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An indication of Sun ‘n Fun’s role in the aviation industry is Cessna’s decision to set up permanent digs at Lakeland. Through the Cessna Foundation Inc., the company is building a 2,400-sqaure-foot building on the Sun ‘n Fun campus, next to the Florida Air Museum. For 50 weeks of the year, Sun ‘n Fun will […]

Although Eclipse Aviation is now considered a long-time exhibitor at Sun ‘n Fun, it was an elated CEO Vern Raburn who introduced the first type-conforming Eclipse 500 to the public here on Friday, in its first appearance ever out of Albuquerque. “This is the first fully conforming, pre-production, very light jet,” he said emphatically. “This […]

Less Hype, More Business The weather was perfect, the demos, attractions and air-show performers first-rate, but there appeared a muting to the “buzz” this year at Sun ‘n Fun, which ends today in Lakeland, Fla. Maybe show-goers are just waiting for yesterday’s promises to come true. Presently, the very light jet manufacturers are not yet […]

Tom Peghiny, president of Flightstar Sportplanes, took his turn at the microphone Friday and listed about a dozen aircraft that are in the works for certification and should be finished by Oshkosh, coming up in late July. Those soon-to-be S-LSAs include the Legend Cub, Rans Coyote and Courier, the ZennAir CH601, a couple of Quicksilver […]

Two S-LSAs Certified “This is a day I sometimes thought would never come,” EAA President Tom Poberezny said on Friday, under the Florida sun here in Lakeland. Together with a ream of manufacturers, FAA officials, and John and Martha King, Poberezny introduced the first two aircraft to receive their Special-Light Sport Aircraft certification — the […]

Aerocomp flew its new kit-jet into the show. The jet has accumulated 43 flight hours since its first flight last June, said company President Steve Young, and it’s been signed off so they can fly people in it besides the test pilot. The interior is not finished yet, and the start system still needs some […]

Meanwhile, the Epic Jet will be flying later this summer, Schrameck said, and debut before the end of the year. “Our first customer delivery is in December, so we have to make that,” he said. The six-seat twinjet will follow the same development model as the LT, being introduced first as an Experimental with extensive […]

Big Turboprop Kitplane The big Epic LT single-engine turboprop is flying in Lakeland this week, and CEO Rick Schrameck said there is a lot of interest in the design. The six-seat carbon-fiber airplane has a big, powerful, graceful look, and strong performance specs with 350-knot airspeed, 1,600-nm range, and 1,350-pound payload. It’s being sold as […]

Await The Revolution? A small company from Osceola Mills, PA, Innodyn, Inc intends to prove its line of 165, 185, 205 and 255 hp, less-than-$35,000 turbines will soon run in customers’ aircraft (at 60,000 rpm) and eventually well past their 5,000-hour projected TBO. According to the company, the 188 pound turbine spins an MT or […]

Spend Your Savings On Fuel It’s loud, and it slurps fuel at 125 gallons per hour, but it’s ready to fly, and you can even slide the canopy open in flight and get a suntan. There’s a place in Calhoun, Ga., you can today go, write a check, and buy yourself a fully certified, four-passenger, […]