The Voyager only gives up one thing when compared to the Odyssey, which is 2 inches of diagonal screen size. But all other functions remain the same, including nine pages of user-configurable screens that can be programmed for so many more functions than can be covered here. GPS, AHRS, terrain mapping, engine monitoring, fuel flow, flight data recording, airborne traffic, autopilot interface and even remote radio operation are just some of its features.

What the Voyager gives up, when compared to the really high-end systems that can cost from 10 to 15 times more, is the razor-sharp graphics and high data sampling and screen refresh rates that you might expect in multi-million dollar aircraft. The Voyager updates its screen 10 times per second, its graphics are perfectly legible, and it’s affordable for the average homebuilder. MGL estimates that a full Voyager or Odyssey system, including probes, will run around $5600 USD for a four cylinder Lycoming or Continental installation, add a couple hundred bucks more for six cylinders.

Rounding out the MGL product line on display at AirVenture were the prototype nav and com radios, Mode S transponder, and autopilot, allowing for a complete MGL brand panel in the near future. Prices and release dates of these products are said to be coming soon.

Part accordion virtuoso, part garage sale, and flavored with a bunch of Rube Goldberg, Sleger has been occupying his spot at AirVenture for the last 22 years. And for those of us who sometimes feel that this world is moving way too fast for us to keep up, one steadfast constant is Jerry Sleger, who tirelessly dispenses toe-tapping polkas and waltzes year after year. After year. And I’ll even admit it’s not just the music – I’m a sucker for the mechanical monkey and hula-girl who keep time to Sleger’s offerings.

OK, Sleger has made some concessions to modern technology. Since 2002, he’s been offering CDs as well as cassette tapes of his music, if you’re so inclined. But for a measly fin, you can still get a cassette. A CD will set you back four bucks more. In an environment where expensive aviation goodies and expensiver airplanes abound, Sleger’s music is an absolute steal (although some would argue that accordions are incapable of producing ‘music’ at all).

Whatever. I just bought all three CDs, and I fully intend to share them (quite liberally) with my friends while were driving the rental back to the airport in Chicago (they can thank me later). But I’m already looking forward to our next AirVenture visit next year, and not just because of all the neat airplane stuff. There’s a little musical oasis here, as constant as the sun, where one can sit on a bench in the shade and experience a simpler time. And it won’t cost you a dime.

The much anticipated DeltaHawk engine line is a liquid-cooled, inverted V4 design that burns Jet A and develops between 160 and 200 horsepower. Dry weight is claimed to be 330 pounds. According to Doers, DeltaHawk engines will be undergoing the FAA certification process shortly, and will only be offered for sale to the public once the engine installation infrastructure is fully in place to insure that finished installations are properly performed.

Doers accepted the award during a press conference held at AirVenture. LoPresti Aviation COO R.J. Seigel said of DeltaHawk “This small company has worked tirelessly for 12 years to bring a great design to market. The persistance and creativity of this company is something of which Roy would have approved.”

Then I heard there was a better way. With the ClickBond system, there’s only one hole to drill, some two-part glue to mix up, and the “installation fixture” to hold everything tight until the adhesive fully cures. Time savings? About 80 percent.

Frankly, the “installation fixture” just cracked me up. It looks for all the world like a rubber worm that you might find in the bottom of your tackle box, only with some precise tapers to it. It’s simplicity itself to run it through the hole to hold the fastener tight, and then pulls right out with good tug after the glue sets up. The adhesive comes in two flavors, the $12 variety that sets up in under an hour, and the $20 high-strength stuff that takes 24 hours to cure. Each one is enough for about 50 fasteners.

If you screw one up and want to remove it after the glue has cured, it can be done with the application of some heat from a heat gun to about 350F degrees and the fastener will peel off. If you have a composite structure, however, some care is required to avoid overheating what’s underneath.
Currently in use by the military and commercial aircraft builders, the ClickBond system is gaining significant ground among homebuilders. Of course, it won’t replace traditional fasteners in structural applications, but they’re perfect for, say, installing cowling or fairing fasteners. “Sure, they’re more expensive,” says ClickBond’s Tim Anderson. “They run from a buck and a half to two bucks each. But they really save time. What’s worth more, your time or your money?”

