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A Tale of Restoration

** The AirCam display lies in ruins after the
Sun 'n Fun 2011 tornado.**
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Lockwood Aircraft Corp.'s AirCam exhibit at a past Sun 'n Fun event was devastated by a Level 1 tornado, severely damaging all four unique homebuilt aircraft on display.
  • The extensive damage required significant restoration, with three AirCams needing entirely new kits and one needing new wings, necessitating dedicated effort from the company's founder, president, and factory workers.
  • Through these efforts, all previously damaged AirCams have been fully restored and are back in the air, with Lockwood Aircraft confirming its return to the same exhibition spot for future Sun 'n Fun events.
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Last spring thousands of aviation enthusiasts and hundreds of companies flocked to the grounds of Sun ‘n Fun to take part in one of general aviation’s biggest annual events. One such company was Lockwood Aircraft Corp., a venture centered upon the one-of-a-kind homebuilt aircraft known as the AirCam and the tight-knit community of aviators who fly it.

The company set up shop at the show with four of the twin-engine fliers on display, most of which were supplied by AirCam owners who built the airplanes themselves. The aircraft were tied down and secured beneath the AirCam tent when ominous clouds began to coalesce over Lakeland, followed by a Level 1 tornado that ripped through the fly-in grounds. The storm lasted only a matter of minutes and luckily caused no serious injuries, but nonetheless left vast devastation in its wake.

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