October 5, 2012

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

Bose® A20® Aviation Headset The Best We've Ever Made Bose was the first to introduce active noise reducing headsets to aviation more than 20 years ago, forever changing the way pilots fly. Today, we continue to set the standard with the Bose A20 Aviation Headset. The headset provides acclaimed noise reduction, with a comfortable fit and the clear audio you expect from Bose. It also features Bluetooth® connectivity, an auxiliary audio input and priority switching. Learn more. Today's Exclusive Feature back to top  Nextant's New Math -- A New Model For GA? The idea of creating a business jet that outperforms the competition is standard fare, but actually pulling that off while selling the jet for less is a head turner; enter Nextant Aerospace. Since October 2011, Nextant has been delivering the world's only FAA-certified remanufactured business jet, the 400XT. The company is currently working to improve output to 40 aircraft per year as it seeks to fill demand for more than 80 orders (and counting) already on the books. To say that Nextant's approach represents a paradigm shift in aircraft production may be hyperbolic; but saying that the company's product is superior may be statistically demonstrable. It may also be good reason to suspect that others may follow. Right now, this is a success story. And looking forward, how Nextant did it may be just as important as why. Click here to read the full article. ForeFlight Mobile — Now Supports ADS-B In-Flight Weather for iPad! ForeFlight Mobile — the award-winning, multi-purpose app for pilots — now supports no-subscription-required ADS-B in-flight weather via Stratus. NEXRAD, METARs, TAFs, TFRs, AIRMETs/SIGMETS, PIREPS, and more streamed effortlessly to your iPad via ADS-B. Intelligent Apps for Pilots™ backed by Fanatical Pilot Support™. Visit ForeFlight.com to learn more. From the Pages of Aviation Safety Magazine back to top  When Glass Goes Dark Among the first things pilots learn is what to do if something goes wrong. Instrument pilots get to learn what to do when instruments or the systems powering them fail and how to get back on the ground with what's left. Back in the days when each instrument was a separate, physical thing instead of a software construct presenting symbols or alphanumeric data, their presentation was relatively well known and predictable. These days, however, those same instruments often have been replaced with what is essentially a computer screen. What happens when it fails? Click here to read the full article. U.S. Sport Aviation Expo January 17-20, 2013 Sunny Sebring, Florida will hold its 9th annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo this January 17-20, 2013 — the largest sport aircraft-dedicated event in the world. Additions for 2013 range from a twilight air show opened by Patty Wagstaff demonstrating LSA aerobatic aircraft to The Year of the Cub to star-studded Manufacturers Showcases and a contest that will crown sport aviation's most efficient aircraft/pilot duo. Four days in Sebring, Florida to "See, Try, Fly and Buy" ... everything in the world of sport aviation. Visit Sport-Aviation-Expo.com for details. You Refurbish It, We Show It Off back to top  Refurb of the Month: Bennett Bibel's Mooney M20J click for photos If you can't afford a new airplane -- and let's face it, most of us can't -- a refurbed late-model aircraft can do 90 percent of the mission at a fraction of the cost, especially one like the popular Mooney M20J 201. That's the strategy Bennett Bibel followed in his pull-out-all-the-stops rebuild of a 1983 J-model, which we've picked as our refurbed aircraft of the month. "I decided to make her as close to a 'new' Mooney as I could," Bibel told us. LASAR (Lake Aero Styling and Repair) in Northern California stripped the airplane down to its bones and replaced all the major wear airframe parts. "The engine had been rebuilt about 300 hours previously, and was gram matched, flow matched--a very custom engine," Bibel says. The airplane was stripped and painted at ArtCraft at Santa Maria, CA, including airbrushed striping. Bibel went first rate for the interior, too, with Aircraft Designs in Groveland, CA. designing and building a new interior to match the leather work in Bibel's Mercedes SL500. "The side panels are carbon fiber and aircraft honeycomb, leather covered, as are the window frames, and everything from glareshield to carpets is new. I added a co-pilot articulating seat to match the pilot's seat – the Mooney factory built one for me, as there were none available in the supply chain," he told us. Also installed were a LoPresti BoomBeam HID landing light and LED wingtip landing lights and strobes, a Power Flow Exhaust, a one-piece glass belly panel and other speed mods. Last, the big ticket panel. Executive Aircraft Maintenance in Scottsdale, AZ, built a custom panel with a Garmin GTN 750 with remote transponder and remote audio panel, a Garmin GNS430W, a Garmin aera796 in an AirGizmo panel mount coupled to the GTN 750, a KAP 150 autopilot driven through an Icarus SAM GPSS steering unit, a Mid-Continent Life Saver electric AI with battery backup, an electric backup vacuum pump, a JPI830 engine monitor, a panel mounted CO2 detector, an Emerging Life Technologies 406 ELT with self-contained GPS and a Dynon D1 EFIS as a backup to a backup. "Having lost two vacuum pumps while IMC, I am ever more cautious, almost to the point of ridiculousness, but when things go south, any tool at hand can save your life." We can't argue the point. If you'd like to enter your airplane in AVweb's "Refurb of the Month," send us some photos and a short description of what you've done. Click for photos. 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 ... AVweb Audio — Are You Listening? back to top  Podcast: AOPA Looks to Flying Clubs File Size 12.2 MB / Running Time 13:19 Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS Flying clubs do a great job of fostering GA, but AOPA believes that benefit can be compounded. It's launching a major effort to help out existing clubs and create new ones. AOPA's Adam Smith spoke with AVweb's Mary Grady. This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation. Click here to listen. (12.2 MB, 13:19) Podcast: Studying GA Security File Size 8.3 MB / Running Time 9:03 Podcast Index | How to Listen | Subscribe Via RSS Daniel Benny, a professor of aviation security for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, recently published a book focusing on general aviation security issues. He talks with AVweb's Mary Grady about his research on the effectiveness of AOPA's Airport Watch program and explains why terrorism may be the least of the security issues that should concern the GA community. Click here to listen. (8.3 MB, 9:03) Accept Nothing Less than the Gold Standard from Continental Motors Our factory-rebuilt and new magnetos are manufactured at our Mobile, Alabama plant and includes warranty and support. With Continental, you receive up-front pricing and our "no hassle" core return (competitor's magneto cores accepted). Our employees take pride in building a quality product every step of the way. To learn more, contact customer service at (800) 326‑0089 or (251) 436‑8292 or click here Parts Break; Weather Builds — Are You Ready? With Aviation Safety, you're prepared for anything — and we mean anything — that can happen in the air. Click here and save 60% now. Names Behind the News back to top  Meet the AVwebFlash Team 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 Webmaster Scott Simmons Contributing Editors Mary Grady Glenn Pew Contributors Kevin Lane-Cummings Ad Coordinator Karen Lund Avionics Editor Larry Anglisano 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 week. Over 80% of our readers are active pilots and aircraft owners. That's why our advertisers grow with us, year after year. For ad rates and scheduling, click here or contact Tom Bliss, via e-mail or via telephone [(480) 525-7481]. Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.) Comments or questions about the news should be sent here. 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