As Sun ‘n Fun concludes, it comes home that the week has seen a lot of aviating, hangar flying, buying, selling and wishing. Even those for whom flying is a some-day dream, the allure of aviation holds sway. Here are some reminders of what the week was like. Return to KITPLANES

It’s another, and in the business of showing and selling aircraft, neatness counts. Early on in this year’s Sun ‘n Fun adventure, rain-soaked grounds served as the nemesis of vendors and campers. As the week progressed, what was once mud turned to dust, necessitating morning rituals like this one. No word on whether he does [...]

Many a homebuilder has heard the admonition from the uninitiated about how they love the idea of assembling their own plane, if only they possessed the skills necessary. Here at Sun ‘n Fun anyone interested can receive free instruction in the skills needed for pretty much any aspect of aircraft construction, such as building a [...]

Do you ever get the feeling that someone’s watching you? The paint on the Sparrowhawk gyros on display at Sun ‘n Fun drew many such comment from passersby as the strolled through the commercial exhibit area. And, yes, those eyes do seem to follow you as you walk past. Fortunately, this bird doesn’t have eyes [...]

The need to coordinate the arrival of thousands of aircraft, to manage the airshow flow, and maintain separation on the Lake Parker arrivals demands a lot of preparation and attention by pilots as well as the skills of dozens of our friendly aviation agency’s top performers, the men and women of the Air Traffic Service. [...]

Not all that flies at Sun ‘n Fun roars like a radial, buzzes like a hornet or spews smoke during low passes. The traditional Saturday-morning balloon launch provided an uncharacteristic bit of hushed flying for thousands willing to crawl out of their bunks and camps to witness the spectacle of color. For others the quiet [...]

Sun ‘n Fun’s Chopper Town provided a graphic reminder Friday that you don’t need a wing if your ship’s got that swing, as a turbine chopper and a Butterfly gyro amply demonstrate. A Mosquito on floats—FAR 103 legal, by the way —hangs in a hover as the pilot concentrates on showing off the little ship’s [...]

One of the great aspects of events like Sun ‘n Fun is the frequency with which something new shows up. It’s unusual for those new things to be really different, but this ZJ Viera is an example of something far from the norm. Light, low to the ground and, from watching it, nimble both on [...]