Thursday at the Sun ’n Fun fly-in in Lakeland, Florida, two 17-year-old students will perform a special fly-by honoring James Ray, the man who donated the money to build the Central Florida Aerospace Academy on the Sun ’n Fun campus. The students, Phillip “Maverick” Herrington and Angel “Talisman” Castellanos, wanted to perform the fly-by to thank the […]
Airshows & Fly-Ins
CAP cadets pitch in to build first RAF Fire Hub
By CONNIE SUE WHITE When Civil Air Patrol Seminole Composite Squadron Deputy Commander Kenny Eads asked a group of five cadets to volunteer for a unique mission, it caught on like wildfire. The assignment: build the first-ever Fire Hub on the SUN ’n FUN campgrounds. Eads explained to the young men that it would the […]
Why would you fly to Sun ’n Fun?
Questioning pilots flying into Sun ’n Fun is an unexpected thing to hear from the fly-in’s new safety advisor to the president, Ben Coleman. Coleman is a nationally renowned aviation safety expert with more than 38 years of experience, much of it with the NTSB and FAA. He has investigated more than 400 aviation accidents through […]
StormReady: Lessons learned from last year’s tornado
When the tornado ripped through the Sun ’n Fun grounds last year, it took a lot of people by surprise — and ensuring that never happens again became a top priority for the fly-in’s new president, John “Lites” Leenhouts. “When I got here I asked how prepared they were for the storm,” he said in the […]
Cessna owners in the Cloud
On opening day of Sun ’n Fun, Cessna introduced a custom-designed interactive online portal called Cessna Connect. The customized, cloud-based program provides a way for Cessna owners to streamline their record keeping, track flights, log expenses and tax reports, and connect with other owners and enthusiasts. The subscription-based service is designed to work with a […]
Second issue of SUN ‘n FUN Today ready to read
The second issue of SUN ‘n FUN Today is online. Read it here. SUN ‘n FUN Today includes show coverage, photo spreads of aircraft on the field and in the skies, plus advertised show specials for those wandering the vendor areas. Be sure to pick up a copy each day of the show either in print […]
See and be seen
Cessna Aircraft officials reported on opening day of SUN ’n FUN that the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, 182 Skylane, and 206 Stationair year 2012 models will now come equipped with the Garmin GTS 800 Traffic Alert System (TAS). This system, when integrated into the avionics package, can detect traffic in the vicinity, audibly alert the pilot […]
High grades, high flight for student
How do you manage a 4.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale? “You take lots of Advanced Placement and Honors classes,” said Joshua Gutierrez, a 17-year-old honor student at Central Florida Aviation Academy, which is on the SUN ’n FUN campus. Gutierrez has the highest GPA in his school and as a reward he earned a […]
Sun ‘n Fun kicks off tomorrow
The 38th annual Sun ’n Fun Fly-In kicks off Tuesday, March 27, at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) in Florida. A full day of activities is planned, from forums to the airshow to the evening program featuring the Parris Island Marine Band, who are playing as part of the fly-in’s celebration of 100 years of […]