May 15, 2013

By The AVweb Editorial Staff

Peerless Electronics E-Commerce Store Now Open! Peerless Electronics Inc. has been supplying switches, circuit breakers, relays, splices, shrink tubing and connectors to many of the world's largest aerospace manufacturers since 1945! We are an authorized stocking distributor for Sensata Klixon™, Honeywell S&C (including Hobbs & MicroSwitch™), Eaton, OTTO, Leach, TE Connectivity (including AMP™ and Raychem™) and more! Our e-commerce store features spec sheets, photos, movies and one-stop shopping for your aerospace electrical component needs. To shop now, click here. AVflash! A New Way to Fly back to top  Twin Turboprop Flies By Remote Control Two pilots sat in the cockpit of 16-seat BAE Jetstream 31 and did nothing as it flew for 500 miles from England to Scotland in civil airspace, controlled by an operator on the ground, according to news reports this week. The flight reportedly took place sometime last month. The on-board pilots handled the takeoff and landing, according to the BBC. The test was done by Astraea, a research group funded by the government and commercial companies, in cooperation with the National Air Traffic Services. In an online video, Astraea official Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal says the company has been working with authorities to develop a process for certifying and operating an unmanned Jetstream in the civil airspace. A representative of BAE Systems, one of the companies involved in the project, said the flights were part of a series of tests helping flight regulators and NATS to understand how these flights work, and what they need to do to put a regulatory framework in place for manned and unmanned aircraft to share the airspace, according to the BBC. "It's still very early days in terms of that regulation taking place," the official said. Dopping-Hepenstal said he expects to see unmanned aircraft used in a variety of applications by the end of this decade. "In 20 or 30 years' time, we won't refer to unmanned aircraft, they will just be aircraft," he said. Our Agents Are Pilots! Talk to pilots who value your airplane, even before they insure it. Aviation Insurance Resources (AIR-PROS.COM) will research your aircraft's market value before you buy, sell, trade, or renew. And we shop coverage options from all major aviation insurance markets to save you time and money — or expand coverage — for new owners, transitioning pilots, renters, FBOs — even flight schools. Call (877) 247‑7767. Or click here. First Peek at Legacy 500 back to top  Embraer Unveils Legacy 500 At EBACE Embraer will fly its prototype Legacy 500 midsize business jet to the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva next week in the first public showing of the aircraft. Corporate Jet Investor is reporting that Embraer will also bring along its 2013 model Lineage 1000. "EBACE, Europe's premier business aviation gathering, is an excellent showcase to debut the Legacy 500 and the 2013 Lineage 1000," said Ernest Edwards, president, Embraer Executive Jets. The Legacy 500 was announced at the 2008 EBACE and had its first flight last November. Meanwhile, EBACE continues to be the go-to show for business jet vendors and customers in Europe. Last year almost 13,000 people attended the show, which featured almost 500 exhibitors. It's popular among Middle Eastern customers because of its relative proximity to that region. The show is held at the PalExpo convention center, which is part of the Geneva Airport. Therefore the static display is onsite and usually attracts a full complement of exhibitors. EBACE runs from May 21-23. Introducing Bad Elf GPS Pro! Bad Elf introduces the GPS Pro, the most feature-rich Bluetooth GPS for aviation. This new, made-for-iPad GPS delivers high performance and reliable operation with Bluetooth connectivity. Travel all day with 16 hours of battery! Share your GPS with up to five iPads! Datalog your trip, map it, tag it, and share it! Stop guessing about your GPS status with the big LCD display! Click here for more information. Aviation Safety back to top  Flight Services Adds SpiderTracks Monitoring Pilots and operators who use SpiderTracks satellite monitoring devices in their aircraft can now register their device with the AFSS system to enable real-time tracking of their flights. In a news release Lockheed Martin, which operated the AFSS system, said by registering their SpiderTracks device, pilots can ensure that their flight progress is monitored from takeoff to landing and if the device stops moving, stops transmitting or sends an emergency signal, the system is instantly alerted. "As a result, the system is able to initiate search and rescue procedures with more precision and speed than previously possible," said Lockheed Martin. The service is free. The SpiderTracks system currently plots aircraft progress on a Web site that requires a log-in. The SpiderTracks partnership seems to be the test bed for a system-wide real-time monitoring system. Lockheed Martin says the plan is to add other monitoring devices to the system and to ADS-B equipped aircraft in the near future. "Lockheed Martin is committed to improving safety, efficiency, and convenience for the general aviation community," said Jim Derr, director of Lockheed Martin Flight Services. "Look for more features later this year including our Next Generation Briefing capability that includes automatic summarization of text-intensive information and enhanced graphics that help pilots understand their briefings faster." Pilot's Guide to Avionics Now Available The 2012-13 edition of the Aircraft Electronics Association's Pilot's Guide to Avionics is now available. To request a complimentary copy, visit AEAPilotsGuide.net. This special 10th anniversary edition is a consumer's directory containing buyer's guides, educational articles and timely information about the avionics industry, its products and its