KYLE
FRANKLIN ON HIS 'EXTREMELY TOUGH YEAR'
 At Sun
'n Fun, AVweb's Glenn Pew stole a few moments from air show
fixture Kyle Franklin. Already performing again after sustaining serious
injuries during a crash last March that proved fatal for his wife and
partner Amanda, Franklin didn't shy away from discussing his future
plans and what he called "an extremely tough year."
SUN
'N FUN HUSKY A1C FLIGHT TRIAL
 At Sun
'n Fun 2012, AVweb's Paul Bertorelli took a flight demo in
Aviat's new Husky A1C with the higher gross weight and shock-absorbing
landing gear. Even he can get a decent landing.
MOVIE
PILOT CORKEY FORNOF AND 'THE FERRARI OF AIRPLANES'
 If
you've never seen Corkey Fornof fly — well, you probably have,
whether you realized it or not. He's worked as a stunt pilot in more
productions than we (and maybe even he) can keep track of.
AVweb's Glenn Pew caught up with Fornof during a rare moment of
downtime at Sun 'n Fun and asked for the scoop on the drool-worthy Fury
he flies for Lopresti Speed Merchants.
THE
DIY SPITFIRE
 Ever
wanted to fly your own Spitfire? Of course you have — and now,
thanks to Supermarine Aircraft, you may actually be able to afford it.
Mike O'Sullivan explains the program that will let you build your own
9:10 scale Spitfire for a fraction of the cost of a full-size
warbird.
PIPER'S
75TH ANNIVERSARY J-3 CUB DISPLAY
 At Sun
'n Fun this year, Piper has on display a pristine 1946 J-3 Cub to
celebrate the company's 75th anniversary. The company's Jacqueline
Carlon gave AVweb the details.
TBM
850'S NEW ELITE SEATING OPTION
 DAHER-Socota's TBM 850 is the fastest single-engine
turboprop on the market, and at Sun 'n Fun 2012, the company announced
(and displayed) a new interior mod that allows carrying large, bulky
cargo in place of two extra seats.
GARMIN
PILOT FOR IPAD, IPHONE AND ANDROID
 Garmin's Pilot MyCast has been updated with new
features, new navigation and a new name. A single weather, flight
planning and moving map app will be available for both iOS and
Android.
L-39
MIG-17 BLACK DIAMOND PERFORMANCE TEAM -- PILOT INTERVIEWS
 The
Black Diamond air show performance team is one place where Air Force,
civilian, and Navy pilots mix. The four-ship diamond flies one of the
tightest formations in the business in L-39s. The solos fly Polish-made
Migs. Team lead Jerry "Jive" Kerby (retired Air Force) and Dale "Snort"
Snodgrass (retired Navy) give the interviews in the video.
VAN'S
AIRCRAFT ORIGINAL 'RV-1'
 Dick
VanGrunsven is responsible for the most populous homebuilt airplane of
all, the RV-3. Five years ago, Van's Aircraft enthusiast Paul Dye found
the RV-3's forerunner — a heavily modified Stits Playboy that
became VanGrunsven's prototype — and embarked on a restoration
project. The rejuvenated "RV-1" is currently on tour with Dye and will
find a permanent home at the EAA Museum in Oshkosh at this summer's
AirVenture fly-in. We spoke with Dye and got a close look at RV-1 at Sun
'n Fun in Lakeland, Florida.
ANYWHERE
MAP'S NEW MULTI-PLATFORM NAV APP
 Are you
an iPad purist — or someone who swears by his android tablet? Maybe
you like to switch back and forth between different devices for
different tasks. Whatever your device, Anywhere Map has you covered with
their new multi-platform navaid, Anywhere Map Freedom. Jay Humbard
showed us around the application on different tablets at Sun 'n
Fun.
DIEMECH'S
SMALL TURBINE ENGINE
 With
avgas on the ropes, any new engines that uses a heavy fuel like Jet A or
diesel gets a lot of attention. In this video, a company called Diemech
is trying to capitalize on that with a smal turbine.
LEGEND'S
LYCOMING O-233 CUB
 American Legend is working away on its Lycoming
O-233-powered Legend Cub. Although it's not at Sun 'n Fun,
AVweb's Paul Bertorelli got a detailed look at the airplane at
Legend's factory on the way to Sun 'n Fun. Here's his report.
BONUS!
SUN 'N FUN PREVIEW WITH J.R. 'LITES' LEENHOUTS
 Lakeland, Florida
and the 2012 Sun 'n Fun international fly-in and expo. AVweb
staff is on location and got a preview with new Sun 'n Fun president and
CEO John "Lites" Leenhouts. And from our off-camera conversations, we'll
add thiss: If you get the chance to talk airplanes with Leenhouts, take
it.
