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Powerful Political Duo Sounds Off In Bizjet Land The hits from NBAA2008 just keep on coming and as soon as business heats up a little in these chilly economic times, we're likely to remember them quite fondly (we hope). One of the highlights of this year was the return of veteran political couple Mary Matalin and James Carville. This intriguing pair spoke at NBAA's the Opening General Session , offering their perspectives on this year’s election, and marking the couple’s second appearance at an NBAA Convention. Matalin, a Republican political pundit who once served on George Herbert Walker Bush’s campaign, and who has served as Vice President Dick Cheney’s top advisor, entertained the audience with affectionate jabs at her husband, Carville, a Democratic political pundit and former Clinton advisor. Matalin and Carville shared anecdotes about each other, explaining how they reconcile their stark political differences in their married life. Matalin said, "I just ...

Rotax's Basic Four-Stroke Is A Solid Performer In The Sport Aviation World At the US Sport Aviation Expo, Aero-TV caught up with an old friend, Eric Tucker... a guy who is known worldwide as "Mr. Rotax." The most well-known (and easily the hardest working) expert on the Rotax 900 series sport and certified engines, Eric took a few minutes to help us profile each of the amazingly compact, powerful and fuel-efficient 900 series engines, this time concentrating on the 81 HP Rotax 912 UL. With a dry weight of 121.2 pounds, the Rotax 912 UL DCDI 81HP engine is a 4-stroke engine specially developed for recreational aircraft. It also exists in a certified version as the Rotax 912 A and Rotax 912 F. Additional features include: 4 horizontally opposed cylinders, "boxer" configuration Free air cooled cylinders, liquid cooled cylinder heads with integrated pump and expansion tank Dry sump forced lubrication with integrated pump and separate oil tank 8 valves, automatic adjustment by hydraulic ...

Not All Air Force Reserve Pilots Fly Fighters... During last summer's Ocean City Airshow, Aero-TV got the chance to sit down with the best and brightest of the personnel and performers that made this first-time show a truly outstanding event. It was Ocean City, MD’s first ever airshow and was initiated to kick off the town’s 2008 summer season on June 10-11, 2008, adding a new signature attraction to Ocean City’s roster of annual events. Military aircraft demonstrations, low altitude flyovers and civilian aerobatic performances took place over the Ocean City beachfront from noon to 4 pm each day. The airshow was visible along the majority of the Boardwalk creating an inspiring experience for visitors while they enjoyed the hospitality of Ocean City’s beach and attractions. One of the standouts among an impressive roster of expert performances was a stirring routine performed by Veteran Pilot (in more ways than one), Ed Hamill, flying on behalf of the USAFR. While a ...

Oscar Garcia Expresses Optimism Despite Current Economic Challenges ANN and Aero-TV are pleased to announce that we have agreed to be the principal media partner for MIU Events upcoming roster of aviation events and seminars. MIU Events run aviation events and training seminars, specializing in executive flight infrastructure, business aviation and finance solutions for aviation as a whole. They run a number of events focusing on the development of the Very Light Jet in regional markets and cater their events to the needs of senior managers, charter/air taxi operators, high net worth individuals/entrepreneurs, owner pilots and those who shape the future of the aviation and aerospace industries. MIU Events concentrate on providing hard to access information and the exchange of ideas, knowledge and innovative thinking. As a result of this relationship,. we're having a ball meeting some REALLY interesting and learned people... most recently a fellow by the name of Oscar S. Garcia, of InterFlight ...

An Aero-TV Powerplant Profile: The Rotax 914 Rotax's 'Mighty Mite' Remains One Of The Best Bets In Sport Or GA At the US Sport Aviation Expo, Aero-TV caught up with an old friend, Eric Tucker... a guy who is known worldwide as "Mr. Rotax." The most well-known (and easily the hardest working) expert on the Rotax 900 series sport and certified engines, Eric took a few minutes to help us profile each of the amazingly compact, powerful and fuel-efficient 900 series engines starting with our personal favorite... the 115 HP Turbocharged Rotax 914. With a dry weight of 141 pounds, the Rotax 914 UL DCDI 115HP engine is a 4-stroke turbocharged engine specially developed for recreational aircraft. It also exists in a certified version as the Rotax 914 F, that received its first cert in 1996. Additonal features include: 4 horizontally opposed cylinders, "boxer" configuration Free air cooled cylinders, liquid cooled cylinder heads with integrated pump and expansion tank Dry sump forced ...

The Brady's Rugged Little RANS S-7 While I'm sure that you're having as much fun with the heavy iron and hot biz birds as we are, sometimes it makes sense to get back to basics... especially when Part 2 of our program on the Eclipse Training Program gets nuked by a bad hard drive (Don't worry, we'll salvage it and have it for you shortly) and we really needed a good excuse to put up a different program. Grin. OK... so let's get to the meat of the matter. While perusing Oshkosh 2008, we ran into lots of REALLY cool people, planes and products... sometimes all at once. The Bradys provided one of those welcome interludes as well as an excuse for a cool Aero-TV piece... from the perspective of a Sport Aviation couple and their little RANS S-7. Their RANS S-7 was the result of a "need to train Coyote I pilots: (the single seat Randy Schlitter design that preceded the S-7 by a number of years). Named the Courier in honor of one of Designer Schlitter's favorite planes, The Helio Courier, the S-7 ...

