May 2026

In this month’s edition:

  • Not on the Farm: Sun ‘n Fun 26 – Tony Palmer
  • Convert your Aircraft to Electric
  • New edition of CAP 413: Radiotelephony Manual
  • Interesting Vacation Destination: The Runway Hut
  • Only its mother would love it: new ‘Flying Car’
  • CAA Announce Changes to the Pilot Medical Declaration
  • Strut Fly-out to Great Oakley Saturday 23rd May

Not on the Farm: Sun ‘n Fun 26

Tony Palmer and Richard Acton visited Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida US during April. The LAA Rally it ain’t! Here are some of their photos and videos.

Below are Tony’s comments on the pictures:

Float planes pics: Richard Acton renewed his FAA float plane licence and I had 30 mins and 4 landings in a Cub clone.

The blue 2 seater is a Fairchild PT19 built 1943 which I had a ride in.

The arty pics was Richard and myself in the highly polished wheel spat.

The night airshow was on Saturday night, the fighter was a F22, the 3 planes in the night show were Harvards.

Tony Palmer

Convert your Aircraft to Electric

Back in August 2017 in a piece on the Goodwood Festival of Speed I got all excited about a project that Siemens, the industrial giant, demonstrated of a drop-in electrical conversion for GA. Well, that seems to have fizzled out, but here is another manufacturer addressing the same market segment. Magnix, a US company with a vision “to be the world’s most trusted electric solutions company” have launched a 230 HP engine specifically for the kit build market. They will be demonstrating it in an RV10 later in the year. Full details here: Magnix launches new GA electric engine

New edition of CAP 413: Radiotelephony Manual

Will come into effect 1st July 2026. Download it here: CAP 413

Interesting Vacation Destination: The Runway Hut

Accessible only by air! https://www.therunwayhut.co.uk/

Only its mother would love it: new ‘Flying Car‘

Well, maybe not actually a flying car, more a flying golf cart, or maybe its a scam… Scott Shafer: Exposing the flying car scam Maybe one day we’ll get a flying car….

CAA Announce Changes to the Pilot Medical Declaration

The CAA have just published CAP3249: Pilot Medical Declaration amendments to the ANO and Aircrew regulations Consultation Response Document (click to download it as a pdf). The big change is the removal of the greater than 2,000 kg MTOW category. More positive is regularisation of the PMD for certain categories of instruction, but not all. The thing most likely to affect Strut members is the 5 year before age 60, 2 years after renewal cycle. The threatened online recording and associated charges are still in the works awaiting ‘software development’; how hard can that be?

Strut Fly-out to Great Oakley Saturday 23rd May

Mike Biddulph has invited us to see his Proctor in restoration. If you are planning on coming, please enter details in the form below and click the “I’ll be coming” button. Details will be sent to the email address you give:

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Events

Next Strut ‘Club Night’

Wednesday 6th May 2026, 7:30 pm at The Longshore, Shoreham

For a full list of events go to the website Events page.