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November 8, 2008
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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Inflight. Every Flight.
XM WX Satellite Weather has quickly become the leading way to fly for pilots across the country. And now, with Aviator Pro, the brand-new weather data package from XM WX, pilots
have an even better reason to fly with the datalink weather leader — inflight and every flight.
Click here to learn
more about XM WX's new suite of weather data and Aviator Pro. 
» XM WX Satellite Weather, the top provider of pilot wx data,
is an official sponsor of AVweb's AOPA Expo 2008 coverage
Please visit them at booth #908 to learn more.
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AOPA Expo '08: A Different Vista from Previous
Years |
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There's no shortage of incentives to boost airplane sales these days and Diamond announced on Thursday that it was offering existing aircraft owners a $10,000 finder's fee for existing owners who
steer new customers to the company. Now Cessna is offering those joining the waiting list to buy a Cessna Mustang the opportunity to lease a Cessna 400 for the time between order and delivery. "This
is a great solution for Mustang customers who are waiting to take delivery, yet have an immediate need for an aircraft," said Cessna's vice president of marketing Tom Aniello. "The Cessna 400 is the
fastest fixed-gear single piston on the market today and is a natural stepping stone into the Mustang.
Meanwhile, Cessna President Jack Pelton said that while the owner-pilot market is suffering, life goes on in aviation business and piston and turboprop sales are encouraging. "While the economic
slowdown has created a difficult business environment, we are encouraged by brisk activity from new and existing propeller fleet operators placing almost 200 orders for 2009 production aircraft,"
Pelton said.
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Attention! The Zulu Is Available with Panel Power
The Lightspeed Zulu: P headset raises the bar in performance, comfort, and crystal-clear audio quality, with more total noise cancellation than any other headset — and no batteries needed!
The Zulu: P utilizes the same panel-powered LEMO plug used in Bose headsets and comes with built-in Bluetooth for wireless cell phone or music interface. Stop by Lightspeed's AOPA Expo
booth (#226), or
click here for more
information. 
See for yourself why Zulu is Aviation Consumer's "Headset of the Year" 2008.
» Lightspeed Aviation, maker of the Zulu ANR headset,
is an official sponsor of AVweb's AOPA Expo 2008 coverage
Visit them at booth #226 for a Zulu demonstration!
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After a dismal last few months, sales of light sport aircraft are showing signs of rebounding according to one of the founding entrepreneurs of the LSA movement in the U.S. Tom Peghiny, who
distributes CT light sport aircraft in the U.S. told AVweb in a podcast interview that some attrition is inevitable among LSA manufacturers
but the concept is still valid and sales are improving. The market, however, is not exactly what was envisioned when the category was created. It was believed that the lower cost and easier medical,
training and maintenance requirements would bring new people to aviation. Instead, he said, the market continues to be people abandoning complex GA aircraft to continue "fun flying" in the smaller
aircraft. Drawing new pilots will require some innovation, he said.
Peghiny said shared ownership of the aircraft, which typically cost more than $100,000, is one way to make them more affordable. He also said that the glut of used aircraft on the market is making
it hard for existing pilots to commit to a new LSA until they can sell their current airplanes.
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Fly With Bose® Aviation Headset X™
Enjoy an unmatched combination of full-spectrum noise reduction, clearer audio, and comfortable fit. Voted the #1 headset for the seventh consecutive year in Professional Pilot's 2007 Headset
Preference Survey. Also rated "Best ANR Headset: The Aviation Consumer Product of the Year" by Aviation Consumer.
Purchase by December 31, 2008 and receive a complimentary pair of Bose in-ear headphones ($99.95 value).
Learn more and
order. 
Quotes reprinted with permission: Professional Pilot, 2007 Headset Preference Survey, 12/07; Aviation Consumer, 8/07.
» Bose Corporation is an official sponsor of
AVweb's AOPA Expo 2008 coverage. Please visit them at
booth #1320 to see the Bose Aviation Headset X® in action!
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 Diamond Aircraft says it's now offering the least expensive certified aircraft with a class cockpit in the DA20. The company
announced at AOPA Expo that it is now offering Aspen Avionics primary flight displays as an option in the DA20 two-place aircraft. The $8,000 option (a few thousand dollars more for the pro model)
puts the price of the DA20 up to $184,000 making, it the only certified aircraft with purchase price of less than $200,000. In a podcast interview
with AVweb, Marketing Director Mark Lee said flight schools have been looking for a glass cockpit trainer but the cost of most flat-panel systems was prohibitive for an entry-level
aircraft.
Lee said he believes Diamond is the first original equipment manufacturer to offer the Aspen PFD, which was designed as a retrofit device to fit in a standard round instrument hole. The DA20
installation is integrated into the panel.
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Ever Wish You Could Flip a Switch and Turn IFR Visibility into VFR?
To find out more, go to
True Flight. 
» True Flight brings the most information to your displays and
is an official sponsor of AVweb's AOPA Expo 2008 coverage.
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 The regs say you need oxygen above 12,000 feet. If you end a flight exhausted, with a headache, your body is telling you it needed
oxygen regardless of the altitudes you flew. "Hypoxia is getting in there and doing its job," Robert Jamieson, of Mountain High Equipment and Supply told a news conference at AOPA Expo in San Jose.
His company's answer is Full Authority Digital Oxygen Control (FADOC) through a device the size of a deck of cards that accurately meters the precise amount of oxygen aircraft occupants need in a
process called "pulse demand."