The AveoEngineering booth was hard to miss, with the multiple high-intensity strobe bursts lighting up the entire row of vendors. Among the products on display was a combination wingtip position and strobe unit that was happily flashing away on a single, 9-volt transistor radio battery. This elegant unit is sealed in high-impact clear acrylic, contains everything including the strobe power supply, and directly replaces the traditional position/strobe assembly found on most wingtips. Gone are the separate strobe power supplies, delicate flash tubes and glass lenses, and high current drains. A pair of AveoFlash units draws only 250 milliamps, a small fraction of the power needed for traditional position and strobe lighting.

Available now for Experimentals, a red and green pair will set you back $600, will easily outlast the airframe, and may well be the only external airframe lighting units required when properly aligned on each wingtip. Each unit also contains rear-facing white LEDs, in addition to the side and rear strobes, and the front and side facing colored position lighting. There are only four wires to connect: ground, strobe power, nav power and a single blue wire that provides a sync pulse to any other Aveo strobes in use. Already certified in Europe, AveoEngineering anticipates U.S. STC approval in September of 2008.

For more information, visit AveoEngineering.

When powered with the Continental O-200, the 750 takes off in just 100 feet, lands in 125, cruises at 100 mph, and stalls at 38 mph. Useful load is 545 pounds.

“We went with the Continental engine,” says Zenith President Sebastien Heintz, “because now you can get a new, experimental O-200 for less than a Rotax 912. But since the firewall is the same as the one on the 601, you can pretty much use whatever engine you want, including the Jabiru or the Corvair.”

“We’re just offering the one ‘standard’ kit at this point,” Heintz continued. “Since all the parts are CNC punched and pre-formed, there’s really not a need for a ‘quickbuild’ version. With the blind rivets, you can build a wing in two days. We’re just starting the manufacture of the wing kits now, and with our standard lead times, figure you’ll have a full kit by the end of October if you order a kit today.”

For larger pilots (like me) who find the 701 just too confining, the new 750 has all the earmarks of retaining the 701′s impressive STOL performance and style while retaining the ability to fit neatly into Light Sport requirements. If the crowds around the airplane is any indication of its future success, it appears that Zenith may have just come up with another winner. More information coming soon at Zenith Aircraft.

Currently equipped with a 180 horsepower Lycoming O-360, the performance and handling is very much like the original taildragger version, according to Premont, who flew the airplane into this year’s AirVenture. “It’s a very sturdy and forgiving airplane,” Premont adds, “but it’s still very fun to fly.” Premont saw cruise speeds near 128 mph during his flight to Oshkosh, but expects that those numbers will eventually creep upward once the airframe clean-up parts become available after development.

Indeed, after a quick walk-around of the Tundra trike, it was obvious that wheel pants, strut fairings, horizontal stabilizer strakes, and a few fairings here and there could add 10 to 15 mph to cruise speeds.

The nosegear option adds about $2,500 USD to the cost of kit, which tends to fluctuate a bit due to current exchange rates between the U.S. and Canadian dollar. Current cost of the tricycle kit is right around $48,000 USD.

We all come away from Sun ‘n Fun with something, beyond the bag of dirty clothes, a little sunburn, a bit of dehydration, and a case of fatigue. Throw in some jet lag and a much lighter wallet, and it becomes a valid question.

Comparisons to Sun ‘n Funs past are inevitable. It starts early on, with manufacturers nervously comparing attendance estimates, mentally gauging whether or not the public is in a buying or tire-kicking mood. The weather is always mentioned, either as a direct influence on the crowd or as an impediment to actually flying in. And this year was no different, with a few holes in display area here and there where an airplane should have been.

Changes to the rules had their noticable effect as well. That “fat ultralight” that we flew in the past (ahem, for instructional purposes only, of course) is gone, and that impact was obvious in a much leaner Paradise City. Still, there’s always someone showing up with a better, Part 103 legal mousetrap, and this year was no exception. There certainly was no shortage of aircraft of all sorts making circuits on the grass runway.

Even with a soggy start, this year’s Sun ‘n Fun had no shortage of new products, thrilling aerial acts, and of course, the Thunderbirds. Brand new Light Sport Aircraft were everywhere. The people in the Lakeland area were warm and gracious, I never knew that I had so many friends that I’ve never met before. The weather was mostly good and flyable, and there was no shortage of attendees.

In spite of the difficulties of commercial airline travel to and from, and the hour-long delays to just park the rental car in the mud, this year’s Sun ‘n Fun was one of the better ones, in my book.

Worth it? You betcha.

