Compared to Rotax and even Continental, Lycoming hasn’t had much of a presence in the light sport market. It does now. Lycoming announced this week that its O-233 four-cylinder engine is nearly ready for volume production and that a handful of airplanes are flying with it, including a new Kitfox and a pair of Renegade E-LSAs here at AirVenture. In this video, Lycoming’s GM, Michael Kraft, takes us on a tour of the 115-hp electronic-ignition O-233. Although the Kitfox version has carbureted induction, the experimental models can also have fuel injection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ_act-nDbE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRdu_Hr1gLE

Kitplanes’ sister publication, Avweb, has posted a new video on Garmin’s touch-screen aera handheld GPS. The bulk of the flight testing was done aboard Kitplanes’ editor’s Glastar Sportsman. Avweb Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli reports on Garmin’s latest offering.

Gearing up for the Sun ‘n Fun extravaganza in Lakeland, Kitplanes editor Marc Cook and AVweb editorial director Paul Bertorelli are motoring around the west in Cook’s Glastar Sportsman visiting companies prior to the show. Here’s part 1 of their video blog report:

Part 2: Marc Cook and Paul Bertorelli continue their Sportsman odyssey with a look at this unique aircraft:

Part 3: “Do you realize how obsessive you are?”

That’s Paul’s observation as the boys wing their way across Idaho and Nevada. Ya notice things when cooped up in the same cockpit for three days …

Part 4: Marc and Paul runnamucca in Winnemucca!

That’s in Nevada, by the way — and home of the friendliest FBO on the planet. Good thing, ‘cuz the boys have been snowed in there for two days. Here’s the dramatic details in the final installment of the Sportsman Pre-Sun ‘n Fun vid blog.

Part 5: The guys finally make it out of Winnemuca after two days of snow and ice and cross the Sierras back into the Golden State.