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March 27, 2012
By The AVweb Editorial Staff
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COVERAGE
SPONSOR
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is a sophisticated but easy-to-use software system that turns busy work and red tape into distant memories! Your credit card won't be charged until 60 days after your order is placed. You can cancel
at any time if you are not satisfied.
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AVflash! Sun 'n Fun Kicks Off Today in
Lakeland |
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After record mild winters in much of the U.S., celebrating the arrival of Spring may seem anticlimactic, but springtime in Lakeland, Fla., still has it attractions -- jasmine in bloom, calm blue
skies, and thousands of airplanes en route to Sun 'n Fun. The weather outlook for this year's show is looking very promising, especially compared to last year, when torrential rains were followed by a
destructive tornado. On Monday, the parking and camping areas all were manicured and ready, with no mud to be seen, and sunny, relatively calm weather was forecast through at least the next few
days.
The show grounds are manicured and ready to go, with a few new features that return visitors might notice. An area by the flight line is lined with chairs for "premium seating" for the daily
afternoon air shows, improvements to the grass runway at Paradise City are continuing, and a seemingly endless swarm of golf carts circle the show grounds, filled with smiling staff and volunteers
eager to offer help, advice, and rides. The afternoon air shows are overflowing with show acts and fly-bys, including the new Black Diamond civilian jet team, Patty Wagstaff, Michael Goulian, Kyle
Franklin, and Chuck Aaron in the Red Bull helicopter. The popular night air show returns on Friday, and the Thunderbirds visit over the weekend. AVweb staff will be here all week to bring you
daily reports, podcasts, and videos from the grounds.
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FIND THEM AT:
A-011
A-012 |
Anywhere Map® Is Now an App, Too!!!
Platform Independence — This isn't just another chart viewer; everything you love about Anywhere Map's Flight Management System is now available for ALL the popular tablets. Features
include our patented Cones of Safety ®, Personal Digital Co-pilot ®, Obstacle warnings, VNAV, Virtual ILS, high-resolution
terrain, Anywhere Link Weather overlay, and TRACK-UP operation — and we are always geo-referenced!
Check out
AnywhereMap.com.
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Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association are moving forward with a plan for ERAU to provide audits to LSA manufacturers, LAMA and ERAU said this week.
The audits, which previously were provided by LAMA, are meant to ensure buyers that an independent party has checked to ensure that the manufacturer is following ASTM standards in production. Dan
Johnson, president of LAMA, told AVweb the idea took root when LAMA worked with staff and students from the school on the Green Flight Challenge last year. "We found out that they were
interested in taking this on, so we started discussions and have been figuring out how to make it work," he said.
Mikhael Ponso, a test pilot for ERAU who has been working on the project, spoke with AVweb about it at Sun 'n Fun on Monday. "We have multiple people on staff who are very familiar with LSA
aircraft," he said. Some staff have had training in audits with the FAA, and they are eager to take on this new task, he said. Ponso spoke with AVweb's Mary Grady about the project; click here for the complete podcast.
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FIND THEM AT:
B-080
B-088
B-089 |
A New Day at Bendix/King by Honeywell
Bendix/King Avionics has established new business operations in Albuquerque, NM. Soon, we'll have an all-new product line. We have renewed our brand — and our promise — to design,
build and support the best-performing, most innovative and cost-effective avionics products available for general aviation. Visit us at Sun 'n Fun hangar B, booth 80.
Or click
here.
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FIND THEM AT:
B-078
B-079
B-090
B-091 |
Safer by Design
Aspen's trailblazing Evolution 2000 is the only GA EFIS display that provides total system redundancy — at less fly-away cost than any competing system. Evolution 2000's safety
architecture delivers a comprehensive backup capability that steam gauges and competing glass can't match. Full PFD capability built into the MFD, dual redundant backup batteries and dual HSIs are
just a few of the many system redundancies built into Aspen's multi-display systems.
Click here for more
information.
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Meanwhile, Quest Teams with Northrop
Grumman |
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Quest Aircraft is now working on developing "special mission" capabilities for its rugged Kodiak STOL turboprop in partnership with Northrop Grumman, the companies have announced. Under the new
agreement, the two companies will work together to develop technology to use the Kodiak as a platform for new purposes such as aerial intelligence, aerial observation, law enforcement, search and
rescue, and aero-medical transport. "We believe that once integrated, this platform will be a real game-changer for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities for state, civil and
international agencies as well as for special operations forces," said Bob Gamache, of Northrop Grumman Technical Services.
The Kodiak is powered by a PT6 by Pratt & Whitney Canada, and can take off in less than 1,000 feet at maximum gross weight of 7,255 pounds. It should prove competitive with other speical-mission
aircraft due to its STOL capabilities and also on a cost basis, the company said. "We believe this will be a real game changer for us," Quest's marketing director Steve Zinda told AVweb at Sun
'n Fun this week. To listen to AVweb's Mary Grady talk with Zinda about the project, which Quest has dubbed "Air Claw," click
here.
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FIND THEM AT:
C-017
C-018
C-019
C-020
C-021 |
Visit Jeppesen at Sun 'n Fun
Hangar C — #C-017-021
Jeppesen's cutting-edge training solutions offer an interactive experience for learning aeronautical concepts. Visit us at the Sun 'n Fun Expo to learn about Total Training Online for
sport, private and commercial pilots. Check out our Mobile FliteDeck 1.1 Electronic Charts for iPad®. Don't miss Robert Brannan's presentation, "The Next Generation of Aviation
Training."