What initially caught my eye was an elegant little voltage regulator, its flat-pack form factor about a quarter of the height of the traditional mechanical regulators.

Stephen explained that the regulator on display had several features that you just couldn’t get before, such as reverse polarity protection should you accidentally reverse your battery terminals, user-switchable to either 14 or 28 volts systems, user-adjustable output voltage, and when used with another one (as with a twin), the two regulators will load share with just two conductors connecting them together. And, it’s PMA approved for installation into certified aircraft. All for $169.

Plane-Power also had lightweight alternators (Experimental aircraft only) on display in 60- and 70-amp varieties. Priced at $459 and $479 respectively, these units are another cost effective way to significantly increase the electrical power available in your airplane with minimal investment. And, these units come with all necessary hardware, mount, and even a new wiring harness to finish off your upgrade.

Finally, I took a look at the slick little alternator designed for the venerable Continental O-200. With a full 50 amps of output power, this gear-driven unit not only greatly upgrades the old generators originally used by Continental, but will save significant weight as well. It also allows for a greatly simplified electrical system, as the voltage regulation is internal. Not quite yet available for certified aircraft, Plane-Power is expecting the FAA’s blessing in short order.

It occurred to me that Plane-Power is doing for alternators what SkyTek did for starters, and upon sharing that observation with Stephen and Linda, they heartily concurred. More information about the full Plane-Power line-up can be had at plane-power.com.

The highly modified Corvair engine on the stand featured quite a few improvements, and this was my first glance at them up close and personal like. The most obvious to me was the new single piece gold anodized propeller hub, replacing its black two-piece forerunner. The gold hub features lighter weight, a smaller pulley for better alternator performance, and (of course) is much simpler than its two part, bolt together predecessor.

A new oil filter arrangement, also gold anodized and simplified, now attaches directly to the engine instead of the old method which required the circuitous routing of oil hoses to a mount on the firewall. Once glance told me that this new oil filter system also saves weight, is much cleaner, and (once again) gets the most out of simplicity.

William also had the new gold anodized, CNC machined oil pan that replaces the slightly “Frankenstein-esque” hand welded one. And just to top it all off, a matching gold anodized top engine plate was also on display. With all of these new gold parts on the display engine, the Corvair is starting to look like something you might find in the Tiffany catalogue.

Perhaps the most significant improvement is the new 5th crankshaft bearing, tucked in nicely behind the ring gear and the engine block. The need for a fifth bearing to absorb asymmetric side loads from out of balance prop/spinner/extension combinations or the stresses created by sudden yanking and banking became known when a few cases of crankshaft cracks and separations behind the last journal were reported. The first assault on the problem was to strongly suggest the nitriding of all crankshafts, and the second was the development of the fifth bearing.

I really was planning to leave my own Corvair engine in my Zodiac alone for the time being, but now that I’ve seen the sum total of all of the improvements, I’m reconsidering. Besides, all those beautifully machined gold parts would really set off the engine compartment, eh? Check out the latest in Corvair improvements at FlyCorvair.com.

You could make an argument that it’s really the kit manufacturers who keep Sun ‘n Fun alive, spending a huge chunk of their annual fiscal and manpower resources to give us the chance to see their product and talk to their staff in person. Some would say it’s the relatively deep pockets of the certified aircraft manufacturers that keep the annual event vibrant, as they pump in an incredible amount of coin year after year. You have to consider the ATC team as well, dealing with the daily onslaught of every conceivable aircraft type from ultralight to military war machines.

Then there’s the plethora of commercial booths and tents, both inside and out, featuring every conceivable sort of aviation paraphernalia imaginable. And if it weren’t for the food and drink vendors, the daily hoards would get downright ugly, indeed. Those guys who service the Porta-Potties deserve their due as well–without them Sun ‘n Fun would get ugly. Or maybe it’s the Florida Tourism interests that provide the foundation for the event, doing their best to keep a bright, smiling face turned toward the public eye.

So who really are the heroes of Sun ‘n Fun?

In my book, it’s the average American and his family who take the time and expend the energy to attend. He may not even own an airplane, or be building one, or have ever logged a single flight hour. But there he is, year after year, dragging the wife and kids out to the flight line. His clan waits in the traffic, hikes in from remote parking, pays the going rate for a pass, buys the pricey food and the pricier drinks, puts up with the crowds and even the occasional condescension from experienced fliers just for the chance to witness the magic of flight from a front row center perspective. Without having any dog in the fight.