Just How Will They Train All Those Eclipse Pilots, Anyway? Despite all the growing pains associated with getting the Eclipse program up to speed, one thing continues unabated... Eclipse Pilot training. A visit to the factory flight training facility a few weeks back showed ANN that this was one part of the program that seems ready and able to keep up with the demand, and that Director of Customer Training, Randy Brooks, seems more than optimistic about their efforts. Just last January, Eclipse told us that the FAA had awarded Eclipse's training provider, Higher Power Aviation (HPA), authorization to conduct Eclipse 500 Type Training under HPA's Part 142 Training Certificate. The authorization increases Eclipse's training capacity and enables the company to type rate customers entirely in its certified Level D Full Motion simulators. During the Part 142 certification process, the FAA examined Eclipse's training curriculum and analyzed how Eclipse uses its advanced simulator to train and type ...

Let's Talk About The MU-2 With An Expert... ANN has always found the controversy over the airworthiness of the MU-2 an argument of political hype over reality. Much maligned over a number of highly visible accidents (often hyped by some politicos with an aviation-ignorant agenda), the truth of the matter is that the MU-2 is a hell of an airplane... and PROPERLY trained and flown, this is a serious working airplane. To separate the "Bravo Sierra" from the reality of the matter, ANN and Aero-TV interviewed and flew with MU-2 expert Pat Cannon to detail the TRUE nature of this airplane and the community that has grown around it... especially in light of the recent SFAR actions. After receiving numerous comments from both private and commercial operators of the Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop -- as well as owner representatives, and the plane's manufacturer -- the FAA has gone forward with its call for a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) calling for new pilot training, experience, and operating ...

This Episode Features A Presentation By John Dixon, Director of Pilot Recruitment for American Eagle (Part 5 Of A Series) We've been hearing about it for years... a pilot shortage... a critical one, at that. For many in the aviation community, it sounded like good news... at least if you were on the bottom rungs of the pilot hiring ladder and working desperately to climb your way up. However; after engaging in discussions thorough the industry over the last year and in attending a particularly pointed (and very well-organized) presentation at the FAA Forecast Conference some months ago, ANN and Aero-TV are left with the troubling impression that aviation has a BIG problem on its hands. The session devoted to discussing the Pilot Supply was, as indicated earlier, exceptionally produced and wholly on target. The session was presented by Moderator Peter J. Wolfe, Executive Director, Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC), and augmented by presentations delivered by Kit Darby, President, ...

One Of The World's Most Recognizable Aircraft Plays In The Skies Above Oshkosh At the recently concluded Oshkosh 2008 aerial extravaganza, ANN and Aero-TV, yet again, got to play with the Goodyear Blimp. We admit it... we love the big monster gas bag and we thought an update and additional look at this amazing and gentle flyer was worth a second look from Aero-TV. For 80 years, Goodyear tells ANN that their 'blimps have adorned the skies as very visible corporate symbols of the tire and rubber company that began operations in 1898.' Today, these graceful giants travel more than 100,000 miles across the United States per year as Goodyear's "Aerial Ambassadors." The blimp tradition began in 1925 when Goodyear built its first helium-filled public relations airship, the Pilgrim. The tire company painted its name on the side and began barnstorming the United States. Humble beginnings to an illustrious history. Over the years, Goodyear built more than 300 airships, more than any other ...

A Vital Topic... Deserving Of NASA's Attention (and YOURS) Late last year, ANN's Aero-TV crews spied a truly marvelous piece of flight simulation technology... NASA Glenn's icing flight training simulator. Demonstrated at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), we were incredibly impressed at the apparent accuracy of the model (ANN's Jim Campbell has plenty of Twin Otter time -- the aircraft used in the icing encounter sim model -- and knows only too well that the icing behavior they displayed is what he has experienced, personally, in real icing conditions). The high-fidelity simulation model for icing effects flight training was developed from wind tunnel data for the DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. First, a flight model of the un-iced airplane was developed and then modifications were generated to model the icing conditions. The models were validated against data records from the NASA Twin Otter Icing Research flight test program with only ...

Cautious Optimism Remains The Watchword For A Show Almost As Popular As 2007's This is Aero-TV's final daily update from the floor of the National Business Aviation Association's 61st Annual Meeting & Convention. Among the highlights Tuesday, Jim Bass, President of Piper Aircraft announced that, against declining industry-wide sales of piston aircraft, Piper's piston sales are up this year. We caught up with Nicolas Chabbert from EADS Socata for an update... including word on the company's next aircraft project. Hawker Beechcraft announced its own foray into a new market... with a $200 million order from its dealership in Brazil, the backyard of rival Embraer... Monday's Very Light Jet forum got a status report on the segment from four manufacturers in varying stages of VLJ development. Training and electronics leader Jeppesen signed the first of what might lead to many agreements with French planemaker Dassault Falcon, to distribute the Jeppesen's electronic flight bag software to ...

