Redbird's Flight Lab: Good Initial Results By Paul Bertorelli Shortly after accepting the keys to a new Piper Seminole, Jerry Gregoire of Redbird Flight Simulations told AVweb that its initial results in training students with an intensively simulator-based program have proven positive. Redbird has been operating the program for a little over two months and have graduated about 20 students. Gregoire says Redbird offers the program for a flat feet of $9500 to the private pilot certificate, which he says is far less than the national average, according to Redbird's analysis of AOPA flight training cost averages. The Redbird program is not hours-based but involves training to proficiency in specific skill areas. It can also involve the student flying the simulator solo to practice maneuavers that he or she may be having trouble with. The student can also self-evaluate before moving on to the next task.
Deltahawk Update: About to Fly in a Cirrus By Paul Bertorelli Deltahawk, the Wisconsin engine development company, continues to close in on its long-awaited goal of a workable four-cylinder aerodiesel engine. According to the company's CEO, Dennis Webb, whom AVwebinterviewed at Sun 'n Fun, several companies (and the military) have test engines and programs in various states of progress, including a Cirrus SR20 test bed at LoPresti Speed Merchants.
New Aviat Husky A1C: How to Tame Taildragger Bounce By Paul Bertorelli Any taildragger pilot who's jammed a landing -- and that's basically all of them -- will tell you that nailing three-point landings without a bounce takes practice and sometimes even that's not enough. But in the latest version of its popular utility aircraft, the Husky A1C on display at Lakeland, Aviat has added a nice little feature: The gear legs have race-car style shock absorbers that take the worst of the bite out of a landing that smacks the runway a little harder than the pilot intended. In this video, Aviat's Larry Schlaslinger gave AVweb a video tour of the airplane and we then adjourned to South Lakeland Airport for a brief flight test.
Piper J-3: A Member of the Family By Paul Bertorelli With the 75th anniversary of the Piper Cub upon us, there were lots of good Cub stories around Sun 'n Fun this year. One of our favorites, as described in this podcast with Bob Jones, is a 1946 J-3 that became a member of Jones' family for several generations. Jones' father was a duster pilot and bought the airplane from Southern Airways, which had used it as a trainer in the civil pilot training program. His Dad bought the airplane for $725.
New At Cessna: FIKI For Corvalis, Cloud Software, Police Version By Mary Grady Cessna's new version of the Corvalis, the TTX, will include an option for flight into known icing, the company said at Sun 'n Fun this week. The FIKI system can provide up to two and a half hours of protection from most ice attaching to the airframe, with virtually no impact on performance, Cessna said. The TTX, which is scheduled to start deliveries late this year, will also feature upgraded Garmin avionics with touch screens. The company also introduced a couple of new software products and an "Enforcer" package to integrate surveillance equipment into its airplanes for law-enforcement customers.
Sporty's, ForeFlight Team On Wireless Weather For iPad By Mary Grady At Sun 'n Fun this week, Sporty's Pilot Shop introduced Stratus, the first completely wire-free weather receiver for the iPad. The small $799 device streams information from GPS and ADS-B with no monthly subscription costs. The unit collects NEXRAD radar, text weather, TFRs and aircraft position, and wirelessly streams that data to the popular ForeFlight Mobile app for iOS devices. "Stratus delivers exactly what pilots have been asking for -- a simple, smart and subscription-free way to view in-flight weather on their iPad," said Sporty's Vice President John Zimmerman. "It's incredibly easy to use, with just one button and virtually no setup."
Kyle Franklin, One Year Later By Glenn Pew Amanda Younkin Franklin died from injuries she sustained in a crash with her husband Kyle Franklin nearly one year ago, and at the 2012 Sun 'n Fun fly-in we had the opportunity to ask Kyle how he's doing. Kyle was at the back of the airshow performers' hangar when AVweb's Glenn Pew found him. The two spoke for about half an hour. Kyle still wears the scars on his right hand and forearm that he earned trying to free his wife from the burning forward cockpit. And two on his head where he hit the instrument panel. Most of his lesser burns have healed well. When asked about his choice to continue performing, Kyle answered, "This is what I've been doing my whole life. I don't know anything else to do. And I'm going to keep doing it." Kyle is flying this year and has plans for more work on the airshow circuit.
Piper Aircraft: New Emphasis on Training By Paul Bertorelli Piper's new CEO, Simon Caldecott, says the company has had a good year in 2012 so far and looking ahead for the rest of the year and to 2013, it sees the training market as a big driver. "One of the things we're going to do is to get back into the training market in a big way," Caldecott told AVweb in this podcast at Sun 'n Fun on Wednesday. "When you look at the stand here and see that J-3 Cub there, training was the roots of Piper Aircraft and I believe that's what we need to be focused on, as well as our M-class [Mirage and Meridian] aircraft. We're going to really push hard on that and I expect to at least double our volume on trainers over the next two or three years."
Build A Plane Asks Kids' Help In Fundraising By Mary Grady Build A Plane, the nonprofit group that helps school kids build their own airplanes, is asking kids around the country to pitch in and help to raise money for the organization, and win prizes in the process. AOPA announced at Sun 'n Fun this week that they have signed on as a partner in the project. Participants up to age 18 are asked to find sponsors to make a pledge to Build A Plane for each mile they travel from home to EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh later this summer. Those who raise the most can qualify to win prizes, including a private pilot training course from Redbird Flight Simulations, a seven-day Bahamas trip from Air Journey, scholarships, and pilot supplies like headsets and flight bags.
Sun 'n Fun's Resident Black Diamond Plus Mig-17s By Glenn Pew The Black Diamond high-performance, high-precision jet team is based at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport and mixes Air Force, Navy and civilian pilots flying L-39s and Polish-made Mig-17s (one Lim-5 and one Lim-6). The team's two civilian pilots include the CEO of its main sponsor, Harbortouch, a touchscreen point-of-sale system. Its Air Force component includes former Thunderbird team members and its Navy component includes a former Top Gun instructor. Together the team will challenge any other for tightest formation flying today and the Migs may be the only two in the country currently flying regular performances together as part of a larger team.