Can't make it? Learn about online training at
JeppDirect. 
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COVERAGE
SPONSOR
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Aviation Discount Center —
Daily Deals for the Aviation Community
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vouchers for all of your purchases right online or by telephone, and your deals will be delivered right to your door or hangar! Landing April 2. Check us out, and a $25
Visa Gift card could be yours!
Visit
AviationDiscountCenter.com.
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A Florida-based company called Diemech Turbine Solutions thinks so. Here at Sun 'n Fun it's showing a nice little 241-HP turbine that
weighs about 125 pounds, less accessories. In this video, Diemech president Christian Skoppe told AVweb that it's made an agreement with the Czech-based PBS to eventually certify the TP 100
engine, which will be available in both turboprop and turboshaft versions. The market thrust, says Skoppe, isn't so much speed as it is fuel availability, a story we're hearing more and more from the
international market. With avgas under threat of extinction, more OEMs and buyers are looking toward heavy fuel solutions, either Jet A or low-sulphur diesel fuels. The TP 100 springs from a small
turbojet engine PBS made for the drone market, but the company also has experience in the manufacture of APUs.
Diemech plans to install the TP100 in an RV-10 test bed, but to eventually certify in the U.S. It expects t o be flying in the U.S. by the middle of next year.
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FIND THEM AT:
D-026
D-027 |
GNS 430W/530W Users:
Aren't You Tired of Twisting Knobs?
With VoiceFlight's revolutionary technology, you can enter and edit flight plans in seconds without all of the tedious knob-turning. The VFS101 also adds Victor Airway support to your
GNS430W/530W! The VFS101 eliminates knob-induced tunnel vision, is lightning-fast even in turbulence, and takes the anxiety out of in-flight re-routes. Visit us at Sun 'n Fun booth D-26 and
stop twisting knobs
today! 
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FIND THEM AT:
C-024
C-025
C-026
N-035 |
Weather with Perspective
XM WX Satellite Weather gives you onboard perspective on the weather. Graphical data like Radar, Lightning, Winds and more enhance your situational awareness and is compatible with the
industry's leading MFDs, EFBs, glass cockpits, and now the iPad. Additionally, flexible subscription options ensure you get the dataset that's right for you. Come see the latest from XM WX Satellite
Weather at booth C-024 during Sun 'n Fun 2012 or
visit us online at
XMWXweather.com/aviation. 
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Checking in on the American Legend O-233
Cub |
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AVweb got a close look at American Legend's Lycoming-powered Super Legend but, alas, not at Sun 'n Fun. Legend's Dave Graham told us testing delays kept the company from bringing the
airplane to Lakeland. But in this detailed video, which AVweb shot at Legend's home field in Sulphur Springs, Texas, you can get a look at some of the airplane's features. To keep the airframe
light, Legend has used quite a bit of carbon fiber throughout the airframe, including the cabin detailing and the cowlings. It has new, balanced tail feathers and, like the Super Cub that inspired it,
it has a wider cabin than the original J-3 and flaps. With the 115-HP engines, says Graham, the Super Legend has the same power to weight ratio as a Super Cub so we would expect similar
performance.
The cabin is light and airy, thanks to a greenhouse-style clear roof over the seats. Legend expects to have the airplane through its testing hoops and shipping to customers by the end of
2012.
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Lycoming & Continental Aircraft Starters: Aviation-Manufactured, OEM-Endorsed, & Factory-Installed — For Over 20 Years
TCM supplier Hartzell Engine Technologies introduces the zero back torque M-Drive starter — the best lightweight starter designed to start even the hardest-cranking
large-bore TCM engines while safely disengaging from the starter adapter. Lycoming-chosen E-Drive starters from Hartzell Engine Technologies are unaffected by kick-backs, saving hours
of service time and replacement costs along with the best warranty available — two-year unlimited!
More on Hartzell
Engine Technologies' aircraft starters ...
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Fly More for Less
Visit the AVbuys page for discounts, rebates, incentives, bargains, special offers, bonus depreciation, or tax benefits to help stretch your budget. We're helping you to locate and view
current offers instantly, with a direct link to sponsors' web sites for details.
Click for the
resource page.
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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 255,000 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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Peter Drucker Says,
"The Best Way to Predict the Future Is to Create It"
It's easy for your company to be more proactive, flexible, and entrepreneurial with AVweb's cost-effective marketing programs. Discover the benefits of instant response, quick copy
changes, monthly tracking reports, and interactive programs. To find out how simple it is to reach 255,000 qualified pilots, owners, and decision-makers weekly,
click now for
details. 
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AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.
The AVwebFlash team is:
Publisher
Tom Bliss
Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli
Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles
Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew
Webmaster
Scott Simmons
Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West
Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? Your advertising can reach over 225,000 loyal AVwebFlash, AVwebBiz, and AVweb home page readers every
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version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here.
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
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BOOTHS AT |
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Where to Find Our Sponsors at Sun 'n Fun 2012
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, 
, and 
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and 
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and 
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, 
, and 
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