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Tuesday’s notice is unusual in that it includes a questionnaire of sorts targeting many of the specific concerns that have been raised over the proposed rule. Anyone taking advantage of the extended comment period is asked to cover 15 points raised in the questionnaire. The questions are clearly directed at Part 91 operators who, under […]

Public Meetings Planned, Comment Period Extended… After being bombarded by protests from angry air-tour operators, charity groups and vintage-aircraft organizations, the FAA says it will consider changes to its highly controversial National Air Tour Standards. “I think there’s a willingness and a flexibility to accommodate some portions of the community,” Greg Martin, the FAA’s deputy […]

Walking The Grounds… Some attend shows like Sun ‘n Fun for the airplanes, others the air show, but plenty are there to find the latest hardware to attach, install or otherwise hang from their airplane (or themselves). AVweb scoured four hangars and about four acres of exhibitors’ booths to see what’s available and we found […]

A quick survey of companies directly affected by the rule at Sun ‘n Fun revealed reaction ranging from resigned acceptance to mild irritation. Zenith Aircraft Company spokesman Nicholas Heintz said the delay hasn’t really caused much direct financial hardship but has stalled the potential upsurge in business the industry is hoping for when it becomes […]

New Rule Could Be Months Away… With the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport rule stalled again in the federal bureaucracy, EAA took advantage of the eager crowds at Sun ‘n Fun to collect signatures on a petition demanding action. The petition says that “Numerous U.S. small businesses … are significantly financially stressed due to delays in the release […]

Sun ‘n Fun finished up with a spectacular weekend in Lakeland, Fla., as the perfect weather combined with pack-em-in crowds to end the event on a high note. The weekend schedule was filled with crowd-pleasers, from a pyrotechnic air show on Saturday night to a stately balloon launch on Sunday morning. Fly-bys and demo flights […]

Not every pilot that comes to Sun ‘n Fun flies in, though. In the Type-Club Tent, four guys are hanging around the table assigned to the Ercoupe Owners Club. Thirty-two alleged Ercoupe owners have signed in so far on the clipboard. So how many Ercoupes are on the field, a visitor asks? They look at […]

On the far side of the field, Ron Karwacky sits in the sun, sheltered from the wind by the fuselage of his polished aluminum 1952 Cessna 195. “I soloed in this airplane,” he says. He bought the plane for $15,000 in 1983 and recruited a few friends to help with the restoration work. The beefy […]

More Than An ‘Air Show’… While the main fairway — filled with exhibits and banners and tents, things to look at and things to buy — is crowded with visitors, the low-key flight lines around the edges are where the true heart of the show is found. Here are the thousands of airplanes flown in […]