Jamieson said the device actually measures the trachial pressure of aircraft occupants and delivers the precise amount of oxygen based on breathing rate and the volume of breaths. Jamieson said it
cuts oxygen use by as much as 80 percent compared to constant flow systems and still maintains the saturation levels needed to keep the brain and other organs working properly. "It automatically
profiles breathing and gives you the oxygen you need right up to 25,000 feet," he said.
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Untie Your Dreams at 235 Knots
Leave the runway at 1,400 vertical feet per minute. Climb to 25,000 feet. Cruise at 235 confident knots. Nothing releases a pilot's passion for flight like the Cessna 400, the world's
fastest fixed-gear aircraft. It's more than speed that makes the Cessna 400 such a pleasure to fly. There's the sophisticated stylish cabin, glass cockpit, side-stick control, and the
head-turning gorgeous looks. Looks like Cessna is in the fast business.
Go online for all
the details. 
» Cessna Aircraft, the company behind the speedy Cessna 400,
is an official sponsor of AVweb's AOPA Expo 2008 coverage.
Visit them at booth #417 to see your dream aircraft in person!
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There are any number of training aids available for your home computer but Powerful Learning says it's put together the whole package in a software suite that gives student pilots and those facing
recurrent training all the tools they need to be successful without taking their eyes off the computer screen. A t a news conference at AOPA Expo in San Jose, company President Dave Meindl said the
system offers features common in other online training devices, including an updated list of the 555 questions the FAA draws from to make its knowledge tests. But it also has a complete FAA reference
library integrated into training system allowing users to instantly link to the relevant FAA documents as they prepare. "No other company offer this," he said.
There are currently two curriculum streams, one aimed at those cramming for their FAA knowledge test and the other for those facing recurrency and who just want to stay sharp on the material. The
user can choose to be challenged in the FAA style with multiple choice questions or, if they really want to learn the material, there's a flash card format that enables pilots to prepare for the
random questions they'll face in their biennial flight review. The material is updated continuously through downloads from the company's Web site but the content is not Web based and resides on the
user's hard drive.
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Win This Glass Panel-Equipped Piper Archer II! — Enter by Dec. 31st
Enter AOPA's 2008 Sweepstakes and you could be flying high in a fully-refurbished Piper Archer II, accented with a new instrument panel featuring the world's first installed certified
EFD1000 PFD. Custom extras include handcrafted leather seats, tie-down rings, nav light retainers, and wood trim accents.
Click for more
details. 
» You can join AOPA at the expo in San Jose, too.
Just stop by booths #1026-1039.
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Get into the Cockpit!
Classic Cockpits is a series of high-quality DVDs that put you into the pilot's seat of some of the world's great airplanes. Be there for engine start, checklists, taxi, take-off, climb,
cruise, descent, landing, and more. Titles currently available are:
Flying the
Legendary DC-3, 
Flying the PBY
Catalina, 
and
Flying the de
Havilland Vampire. 
Click on the individual titles for complete descriptions, and
click here to order
all DVDs online now. 
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File Size 3.9 MB / Running Time 4:16
Podcast Index
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How to Listen
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Subscribe Via RSS
How are those much-touted Light Sport Aircraft faring in this tough economic climate? Flight Design CT distributor Tom Peghiny says that while there has been some scaling back, they're
beginning to rebound.
This podcast is brought to you by
WxWorx XM WX
Satellite Weather, the premier weather provider for pilots.
Click here to listen. (3.9 MB, 4:16)
File Size 8.1 MB / Running Time 8:49
Podcast Index
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How to Listen
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Subscribe Via RSS
Kitplanes Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook checks in with JPI vice president Larry Elbert. As it turns out, the company has a lot going on, especially for those of you running lean of
peak.
This podcast is brought to you by
Bose
Corporation's Aviation Headset X™.
Click here to listen. (8.1 MB, 8:49)
File Size 5.1 MB / Running Time 5:29
Podcast Index
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How to Listen
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Subscribe Via RSS
Diamond Aircraft is bringing affordable glass to the venerable DA20, great news for flight schools everywhere. The new avionics system is the Aspen EFD1000 (Pilot or Pro), and it makes Diamond's
DA20 the least-expensive glass-cockpit certified airplane available. Director of Marketing & Sales Mark Lee explains how the company is servicing both the high and low ends of the airplane
market.
This podcast is brought to you by
Lightspeed
Aviation, makers of the Zulu ANR headset.
Click here to listen. (5.1 MB, 5:29)
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Join NAA and Help Shape the Next Century of Flight
It's a great time to join the National Aeronautic Association ( NAA), the nation's oldest aviation organization. At $39 a year, NAA membership is a terrific value for any aviation
enthusiast! Members receive the Smithsonian's Air & Space magazine, plus access to aviation records and much more. To become an NAA member,
sign up
online
or call (703) 416-4888 and press 4.
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| Click for images from the show |
A handful of photos from the AOPA Expo in San Jose, California, courtesy of our on-site newsteam.
Click here to view photos.
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Go Green with Diamond: $1.99 Fuel
Buy a DA40 XLS between October 1 and November 30, 2008 and take delivery of your plane by December 31, and the Diamond team will buy down your fuel cost to $1.99 per gallon for the first
200 hours or 18 months, whichever comes first. The DA40 XLS is the savvy and responsible choice in this day and age of high fuel prices.
For complete details,
go online. 
» Diamond Aircraft Company is at the AOPA Expo in San Jose, too.
Ask about the DA40 and DA42 at booth #335.
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The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is
You! |
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 Our best stories start with you. If you've heard something 200,000 pilots might want to know about, tell us. Submit news tips
via email to newstips@avweb.com. You're a part of our team ... often, the best part.
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and 
