What's New -- Products and Services

This month AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you EFIS for helicopters, Web site creation software for aircraft builders, an air traffic controller simulator and much more.

If you know of a new product or service other AVweb readers should hear about, please send us a note.

Approach Aviation's Educated Owner DVD

Approach Aviation announced the release of The Educated Owner Video Series on DVD.

The Educated Owner Video Series is dedicated to helping aircraft owners and pilots increase safety and reduce the costs associated with aircraft ownership. Approach Aviation has re-edited the series into the DVD format to provide direct navigation for viewers to jump directly to key chapters and topics contained within each volume.

The Educated Owner Video Series - Volume I: Preventive Maintenance, Volume II: The Annual Inspection, and Volume III - Introduction to Aircraft Ownership cover the entire aircraft ownership experience, and take viewers, step-by-step, from finding the right plane and negotiating the deal, to owning and maintaining general aviation aircraft.

Retail price for each volume of The Educated Owner Video Series on DVD is about $40. Approach Aviation is currently running a special on the entire series for about $110 with free shipping. It can be purchased directly from Approach Aviation on their Web site.

Niborex Electronic CoPilot for Pocket PC

The Niborex CoPilot allows a pilot to create, organize, and view all the information necessary for a safe and successful flight. It is meant to assist the pilot from pre-flight to shutdown.

Operation is based upon a "talking" organizer, using any Pocket-PC handheld. It incorporates any item a pilot may wish to bring with them on a flight: custom checklists, text (for Vrefs, NOTAMS, TFRs), graphics (for weather images, runway diagrams), multimedia (for educational information, videos), customized HTML applets (allowing the user or others to create customized functions), and more.

Since all items are stored on the handheld device, the cockpit is not cluttered with reams of paper and other materials. The CoPilot allows for full single-handed operation without the need for a stylus. All buttons are large and easy to read. Navigation can be accomplished using the on screen icons or the navigational controls of the device itself. Audio files are associated with every aspect of the product to allow heads-up operation, thus keeping your eyes outside the cockpit where they belong.

The Niborex CoPilot costs about $130 (plus shipping for a CD-ROM), less for a downloadable version. For more information on specific features, as well as a fully-featured demo that lasts for 14 days, see the Niborex Web site.

Sifeba Products Nav-Aid Rule

A key aspect of VFR cross-country flying -- and especially pilotage -- is checking your progress with waypoints and correcting your course. However, the process of figuring out an appropriate heading to take to get back on course can be difficult, especially in-flight.

Sifeba Products in South Bank, Victoria, Australia, created the Nav-Aid Rule and the Nav-Aid Plus, and is now selling them internationally. The Nav-Aid Rule allows quick calculation of off-course heading corrections, distance flown and to fly, and diversion heading in scales for either 1:1,000,000 (for WAC charts) or 1:500,000 (for Sectional charts). The Nav-Aid Plus adds a form of the traditional "whiz wheel" to calculate ground speed, distance and time.

The Nav-Aid Rule sells for AUS $18 and the Nav-Aid Plus sells for AUS $23; shipping anywhere in the world is $5. More information is on the Sifeba Web site.

ExperCraft Simple Log

Many aircraft builders like to share their progress with other builders (as well as distant family members and friends who can't understand why the builder spends every vacation in the garage/hangar), and the internet has provided that forum. However, keeping a Web site updated can take too much time away from actually building the airplane, so ExperCraft has created an online system to simplify that process.

Simple Log provides online project logging and automatic website generation for all homebuilt aircraft, experimental aircraft and production aircraft restoration projects. The builder registers the project on the Simple Log Web site, and adds log entries as the project continues. Others can monitor the progress of the project by visiting special Web pages created by the Simple Log system.

For at least the next few months, ExperCraft is offering Simple Log free to people currently building an aircraft or anyone starting an aircraft project. More information is on the ExperCraft Web site.

ATCsimulator2

ATCsimulator2 is a air traffic simulation for Windows-based computers. It features a complete photorealistic ARTS-IIIa terminal, or STARS (Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System) display.

ATCsimulator2 puts you in the controllers seat. Find out what it is really like to control the skies in most of the major airports in the United States, such as Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Los Angeles, and 120 other control areas. Over 100,000 flights were captured from the FAA computer network and were separated into by each area depicted in the sim.

ATCsimulator2 features human pilot voices that respond to your ATC clearances. You can also print flight strips, and/or define custom maps for reference during controlling sessions. ATCsimulator2 also comes with a recording feature, and a player, to enable use in research and academic applications. A scenario can be recorded and then played back for analysis. The scenario player will allow playback in accelerated mode, as well as in reverse.

Between now and Christmas Eve, you can purchase ATCsimulator2 for about $40. More information is on the ATCsimulator Web site.

Movie -- "One Six Right"

According to the producers, this is "... a film about the passion for flying centered around the life and history of an airport icon."

To be released in 2005, "One Six Right" is the story of Van Nuys, Calif., airport, the busiest general-aviation airport in the world. It is not a history lesson, but is instead about the diversity of people and aircraft that make up general aviation.

The movie will be available on DVD as well as released in some theaters. More information, as well as the trailer for the movie, can be found on the Web site.

Chelton EFIS for Helicopters

The FAA has granted STC approval to install Chelton FlightLogic synthetic vision EFIS systems in the Eurocopter AS 350/355 and the Bell 407. The EFIS units couple to the Sagem AP85 autopilot for all LNAV procedures, including complete approaches.

The systems feature the Chelton primary flight display with forward-looking synthetic vision, a multifunction moving map display, GPS WAAS, full FMS, helicopter TAWS, air data computer with fuel totalizer option, solid-state strap-down AHRS, master caution voice warning system, and NVG compatibility. The Litef fiber-optic AHRS replaces the original mechanical gyros for autopilot control.

Already approved for the Bell 206, Chelton has introduced two unique capabilities to the helicopter market: HITS and hover vector. HITS (Highway-In-The-Sky) navigation symbology provides precise 3-D GPS guidance for enroute and instrument procedures as well as search grids and precision helipad approaches. The FAA is using Chelton HITS technology to research precision, high-density helicopter routes into and out of New York City. The hover vector, designed to eliminate whiteout/brownout accidents, provides the pilot with a real-time drift vector that allows zero-zero takeoff and landing.

For more information, see the Chelton Flight Systems Web site.

France From The Air

A new Web site has been introduced to showcase the beauty of France as seen from the air.

"France From The Air" is a collection of aerial photographs taken by dozens of people. In fact, anyone can upload photographs to the site. There is no charge to view or upload photographs.

The Web site comes in two flavors -- Version Française and English.

Pilot Share the Ride

Pilotsharetheride.com is a flying club and bulletin board for pilots and people interested in general aviation.

Pilots wanting to share flights can post messages offering their plane -- or asking for rides -- and, within the regulations allowing "sharing" of expenses, you can reduce the cost of flight (FAR 61.113).

There are three categories for pilotsharetheride.com, and members have access to all of them:

• "Pilots" is for people who wish to list their plane and destination.
• "Travelers" is for people who would like to go somewhere as a passenger.
• "Renters" is for people interested in sharing the expenses of renting an airplane from an accredited FBO. (Renters will probably be licensed pilots who do not own an airplane and would like to find someone to help share rental costs from an accredited FBO.)

The price of membership is $11.99 for six months or $19.99 for a one-year membership. A three-month membership trial is free. More information is available on the Web site.