The G1000 And PW's Finest Make This An Exceptional Way To Travel It would be hard to improve on a such an impressive performer as the TBM 850 single-engine turboprop... but that said, if there was one area the previous generation aircraft came up lacking, it was in cockpit integration. That concern has been nicely addressed by EADS Socata for 2008, with a simple one-word explanation: Garmin. After working our way on a warm day at 308-310 kts at FL260, with th best of Garmin keeping things VERY manageable, we have to tell you that the TBM 850 has it RIGHT. Upgrades to the latest TBM 850 variant includes its Integrated All-Glass Flight Deck, based on the last-generation Garmin G1000 system -- which replaces traditional instruments with large liquid crystal display (LCD) screens. It integrates primary flight, navigation, weather, traffic, ground proximity and technical information on the aircraft, fully associated with a digital autopilot. This reduces pilot workload and eases maintenance, and ...

The News Keeps Soaring At NBAA2008.... Despite the turmoil outside trhe sunshine state, the business avaion indsutry is still doing Business... and lots of it. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen welcomed Attendees of the NBAA 61st Annual Meeting & Convention at this morning?s Opening General Session, which featured distinguished speaker Roberto Kobeh González, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) president, along with Ron Kaplan, executive director of the National Aviation Association Hall of Fame, who announced this year's recipient of the Combs-Gates Award. To underscore the increasing international presence of business aviation, NBAA invited Kobeh to give this year's keynote address. The engineer, professor and former deputy general has served as ICAO's president since 2006. "It is a great pleasure for me to address this Opening Session, and to take part in the largest and most important civil aviation event," said Kobeh. His address focused on several key issues facing the business ...

Let's Talk About The MU-2 With An Expert... ANN has always found the controversy over the airworthiness of the MU-2 an argument of political hype over reality. Much maligned over a number of highly visible accidents (often hyped by some politicos with an aviation-ignorant agenda), the truth of the matter is that the MU-2 is a hell of an airplane... and PROPERLY trained and flown, this is a serious working airplane. To separate the "Bravo Sierra" from the reality of the matter, ANN and Aero-TV interviewed and flew with MU-2 expert Pat Cannon to detail the TRUE nature of this airplane and the community that has grown around it... especially in light of the recent SFAR actions. After receiving numerous comments from both private and commercial operators of the Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop -- as well as owner representatives, and the plane's manufacturer -- the FAA has gone forward with its call for a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) calling for new pilot training, experience, and ...

The News Starts Early Here At NBAA.... Welcome to Orlando, Florida... home to this year's National Business Aviation Association Conference and Trade Show. These are some of the recent NBAA show headlines for Monday, October Sixth, 2008. There's no denying these are different times in the world of business aviation... just as these are difficult times for the world at large. In stark contrast to the festive atmosphere seen over the past three years at NBAA, the news from the first day of this year's event was subdued by comparison, yet still cautiously optimistic... a tone NBAA President Ed Bolen says reflects a general uneasiness of the today's marketplace... Continuing a somewhat-quirky NBAA tradition, Sunday's 'sneak-peak' press conference schedule was jam-packed with companies hoping to get their announcements out ahead of the show's formal opening ceremonies on Monday. Gulfstream was among the first to show their hand, announcing its new G250 "super mid-size" jet. Based on the ...

A VERY Close Look At Piper's Most Exciting Aircraft Program Yet ANN had extensive access to the exciting new PiperJet just a few days ago... inside, outside and in the air! Piper's most aggressive new airplane program, the FJ44-powered PiperJet is set to make aviation history as one of the new generation of high-performance single-engine jets that is setting the aviation world abuzz. ANN broke the news, worldwide, of the first flight of the PiperJet during Oshkosh 2008. The new aircraft, the first pure, jet-powered, turbofan design in the company's 71-year history, made its first flight at 11:11 AM, July 30th, from Piper Headquarters in Vero Beach, Fla. Piper was ebullient over this new development... "Today marks the beginning of a new era for Piper Aircraft as the company literally takes flight into a whole new realm of performance, luxury and capability," said Piper President & CEO James K. Bass. "With this major milestone in the PiperJet's development, we are witnessing our future - one ...

Cool: A KC-10 Flight Engineer Explains Life Aboard A Multi-Mission Tanker One of the highlights of the 2008 Oshkosh Fly-In was the chance to get up close and personal with all manner of military aircraft -- the same birds that can be called upon at a moment's notice to serve and protect this nation... While the fighters get most of the glory and the bombers get some notice here and there, rarely do we here about the tankers. Take the KC-10 for instance... According to the US Air Force, the KC-10 'Extender' is an Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for US armed forces. Although the KC-10's primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. The KC-10 is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical ...

Fascinating: KC-10 Pilots Detail The Intricacies Of Refueling Aircraft in Flight One of the highlights of the 2008 Oshkosh Fly-In was the chance to get up close and personal with all manner of military aircraft -- the same birds that can be called upon at a moment's notice to serve and protect this nation... While the fighters get most of the glory and the bombers get some notice here and there, rarely do we here about the tankers. Take the KC-10 for instance... According to the US Air Force, the KC-10 'Extender' is an Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for US armed forces. Although the KC-10's primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. The KC-10 is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical ...

