EAA Enjoys Successful Week at Sun ’n Fun Fly-In
EAA staffers returned from Lakeland this week after another successful Sun ’n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) in Lakeland, Florida. EAA's Member Village, the "one-stop-shop" for EAAers, experienced brisk traffic throughout the week. There members could get information on the many benefits of membership including EAA Young Eagles, EAA SportAir Workshops, and the EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan. New and renewing memberships experienced increases, plus the adjoining EAA merchandise area reported brisk activity throughout the week.
(read more)    Sun 'n Fun aircraft judging results    -    Warbird judging results

Sun 'n Fun Calls 2005 Event an 'Unqualified Success'
With ideal weather conditions and plenty of unique activities, Sun 'n Fun President John Burton called the 2005 fly-in an unqualified success. "There were no major accidents or injuries. That is our first and foremost priority, everything flows from that," he said. Attendance was about the same as a year ago, or 160,000 people, Burton said, and the event benefited from a number of unique and special events, including appearances by the P-38 Glacier Girl and the public debut of the Eclipse 500 jet. Burton also mentioned the effect of light-sport aircraft on aviation, calling it something that holds tremendous potential for the future. "I am anxious to see what is going to happen at AirVenture this year and then at next year’s Sun ’n Fun. It (LSA) has arrived, but it’s picking up steam." Burton also mentioned the ribbon-cutting of the Tom Davis Education Center on Monday and Tuesday's announcement by Cessna Aircraft of a permanent facility on the Sun n Fun campus. Dates for the 2006 fly-in are April 4-10.

Light-Sport Aircraft Community Delivering Fully Compliant Aircraft to Marketplace
The day eagerly awaited by everyone who enjoys flying for fun has arrived! During the just-concluded Sun ’n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida, aircraft and engine makers began receiving their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) compliance approval, allowing them to produce airplanes and engines to light-sport aircraft specifications, meeting the demands of the new sport pilot marketplace.
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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh News French Warbirds, GA Aircraft Plan EAA AirVenture Caravan From Paris  A special group flight planned this summer will link aviation’s past, present, and future at the only place it can possibly happen: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005. The past: Two restored Dassault MD312 Flamants (Flamingos), twin-engine military liaison aircraft, will fly from Paris to Oshkosh over the North Atlantic. The present: 19 general aviation planes (“light” singles and twins to the French) will also make the trip, flown by members of the French Euro Squadron. All are scheduled to depart Paris on July 18 and arrive at Wittman Regional Airport on opening day July 25. The future: The 1950s-vintage Dassaults will park at AirVenture’s main showcase ramp, AeroShell Square, near the gleaming composite SpaceShipOne/White Knight and Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. (read more) ‘Protect Our Planes’ Marks Fifth Anniversary This Year People from around the world come to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, where thousands of aircraft converge on Wittman Regional Airport. To protect the airplanes—and spectators—EAA formed a volunteer effort, the Protect Our Planes (POP) Team. Members monitor flight line activities to make sure visitors abide by the time-tested Oshkosh rules: no smoking, except in designated areas, and no food or drink on the flight line. (read more) Check out EAA's RideShare - A convenient way to get to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh - More rides and requests are being posted all the time, so check it out!

EAA at Aero 2005 in Germany This Week
With little chance to catch their breath after a long week in Lakeland, Florida, EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft Editor Mary Jones and EAA sport pilot marketing consultant Dan Johnson are in Friedrichshafen, German, for Aero 2005 - International Trade Fair for General Aviation, April 21-24. EAA has a prominent exhibit booth that so far has been busy, attracting visitors looking to find out more about the organization, the SP/LSA magazine and the new SP/LSA rule. Jones and Johnson are also looking at potential new European LSA candidates.
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FAA Language Puts Historic Aircraft Restorations at Risk
EAA, along with its Vintage Aircraft Association division, is objecting strongly to language in a proposed FAA rule change that would jeopardize future historic aircraft restorations. The proposed rule’s preamble, specifically, would prohibit a historic aircraft that had been destroyed—as indicated by National Transportation Safety Board reports—from being rebuilt and receiving a type certificate to operate as a standard category aircraft.
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Wagstaff Launches Young Eagles Live Web Chats
The EAA Young Eagles website began its monthly web chat feature on Wednesday night with aerobatic performer and National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee Patty Wagstaff. From 7-8 p.m. CDT the popular pilot answered questions ranging from her prowess as a performing pilot to what she likes to do in her leisure time and her love of AirVenture Oshkosh. “It was an exciting evening,” said EAA Young Eagles Director Steve Buss, who moderated the session. “We weren't sure what kind of response we would receive, but I am very pleased with our inaugural event. Of course, having a guest of Patty's caliber certainly helps.”
(read more)          Read chat transcript

