen-controlled glass flight deck ever designed for a piston aircraft,” the company said in a news release. The new Intrinzic panel was designed by Cessna but is based on the Garmin G2000 and features two 14-inch wide HD screens that transmit […]