This Episode Features A Presentation By Captain Paul Rice, Air Line Pilots Association (Part 4 Of A Series) We've been hearing about it for years... a pilot shortage... a critical one, at that. For many in the aviation community, it sounded like good news... at least if you were on the bottom rungs of the pilot hiring ladder and working desperately to climb your way up. However; after engaging in discussions thorough the industry over the last year and in attending a particularly pointed (and very well-organized) presentation at the FAA Forecast Conference some months ago, ANN and Aero-TV are left with the troubling impression that aviation has a BIG problem on its hands. The session devoted to discussing the Pilot Supply was, as indicated earlier, exceptionally produced and wholly on target. The session was presented by Moderator Peter J. Wolfe, Executive Director, Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC), and augmented by presentations delivered by Kit Darby, President, AIR, Inc, ...

This Advanced Tanker/Cargo Aircraft Is An Unsung Hero... One of the highlights of the 2008 Oshkosh Fly-In was the chance to get up close and personal with all manner of military aircraft -- the same birds that can be called upon at a moment's notice to serve and protect this nation... While the fighters get most of the glory and the bombers get some notice here and there, rarely do we here about the tankers. Take the KC-10 for instance... According to the US Air Force, the KC-10 'Extender' is an Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for US armed forces. Although the KC-10's primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. The KC-10 is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical evacuations. The KC-10 can ...

Take Your Training Right To Where the Action Is Training is a constant issue in the hard-fought (literally) world of the combat pilot. In the areas where pilots are ready for action, there are usually a scarcity of the support systems that they might have known in more civilized locales. There's certainly little room for some of the most complex training devices and sims in the vicinity of an active combat zone.... but that may no longer be true due to a novel approach by an innovative military simulator company by the name of Zedasoft. ZedaSoft is a 'spin-off' from RIVA Technologies... which made the change in 2000 to focus exclusively on the simulation and visualization marketplace. RIVA had been providing simulation software development since its inception in 1993 for companies such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Training, Federal Aviation Administration, Silicon Graphics and SportSimulation, Inc. In 1996 RIVA also began producing interactive learning products on CDROM and web based testing ...

Over 30,000 Homebuilders Gotta Be Up To Something... This year's rendition of the Annual Oshkosh Aerial Love-Fest was a watershed event for all things homebuilding. In addition to the usual assortment of THOUSANDS of amazing personally-crafted experimental aircraft in attendance, the 30,000th such bird was found and celebrated. Yuma, AZ homebuilder Bob Noll's RV-9A airplane was recognized as the honorary 30,000th US-registered homebuilt at a ceremony at AirVenture 2008. Standing on stage with his daughter Katrina who came to AirVenture with him, acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell, FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Nick Sabatini, EAA President Tom Poberezny and EAA Founder Paul Poberezny were on hand to recognize the milestone of 30,000 homebuilt airplanes registered. Paul Poberezny was asked how he felt about the milestone after 55 years since he founded EAA. His answer, "unbelievable, simply unbelievable." to which he gave a thumbs up. EAA Founder Paul Poberezny commented ...

ANN Poses The Final of Three Questions For The Cirrus Community As previously noted, the 2008 COPA 'Migration' (M6) happened to be a GREAT place for ANN and Aero-TV to gauge the mood and feelings of the Cirrus community... about the organization that has gained such a sterling rep throughout GA, about the realities of GA travel... and whether there is an undercurrent of 'jet envy' among the crowd of fast-moving piston drivers. The third and final time around (for now), though, we had top ask a question that was on everyone's mind in the scant few days since the first flight of Cirrus design's LONG-awaited single Jet, the Vision SJ50.... Is There a JET In YOUR Future? COPA's annual "Migration" is hosted by owners and flyers of the Cirrus Design flock. Gathering in the shadow of the CD factory in Duluth, Minnesota, it is an event chock full of fun, fellowship, education and more than a few surprises. Exceptionally well organized, by ANY standard, the event hosts hundreds of planes, flyers and ...

ANN Poses Three Questions For The Cirrus Community As previously noted, the 2008 COPA 'Migration' (M6) happened to be a GREAT place for ANN and Aero-TV to gauge the mood and feelings of the Cirrus community... about the organization that has gained such a sterling rep throughout GA, about the realities of GA travel... and whether there is an undercurrent of 'jet envy' among the crowd of fast-moving piston drivers. Second time around, though, we have a little fun with the airlines and ask Cirrus Pilots from all over the world as to whether GA is effectively competing with airline travel. So here we go with Question 2 -- How is GA comparing with airline travel these days? COPA's annual "Migration" is hosted by owners and flyers of the Cirrus Design flock. Gathering in the shadow of the CD factory in Duluth, Minnesota, it is an event chock full of fun, fellowship, education and more than a few surprises. Exceptionally well organized, by ANY standard, the event hosts hundreds of planes, flyers and ...

