SUN ’n FUN CAMPUS, LAKELAND, Florida — SUN ’n FUN has named Lori Bradner Executive Director of Education, charged with leading the transition of the Florida Air Museum “as it becomes a world class, aviation-based, interactive educational experience,” officials said. The new “Aerospace Science Center” will use aviation values and traditions to help students of […]
Airshows & Fly-Ins
The origin of White Lightning
One of the best parts about interviewing someone about their airplane is that after the story is published, someone who has additional information about the airframe will often send a note. After his Ercoupe “White Lightning” was featured in General Aviation News, Kevin Gassert from Cincinnati, Ohio, was lucky enough to hear from Mark Hardin, […]
TBM annual gathering breaks records
The ninth convention of the the TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA) surpassed all previous records with the presence of 95 TBM 700s and TBM 850s for its annual gathering, which was held this year at Amelia Island, Florida. The TBMs landed at Fernandina Beach Airport, and some 275 total attendees participated in the Oct. […]
Bluegrass gathering for International Cessna 195 Club
Story and Photos By KEVIN GARRISON Low ceilings, wet-gusty weather and cool temps did not keep dozens of beautiful Cessna 195s and their owners from flying to Frankfort, Kentucky, for their 42nd yearly gathering on the last weekend of September. Nothing sounds quite like a round engine. Capital City Airport (FFT) was bathed in the […]
XtremeAir receives FAA nod for aerobatic airplane
Germany-based XtremeAir has received FAA certification for its two-seat aerobatic airplane XA42. XtremeAir GmbH is an EASA-certified company that develops and manufactures carbon fiber composite aerobatic aircraft. The company has been based at Magdeburg/Cochstedt Airport in central Germany since 2005. The XA42 is manufactured and certified entirely with both a carbon fiber composite fuselage and […]
The ever-popular Swift
When it comes to aircraft production, timing is critical. The history of general aviation is replete with designs that had the misfortune of being introduced at the beginning of the Depression or World War II, and then being lost to a nose-diving economy or a change in resource allocation. If it was a good design, […]
Last flying B-29 grounded, faces costly repair
During the last airshow flight of the season, the world’s only flying B-29 Superfortress, FIFI, experienced an engine problem. The crew returned the airplane safely to the ground, but it was soon determined that FIFI’s number two engine would need major repairs. In response, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has launched a major fund raising […]
Dates for 2013 AAA/APM Invitational Fly-In set
The Board of Directors of both the Antique Airplane Association and the Air Power Museum have announced the 2013 AAA/APM Invitational Fly-in will be held Aug. 28-Sept. 2, 2013, with the theme — “60th Anniversary of the Antique Airplane Association” — featuring Luscombe aircraft and the 75th Anniversary of the Model 8. In 1953 AAA […]
The “Miss Muffet” Stearman
Stripes and spiders — not a combination most people would think of when designing a paint scheme for a vintage airplane, but that’s exactly what Merrill and MaDonna McMahan of Wausau, Wis., decided to do when they painted their 1941 Stearman. The red, white and blue airplane sports small black spiders and the name “Miss […]