EAA Participates in Visual Warning System Demo
EAA participated in a special demonstration by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Thursday of a new Visual Warning System (VWS) for GA pilots who stray into restricted airspace around the National Capital Region. The new VWS uses focused, safety-tested, low-level beams of alternating red and green light to warn pilots they are flying without approval in designated airspace. The anticipated operational date for the new system is May 21, 2005.
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RMRFI Arrival Procedures Available Online 
The EAA Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In is making preparations for their 27th annual event, scheduled for June 25-26 at Front Range Airport (FTG) in Watkins, Colorado. Front Range, located on the I-70 corridor just 6 miles southeast of Denver International Airport, debuted admirably last year after the fly-in’s 25-year run at Longmont. Arrival procedures for FTG are now available for download on the fly-in’s website. Visit www.rmrfi.org for complete information on the fly-in.

‘TuHoler’ Discussion Group Appears on the Web
A discussion group on Yahoo.com focuses on the Spezio Sport DAL 1, also known as the “TuHoler.” EAAer George Smith, Whitefish, Montana, discovered the group when searching for information about the tube-and-fabric low-wing airplane designed by Tony Spezio. “After a year of searching on my own, I was unable to access any type assistance,” Smith wrote to EAA. “Finally I stumbled across a Yahoo Group with a couple of active members that has since grown to quite a few,” including Tony himself and Dustin Hardman, the current owner of Tony’s original SN 001.

EAA Founder and Chairman Paul Poberezny is credited with nicknaming the airplane. As the story goes, Paul visited Tony and exclaimed, “A two-holer!” when he first saw it because it was a two-place homebuilt, relatively rare at the time. The name stuck, and most people today called it the “TuHoler.”
Past and present owners and builders, or those interested in the type can join the forum at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TuHoler. There is no cost to join.

First Zenair CH601 Certificated as E-LSA
John Allen, deputy director of flight standards for the FAA, presented the first E-LSA Certificate of Airworthiness for a Zenair CH601 at the 2005 Sun ’n Fun Fly-In, in Lakeland, Florida this week. “We are pleased to be able to make it possible for distribution of this design as part of the E-LSA category under the new rules for Sport Aircraft,” he said. Only moments earlier, Al Kimball, Aviation Safety Inspector for the local FSDO, had signed off on the aircraft in its logbook. “It’s a momentous occasion,” said Josh Foss, president of Sportsplanes.com. “This clears the way for all of our Sport Aircraft Regional Centers to begin importing aircraft that will transform sport pilot licensing from an idea to a reality.” Sportsplanes.com will begin to import CH601s that comply with the S-LSA criteria in June. Orders are now being taken for the CH601 as an E-LSA and S-LSA. For more information on availability, cost and performance, visit www.sportsplanes.com or phone 801/420-6176.

Eclipse 500 Lands at Lakeland
The first Eclipse 500 certification flight-test aircraft, N503EA, landed at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport during the annual Sun ’n Fun Fly-In on Friday, April 15, after a cross country flight exceeding 1,200 nautical miles. The twin-engine jet left company headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday afternoon piloted by veteran test pilot Bill Bubb. He flew to 25,000 feet, averaging 270 knots with the gear and flaps retracted. After an overnight stop in Longview, Texas, they hopped to Tallahassee, Florida, before arriving at Lakeland on Friday afternoon. Bubb commented that the aircraft continues to be a pleasure to fly and that the flight to Sun ‘n Fun was completely uneventful. For more information, visit www.eclipseaviation.com.

Chelton EFIS Software Receives FAA Approval
Chelton Flight Systems’ Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) Primary Flight Display has achieved Level A, the highest level of software standards established by RTCA for the FAA. Geared for the retrofit market, the EFIS system provides 3D synthetic vision, Highway-In-The-Sky (HITS) technology, and a Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS). With this new software approval, Chelton has secured FAA approval of TSO authorization and STC amendment for individual models of piston and turbine aircraft. The STC amendment for EFIS installation in rotorcraft is also in the works. For more information, contact Chelton Flight Systems at 208/389-9959 or visit www.cheltonflightsystems.com. 

New Feature on Sporty’s E6Bs
Sporty’s has added a required rate-of-climb function to its line of E6B flight computers, so pilots can decipher departure procedure climb requirements with ease. Simply enter your groundspeed and the required climb rate in feet/nautical miles as denoted on the chart to get the minimum required climb rate in feet/minutes. Measure your performance directly against the VSI with no need to consult the hard-to-find rate of climb table in the approach chart book. It’s currently available on the Electronic E6B and the Palm E6B; look for it on the flat E6B within a year. The E6B is available for $59.95, and the flat E6B for $69.95. The software for the Palm E6B runs $19.95 and may be downloaded at www.sportys.com/E6B, or call 800/SPORTYS.