This Episode Features A Presentation By Captain Ronald Levy, University Aviation Association (Part 3 Of A Series) We've been hearing about it for years... a pilot shortage... a critical one, at that. For many in the aviation community, it sounded like good news... at least if you were on the bottom rungs of the pilot hiring ladder and working desperately to climb your way up. However; after engaging in discussions thorough the industry over the last year and in attending a particularly pointed (and very well-organized) presentation at the FAA Forecast Conference some months ago, ANN and Aero-TV are left with the troubling impression that aviation has a BIG problem on its hands. The session devoted to discussing the Pilot Supply was, as indicated earlier, exceptionally produced and wholly on target. The session was presented by Moderator Peter J. Wolfe, Executive Director, Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC), and augmented by presentations delivered by Kit Darby, President, AIR, Inc, ...

5,000 People Witness First Public Flight Of Unique Vertical Lift Device The Martin JetPack caused quite a stir at Oshkosh 2008... though to be accurate, the device was anything BUT a 'Jetpack.' Still... it proved to be a huge draw in an arena where there are no small number of things to attract one's attention. EAA officials report as many as 5,000 eager spectators were on hand for the Tuesday morning demo in AeroShell Square where the first public flight of the much-anticipated Martin Jetpack took place... and having been among that crowd ourselves, we think that number might even be slightly low. In fact, organizers seemed a bit surprised with the large turnout, as the assembled throngs were slowly moved out of the way to make room for the demo flight at show center, forcing some against the barriers placed around AeroShell's other "big" attraction Tuesday, the Boeing Dreamlifter. Any crowd discomfort was assuaged, however, when Harrison Martin took the "stage" wearing the somewhat bulky ...

Sturgell Makes His First Oshkosh Appearance As Administrator One of the more interesting events (most years) that takes places at each rendition of the annual Oshkosh aerial get-together is the chance to listen to, and then grill/question/cajole info from the current FAA Boss. This year was no different... In his opening remarks, FAA's Acting Admin, Bobby Sturgell's low-key, affable nature played well to the middling crowd at the 2008 forum... which was a far cry from the packed houses Blakey drew during her tenure, with several rows of seating in the Honda Pavilion left empty. But Sturgell -- himself an accomplished military and commercial pilot, another difference from his former boss -- knew how to appeal to that audience. After allowing other FAA personnel in attendance to introduce themselves (which led to a good-natured game of "whose ties to GA are strongest?" during their intros) Sturgell paid heed to the four winners of the FAA's General Aviation Awards Program for 2008: CFI Max ...

A Versatile Heli-UAV Program While perusing the many sights and sounds of the 2008 Heli-Expo, ANN's Aero-TV crews got a look at an intriguing helicopter-based UAV program with a number of missions applications and capabilities. Call the CybAero 'Vantage', this UAV is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned helicopter developed by US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). With fully autonomous flight operation and differential GPS navigation, CybAero claims the Vantage can perform a wide variety of missions in both military and commercial applications. The Vantage is powered by a specially configured UEL 801 42-HP heavy-fuel (JP5, JP8, Jet A) rotary engine, utilizing an electrically driven ducted tail rotor, powered by an onboard starter/generator. This configuration saves weight and mechanical complexity. The overall fuselage length is 112 inches with a rotor diameter of 109 inches. CybAero utilizes a foldable tri-blade system making the Vantage HMMWV-transportable. It has a gross weight of 380 ...

The Party's Just About Over! Oshkosh 2008 is about to take its place in history... and what was once feared as a potential disappointment over possible economic disincentives (i.e., fuel prices), has turned out to be a roaring success. Opening day was strong, it didn't let up form there, the weather was good, the attendance powerful and let's face it, this year's lineup just plain rocked the house. In other words, it was a GREAT Oshkosh and while there are few bad ones, per se, the doubts and concerns of 2008 gave way to an astounding event that was enjoyed by all. If you don't believe that... just listen to this... Aero-TV crews had a wonderful time meeting the OSH crowds, and spent a fair amount of time asking THEM what made THEIR Oshkosh... see if YOU agree with THEIR answers. We can't wait for Oshkosh 2009, but DO stay tuned for LOTS more Oshkosh 2008 Aero-TV coverage! FMI: www.aero-tv.net, www.eaa.org

Welcome to Aero-TV's Daily Update from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh for Friday, August 1st, 2008. The day began with the official dedication of the FAA's new control tower at Oshkosh's Wittman Regional Airport. The Goodyear blimp made a return visit to Oshkosh this year, and Aero TV got an inside look at what it's like to fly it. A special effort was made by EAA at this year's event to recognize and honor women in aviation. WomenVenture was a place for women to congregate, and share their enthusiasm for flight. Actor John Travolta is also an ATP-rated pilot. He was at AirVenture to introduce one of his movies at Camp Scholler's fly-in theater, and made himself available to answer questions. Friday was Warbird Day at Oshkosh! Join us tomorrow, for Aero TV's overview of the week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. FMI: www.aero-tv.net, www.eaa.org Copyright 2008, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

Despite The Obstacles... Gas Prices, Bad Economy, Whatever - Flyers Flocked to Oshkosh! Monday, July 28th, was a banner day for Oshkosh... despite the fears of many that economic factors might keep aviation fans away in great numbers, it became clear to many that this year's big event as likely to be one of the best attended yet. It was a day of big news and the expectation of far more to come… we saw the introduction of the new Flight Design and ICON LSAs, some incredibly exciting news from Lycoming, an interesting take on the "identity" of Oshkosh from Tom Poberezny, an amazing airshow that featured (of all things) a fully aerobatic helicopter demo, the arrival of Boeing's massive Dreamlifter… and so much more. FMI: www.aero-tv.net, www.airventure.com Catch Up On The Amazing Opening Day of Oshkosh 2008 -- With Aero-TV! Copyright 2008, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