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ERAU AND
LAMA PARTNERSHIP
Staff at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University are working with the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association
to offer audits to LSA manufacturers. AVweb's Mary Grady spoke
with Mikhael Ponso of ERAU at Sun 'n Fun on Monday for more
details about how this new collaboration will work.
Click here to listen. (6.4 MB,
7:00)
QUEST
KODIAK'S 'AIR CLAW' PROGRAM
Quest has partnered with Northrop
Grumman to develop new capabilities for its Kodiak STOL turboprop. This
week at Sun 'n Fun, AVweb's Mary Grady spoke with Steve
Zinda, Quest's marketing director, to learn more about the
program.
Click here to listen. (6.2 MB,
6:48)
FLIGHT
DESIGN FLIES FUEL-INJECTED CT
It's only been a few weeks
since Rotax unveiled its new 912iS fuel-injected engine, and Flight
Design has flown a new model that includes that engine in Europe. Flight
Design's Tom Peghiny spoke with AVweb's Mary Grady about
that and the new four-place aircraft coming from Flight Design.
Click here to listen. (5.5 MB,
6:00)
HARRISON
SCHMITT, APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUT
Harrison Schmitt was the
only one of the Apollo astronauts who was a civilian and scientist, with
a doctorate in geology from Harvard University. He spent some time at
Sun 'n Fun this week and talked with AVweb's Mary Grady about his
NASA flight training, why he thinks humans should return to the moon,
and more.
Click here to listen. (7.6 MB,
8:20)
PIPER
FOCUSES ON TRAINING
With its roots in the training market,
Piper is focusing there for future opportunities. AVweb Editorial
Director Paul Bertorelli spoke with Piper CEO Simon Caldecott at
Sun 'n Fun 2012.
Click here to listen. (6.4 MB,
7:00)
GA SIM
TRAINING WORKS
With 20 students through the course, Redbird
Flight Simulations' Jerry Gregoire says the results from its
flat-rate, simulator-based PPL course are positive. He spoke with
AVweb's Paul Bertorelli.
Click here to listen. (7.5 MB,
8:11)
REALLY
NICE CUB
The centerpiece of the EAA booth at Sun 'n Fun was a
1946 J-3 Cub that has taught three generations of the Jones family how
to fly. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli, a fellow Cub owner, went over the
beautiful aircraft and its history with owner Bob Jones.
Click here to listen. (4.7 MB,
5:08)
SUPERIOR
IS BACK
After a tumultuous few years, Superior Air Parts has
reorganized and is now stocking many of the parts that have made it a
trusted vendor. AVweb's Paul Bertorelli spoke with Superior's
Kent Abercrombie.
Click here to listen. (5.2 MB,
5:40)
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SUN
'N FUN AT THE CROSSROADS
All the vendors we spoke to at Sun
'n Fun had a good show, even if the traffic in the booths may have been
down a bit. On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli argues
that none of us should make much of the numbers from year to year, given
that the show is in a mature market in an industry that's on the
downswing. More to the point, we think the show's management and its
board are finding — and will find more — ways to improve Sun
'n Fun. Read
more and join the conversation.
SUN
'N FUN -- NOTES FROM THE SHOW
Over on the AVweb
Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli checks in from Sun 'n Fun -- with a
bevy of thoughts and name-checks on subjects ranging from the Redbird
sim training program to what consitutes great customer service at FBOs
to promising new engines and what Phil Boyer got up to at the show. Plus
a few thoughts on getting around the show -- and missing some of the
things you most want to see. Read
more and join the conversation.
SUN
'N FUN CHANGES
Paul Bertoreli's already spotted lots of
changes this year at Sun 'n Fun, most of them positive. The fly-in's
management is making subtle changes in how the show is marketed to local
and regional audiences — and that's worth a few words on the
AVweb Insider blog. Read
more and join the conversation.
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DAILY
COVERAGE FROM SUN 'N FUN 2012
For quick access, here are links to our daily coverage of the
show:
- AVwebFlash:
Tuesday,
March 27, 2012
- AVwebFlash:
Wednesday,
March 28, 2012
- AVwebFlash:
Thursday,
March 29, 2012
- AVwebFlash:
Friday,
March 30, 2012
- AVwebFlash:
Saturday,
March 31, 2012
- AVwebFlash:
Sunday,
April 1, 2012
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MEET THE AVWEBAUDIO
TEAM
AVwebAudio is
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AVweb, the
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AVwebAudio team is: Publisher
Tom Bliss Editorial Director,
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Paul
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Scott Simmons Contributors
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