people. The publication helps pilots make better buying decisions and locate more than 1,300 AEA member companies, including government-certified repair stations around the world. The Robot Skies back to top  NASA Funds Prize To Advance Drone Integration NASA is providing a half-million-dollar prize for Phase 1 of a Centennial Challenge that aims to develop technology to help unmanned aircraft operate safely in the national airspace system, the agency has announced. The first phase of the UAS Airspace Operations Challenge will focus on safe airspace operations and robustness to system failures, NASA said. Competitors will need to demonstrate skills including separation from other aircraft using ADS-B, and respond to failures such as unreliable GPS or lost links. The first competition event is expected in May 2014. Phase 2 of the competition will focus on how to detect UAS that are not cooperating with the system. The challenge is not expected to solve all the problems involved in integrating UAS into the NAS, but will take the technology "significantly closer to the goals … embodied in the Next Gen Airspace Concept," NASA said. Prizes are awarded only after solutions are successfully demonstrated. Competitors in previous challenges have included private companies, student groups, and independent inventors working outside the traditional aerospace industry. NASA provides the prize purse for the Centennial Challenge program, but the competitions are managed by nonprofit partners who seek commercial and private sponsors to cover the cost of operations. Development Projects, a nonprofit group based in Dayton, Ohio, will administer the Phase 1 UAS challenge. Since 2005, NASA has awarded almost $6 million to 15 winners. Save $100 on Zulu.2 from Lightspeed Aviation Gear up for the flying season with Lightspeed Aviation's Spring Sale. April 1 through May 31, 2013, participating dealers will be offering $100 instant savings on the top-of-the-line headset from the company ranked #1 in the latest Professional Pilot Headset Preference Survey. Click here to learn more. Opinion & Commentary back to top  AVweb Insider Blog: Dodging a Bullet The saying goes that when your number's up, it's up. But most people don't get to witness the quirk of fate that spares them an unscheduled departure from this world. On the AVweb Insider blog, Russ Niles describes what it was like to be left behind on the taxiway as a Maverick Flying Car made its last flight last Friday. Read more and join the conversation. How to Fly Airplanes: Basic Aircraft Control by Robert Reser Available from AVweb Bookstore A detailed description of airplane control from the perspective of "what matters to the pilot," written unlike any private or advanced pilot's text book. Don't be fooled by the title. This is an in-depth book which will be appreciated by all pilots from the student to the professional. A modern-day version of Langewiesche's 1940s classic Stick & Rudder. Click here to read more or order. How to Fly Airplanes Book: $26.95 eBook: $22.95 Who's Where back to top  Who's Where? You Tell Us Get a promotion or a new job? Your colleagues want to know about it, and AVwebBiz can get the word out. Drop us a line about the staff appointment, with a nice recent photo, and we'll do our best to include it in our new section, "Who's Where." The items will be permanently archived on AVweb for future reference, too. Get Into Today's Innovative Aircraft Kitplanes is where the pieces come together and dreams take flight. Order the world's #1 homebuilt aviation magazine and save now! AVweb Video: Look, Listen, Laugh and Learn back to top  Video: Rotax 912iS Efficiency -- Better than Claimed Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos When Rotax introduced its high-tech 912iS a year ago, it claimed that the engine would be about 20 percent more fuel efficient than previous 100hp models. But new testing done by the company last year reveals that those claims fell short of the engine's actual efficiency. In this video shot at Aero in Friedrichshafen, Germany last week, Paul Bertorelli reports that the 912iS may improve fuel efficiency by up to 30 percent. Don't see a video screen? Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page. If that doesn't work, click here to watch on YouTube Video: Free Flights For Medical Patients -- Angel Flight West Original, Exclusive Videos from AVweb | Reader-Submitted & Viral Videos Angel Flight West arranges free flights for people with chronic medical conditions are urgent needs when traditional forms of transportation are unavailable or cost prohibitive. This specific organization is active in the western United States. They're always looking for volunteer pilots to fill the ranks because there is always a need. Don't see a video screen? Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page. If that doesn't work, click here to watch on YouTube Looking for Low-Cost, Yet Effective, Marketing Options? Let AVweb assist your company in creating effective direct-response marketing campaigns to generate leads. No other digital aviation news media reaches more qualified subscribers more often. Text messages in newsletters combined with online banners reach over 255,000 readers monthly and deliver more new users to sponsor sites weekly than most print publications do monthly. Click now for details. The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! back to top  AVweb's Newstips Address ... 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. Names Behind the News back to top  Meet the AVwebBiz Team AVwebBiz is a weekly summary of the latest business aviation news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource. The AVwebBiz 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. If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your phone or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here. Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.