Entegra FMS900W Designed To Reduce Workload In Single-Pilot IFR Avidyne recently strutted its stuff before the Aero-TV crews with a demo of their upcoming FMS900W FMS system. In the works for some time, the new Entegra FMS900W WAAS-enabled GPS/NAV/COM Flight Management System (FMS) is designed to reduce workload for single-pilot IFR operations. The FMS900W provides a fully-redundant, state-of-the art VHF and TSO C146b Gamma 3-compliant turbine-class FMS capability for all GA aircraft. Utilizing a fully-modular architecture, the FMS900W Flight Management System is an enhancement to Avidyne's Entegra Integrated Flight Deck platform and is designed specifically to take advantage of Entegra's large-format displays and Byteflight peer-to-peer databus architecture. FMS900W system components include single or dual remote-mount LRUs, each with Avidyne's GPS723 WAAS/RNP GPS Sensor and a DVX740 VHF NAV/COM module and optional ACD215 Control/Display Units. Avidyne's GPS723 sensor is a fully compliant RTCA ...

The Avionics Industry Seems Hopeful About The Future Opinions! We love them... especially when they come from folks with something interesting to say! Aero-TV engaged in one of its favorite exercises during the 2008 AEA Annual Convention... that of surveying a dozen or so people at an event with three questions targeted toward the interest group that we're shooting... So, we came up with three good questions for the thousands of folks who populated this year's convention... finishing with an intriguing topic for attendees of April's AEA 2008 Convention... "What Got YOUR Attention This Year?" We think you'll get a kick out of what they had to say. The Annual gathering of the truly 'uber-professional' folks who populate the ultra-high-tech avionics business was a great success this year -- with outstanding attendance, accomplishments and achievements to be boasted about for years to come. These are interesting people... and they belong to an equally interesting organization. Founded in ...

The Avionics Industry Seems Hopeful About The Future Opinions! We love them... especially when they come from folks with something interesting to say! Aero-TV engaged in one of its favorite exercises during the 2008 AEA Annual Convention... that of surveying a dozen or so people at an event with three questions targeted toward the interest group that we're shooting... So, we came up with three good questions for the thousands of folks who populated this year's convention... continuing with a popular topic... "How Does the Future Of The Avionics Industry look To The Industry, Itself?" We think you'll get a kick out of what they had to say. The Annual gathering of the truly 'uber-professional' folks who populate the ultra-high-tech avionics business was a great success this year -- with outstanding attendance, accomplishments and achievements to be boasted about for years to come. These are interesting people... and they belong to an equally interesting organization. Founded in 1957, the ...

The Avionics Industry Seems Hopeful About The Future Opinions! We love them... especially when they come from folks with something interesting to say! Aero-TV engaged in one of its favorite exercises during the 2008 AEA Annual Convention... that of surveying a dozen or so people at an event with three questions targeted toward the interest group that we're shooting... So, we came up with three good question for the thousands of folks who populated this year's convention... starting with one pretty good conversation starter, namely... "How's Business?" We think you'll get a kick out of what they had to say. The Annual gathering of the truly 'uber-professional' folks who populate the ultra-high-tech avionics business was a great success this year -- with outstanding attendance, accomplishments and achievements to be boasted about for years to come. These are interesting people... and they belong to an equally interesting organization. Founded in 1957, the Aircraft Electronics Association ...

The Racy ECJ Gets A 'Go" For Production! As part of Aero-TV's attendance at Eclipse Aviation's annual 'E-rrival' (profiled in our recent E-rrival Overview story), we were privileged to cover some good news in the form of Eclipse Aviation's announcement and comittment to future certification and production of the single-engine ECJ/Eclipse 400. Raburn told ANN that he was "thrilled" to have the opportunity to introduce a new aircraft to the Eclipse Aviation family – the Eclipse 400 single-engine jet, the production version of the Eclipse Concept Jet (ECJ), which was first revealed at EAA AirVenture 2007 and profiled exclusively by Aero-TV. After completing 10 months of extensive research on the ECJ, Eclipse claimed that they were "confident this is the perfect aircraft for the emerging single-engine jet market. As many of you have experienced firsthand, this jet inspires people. It immediately captures their imaginations, and when they look a little closer and begin to grasp the level of ...

The Racy ECJ Gets A 'Go" For Production! As part of Aero-TV's attendance at Eclipse Aviation's annual 'E-rrival' (profiled in our recent E-rrival Overview story), we were privileged to cover some good news in the form of Eclipse Aviation's announcement and comittment to future certification and production of the single-engine ECJ/Eclipse 400. Raburn told ANN that he was "thrilled" to have the opportunity to introduce a new aircraft to the Eclipse Aviation family – the Eclipse 400 single-engine jet, the production version of the Eclipse Concept Jet (ECJ), which was first revealed at EAA AirVenture 2007 and profiled exclusively by Aero-TV. After completing 10 months of extensive research on the ECJ, Eclipse claimed that they were "confident this is the perfect aircraft for the emerging single-engine jet market. As many of you have experienced firsthand, this jet inspires people. It immediately captures their imaginations, and when they look a little closer and begin to grasp the level of ...