So the next time you encounter that mom or dad pulling the kids in the wagon, sunburned, overheated, but with that unmistakable gleam in the eye, consider where our aviation celebrations would be without them.

I suspect we wouldn’t have very many more.

“We were just cruising along, everything normal, and I started hearing this occasional noise like someone flicking the cylinder fins with a fingernail. Every now and then, tink, tink, tink. After 20 seconds or so, it became constant, and I had a 300-rpm power loss. So I decided to find a place to land. Funny thing was that even with the power loss, the Corvair continued to run smooth. The EGTs stayed normal, but I did notice a slight CHT rise,” says Gus.

Land he did, in a small cow pasture that was conveniently located right under the 701. If there’s any question about the short approach and landing capability of the 701 on unimproved surfaces, this episode should erase any doubts. The pilot and aircraft rolled out smoothly and taxied to the fence under partial power and the watchful gaze of a few witnesses. Reportedly, all any of them had to say about the forced landing was “Moo.”

After a few phone calls, a flatbed trailer arrived and the 701′s wings were quickly removed for the ride back to the hangar in Edgewater. I asked Gus what he thought the cause might be, and he gave it some thought. “At this point, I really don’t have any idea. It felt like extreme detonation, but just on one cylinder. I really didn’t have the time to look into it when we got the 701 back to the hangar, ’cause I needed to get back here. But I’ll get right on it when I get back to Edgewater,” he said. “I’m pretty curious myself.”

The Graphic Engine Monitor (GEM) has been around for almost 30 years now, and most of us have become at least passingly familiar with its operation and uses. But according to John Youngquist, inventor of the GEM line of monitors, just measuring CHTs and EGTs is no longer enough. Enter the new G3, which takes engine monitors to a whole new level.

Along with engine temperatures, the new G3 displays and records engine vibration level, fuel flow, manifold pressure, oil temp and pressure, takeoff G forces, turbulence levels in both vertical and yaw axis, and even has a diagnostic to measure the resistance of each individual lead of each temperature probe. Oh, yes, one more thing: It now features a color display.

The source for many of this expanded functionality is a small silver box that contains an accelerometer and fuel flow transducer and mounts to the spine of the engine. This allows the G3 to measure and record G forces and vibration, which are then duly displayed and recorded (along with the rest of the engine parameters) on a front-mounted, garden variety SD chip.

If you’re wondering why you’d ever need this much info while in flight, consider being able to troubleshoot a faulty probe to confirm that out-of-limit indications are indeed valid. And being able to accurately measure and record an out-of-balance prop under the full range of flight conditions is huge compared to the data available from a ground run-up.

Those who have rental aircraft have always wanted to know just how their planes are being flown by renter pilots, and now they can instantly look at the flight data from a particular flight by just popping the data card into a SD card reader. Suspect aerobatics in a non-aerobatic airplane? Or a hard landing? Or excessive G loadings? The G3 will let you know, and no additional software is necessary.

The full six-cylinder model of the G3 lists for $3200 (including probes), and the four-cylinder version is several hundred less. If you already have a GEM 602, 603 or 610 installation, the G3 will simply drop in using the old connector. However, a few new wires under the cowl will be required for fuel flow and accelerometer functions if these are to be added.

More information can be found at Insight Avionics.

Indeed, with more E-Mag models coming on-line, and with the addition of magneto control software, the engine efficiency bar has been raised once again. “In addition to all of the normal benefits you get from electronic ignition,” says Dement, “you can precisely adjust the ignition timing in flight to find that ‘sweet spot’ for your particular engine. With the price of gas what it is, the E-mag is a great tool to keep costs down.”

Many pilots have shied away from electronic ignition systems in the past because of an understandable concern about these systems’ dependency on aircraft power. E-Mag has a solution. “The P-Mag has a built-in alternator whose sole job is to power the mag in the event of aircraft electrical failure. With two P-Mags, the pilot has triple redundancy where electronic ignition power is concerned,” Dement says.

With the one moving part of the E-Mag line being the center shaft, the system is much simpler and less prone to mechanical issues than the traditional mechanical mags of the past. And, unlike its predecessors, these mags require no periodic maintenance. “And we’re anticipating starting the certification process once the six-cylinder unit is in production” Dement says.

Experimental types can enjoy the benefits of E-Mag right now. The E-Mag lists for $895, and the P-Mag is $1395. Further information is available at E-Mag.