Fast Company, Fast Jets, Fast Friends The 2008 E-rrival just finished a couple of days ago... but its influence will be felt throughout 'jet-dom' for quite the while. This annual gathering of pilots and owners of the Eclipse 500 pocket-rocket VLJ occurs once a year or so for the community to talk shop, learn the latest news and enjoy the comradery of like minded flyers... but this year was different. Unlike previous years, Eclipse was finally in serious production, as aircraft number 200 saw daylight during this year's festivities. The little dream jet that so many had hoped for, for so long, and through so many travails, was finally a reality... though nonetheless, still, a work in progress. The Eclipse Aviation Customer E-rrival was an exciting weekend -- featuring an address from Eclipse President and CEO Vern Raburn, information sessions about owning, operating, and maintaining the Eclipse 500, a hysterical luncheon speech from Rod Machado, tours of the Eclipse facilities, simulator ...

Attendees and Friends of Women In Aviation Discuss the Pending Pilot Shortage As the 19th Annual International Women in Aviation (WAI) Conference drew to a close, all the statistics pointed to the organization's biggest Conference ever. Women in Aviation, International is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) organization dedicated to providing networking, education, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for women (and men) who are striving for challenging and fulfilling careers in the aviation and aerospace industries. "By all accounts, this has been one of the most exhilarating and successful conferences we've had," said WAI President Dr. Peggy Chabrian. Highpoints Attendance reached a new high with 3,320 women and men registered. More than 250 of the Conference-goers were from the military, also a new record. The Exhibit Hall was the biggest ever with 151 separate companies and organizations on display, representing all aspects of the aviation community Nearly $700,000 in scholarships was distributed ...

Former House Speaker Talks Aviation To The Aircraft Electronics Association Newt Gingrich's high-energy luncheon speech at the 2008 Aircraft Electronic Association annual convention provided more than a little opportunity for some thought-provoking discussion throughout the annual gathering. No matter what you think of the man or his politics, Gingrich was knowledgeable and well-prepared to speak on aviation matters to an aviation-centric audience... who seemed more than interested in what the former House Speaker had to say. Gingrich covered ALL the bases... progress, technology, education, ATC, Airspace, GPS, airports... you name it. Despite being out of office for several years, Gingrich remains a prominent and compelling figure in the Republican Party, as well as the Washington political scene. Gingrich spoke during the AEA's main luncheon on Friday, April 25, at the Gaylord National Resort in Washington, DC. AEA says Gingrich gives audiences the "big picture" view of the issues at stake in ...

Retrofittable 21st Century Engine Management... At Last! AEA 2008 gave the Aero-TV crew a chance to not only get up close and personal with the AuRACLE CRM 2100 but the twin-engine, the CRM 2120... and we came away convinced that Xerion Avionix has been thinking up some great things. With all the emphasis being given on retrofitting and upgrading attitude, navigation and communication displays, it's an honest pleasure to see a solid effort to bring 21st Century technology to engine data and management -- especially when it looks THIS good. Xerion tells ANN that the AuRACLE CRM2100 is a dual-box networked system. where the system's EIU (Engine Interface Unit) is mounted on the engine-side of the firewall and where ALL engine sensors connect directly to the EIU, 'over there.' The engine data is transmitted via a networked CAN bus to the Display Unit using a single bulkhead connector on the firewall. From there, a second cable marries up with the DU. Xerion notes that this networked system ...

A Novel Solution To An Important Problem Airplanes are expensive... and valuable...especially when they're yours. Securing them properly has always been a concern to owners and operators but in an era when access and security of aircraft is becoming more and more a "Public" issue, novel solutions to aircraft security would seem to be apropos. Such is the case with Airlock Security... a company has developed and "Electronic" key that is both self-powered, as well as "intelligent in order to offer not only security but intelligent access to an aircraft, a hangar or critical components, at the behest of the owner/operator. The AirLock system is an "innovative lock system that easily converts existing mechanical locks into an access control system." The system is comprised of three individual components: the lock cylinder, the programmable key and the software used to program the system. Airlock Features Allow: • Enables owners/operators to schedule limited access to any area of an aircraft ...

Lakeland Got Off To A Muted Start... But There Were Some Pleasant Surprises While Lakeland's annual Fly-In is not without its fair share (OK, more than its fair share) of problems, it is pretty much the lead off event for a new year's fly-in season... and thus looked forward to with great anticipation. This year was no exception. We saw the first sight of the Pilatus PC-12NG, the Liberty Vanguard, Garmin's AMAZING SVT and just as it all concluded, ANN Managing Editor, Rob Finfrock, got his Sport Pilot's license... so despite all the nonsense we usually have to deal with, we not only found a way to have a good time this year, we did better than most--especially with Rob's triumph to brag about. So... today, Aero-TV does something a little different... here are some of the sights and sounds of the 2008 Lakeland Fly-In, narrated by Paul Plack and EXPERTLY shot by Aero-TV Videographers Nathan Cremisino, Jim Grosser and Laura Jobe... all under the supervision of Aero-TV''s Sr. Producer, Sarah "The ...

Forces To Be Reckoned With In The Aero-Educational World Team Up It's really tough to know who to trust in the aviation education business these days... stories like the frauds surrounding the Silver State Helicopter mess, as well as other such catastrophes, certainly give someone thinking of an aviation education a reason to pause. So... when two of the best known and most highly regarded names in the aero-educational industry decide to cooperate on something, you know you have a good deal. The big news (and the subject of this Aero-TV feature) is that Delta Connection Academy and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University have partnered up on a program that gives students who earn their tickets at Delta Connection Academy a solid 36 credit hours toward a degree. To those looking for a solid way toward an airline career (which favors those applicants with a degree), this manna from heaven. These are two of the industry's heaviest players -- with a heck of a pedigree. ERAU notes that on December 17, ...

Full Garmin Avionics Suite Now Offered On New SR22-G3s ANN REALTIME SPECIAL REPORT 05.20.08 0500 EDT: We don't mean to overstate the importance of the following news item... but this is a marriage many in the aviation industry have been waiting for. Cirrus Design and Garmin International announced Tuesday at EBACE 2008 that the Duluth, MN planemaker will offer Cirrus Perspective -- an all-glass, fully-integrated flight deck tailored by Garmin specifically for the SR22-G3. "Cirrus and Garmin have worked together since the development of the first SR20 in the late 1990s when the GNS 430 was selected for the SR20's panel, and we are very excited to expand our relationship," said Gary Kelley, Garmin's vice president of marketing. "Both companies are equally committed to bringing customers a safe and quality aircraft, and we are confident Cirrus pilots will enjoy flying with Garmin's industry leading, all-glass integrated flight deck." Check Out Aero-TV's FLIGHT TEST In The Cirrus SR22 G3-GTSX... ...

WingX and Jepp: Quite A Match! This has been quite a year for Hilton Software's WingX program... not only did they put together a truly inspired mobile information system for pilots that easily installs on just about any Phone/PDA powered by a Windows operating system, but it seems that Jeppesen kinda got caught up in what they did, as well... so much so that they have entered into an agreement to use WingX at the core of their new mobile offerings. Jeppesen Mobile was designed to be "the perfect solution for pilots who demand the utmost portability in a flight planning and pre-flight preparation tool. With fast, easy-to-use route planning, weight & balance, the latest METARs, TAFs & TFRs, animated weather graphics, IFR, VFR and ADIZ flight plan filing and much more right on your phone or PDA." Based on the Hilton Software WingX application, the introduction of Jeppesen Mobile is designed to provide "a high-value, tightly integrated suite of pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight functions for ...

Garmin's Synthetic Vision System Heralds A New Age For GA! ANN, as you read last month, was privileged to finally be able to talk about something we've known about for a while... real-live Synthetic Vision for GA. As amazing as the concept may be, the reality is even more so. Garmin got this right... and right from the start. During a flight in an SVT-equipped DA40-XL, Aero-TV flew checked out each of the now-certified features of the G1000's SVT capabilities -- Highway In The Sky, Obstacle Clearance, Terrain Avoidance, Traffic Alerts... you name it... and came away feeling like the state of the art in the general aviation industry has just been raised by an astounding degree. And if you can wait about 24 hours, for the next Special Edition of Aero-TV, you'll see that they're not remotely done yet... but we can't say anymore about that... yet. Garmin's Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT), is designed to fully integrate with the G1000... both present and past models. Garmin's SVT presents a 3D ...

Quite A Match! This has been quite a year for Hilton Software's WingX program... not only did they put together a truly inspired mobile information system for pilots that easily installs on just about any Phone/PDA powered by a Windows operating system, but it seems that Jeppesen kinda got caught up in what they did, as well... so much so that they have entered into an agreement to use WingX at the core of their new mobile offerings. Jeppesen Mobile was designed to be "the perfect solution for pilots who demand the utmost portability in a flight planning and pre-flight preparation tool. With fast, easy-to-use route planning, weight & balance, the latest METARs, TAFs & TFRs, animated weather graphics, IFR, VFR and ADIZ flight plan filing and much more right on your phone or PDA." Based on the Hilton Software WingX application, the introduction of Jeppesen Mobile is designed to provide "a high-value, tightly integrated suite of pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight functions for your Windows ...

The Annual gathering of the truly 'uber-professional' folks who populate the ultra-high-tech avionics business was a great success this year -- with outstanding attendance, accomplishments and achievements to be boasted about for years to come. But... who are these people and what do they get out of gathering each year? Aero-TV crews spent some time at the convention and on the exhibit floor to find out for ourselves. These are interesting people... and they belong to an equally interesting organization. Founded in 1957, the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) represents more than 1,300 aviation businesses, including repair stations that specialize in maintenance, repair and installation of avionics and electronic systems in general aviation aircraft. AEA membership also includes instruments facilities, manufacturers of avionics equipment, instrument manufacturers, airframe manufacturers, test equipment manufacturers, major distributors, and educational institutions. AEA tells ANN that their ...