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 a water-repellant glass treatment, window locks, an IFR communications DVD and much more.

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

Rain Away Glass Treatment

Rain Away Glass Treatment applies a water-repelling polymer coating on glass and plastic surfaces to improve visibility by making raindrops bead up and blow away while flying or driving.

The surface treatment leaves a non-stick surface that repels not only rain, but bugs, road film and frost. The manufacturer also claims it reduces the difficulty of ice scraping, making winter driving safer.

Rain Away is designed for use on outside glass of autos, boats and planes. It is applied with a clean cloth or paper towel and then buffed until clear.

More information is available from the Kafko Web site. You can also purchase the product directly from Kafko (for about $10 plus shipping & handling) by calling their toll-free number -- 800-528-0334.

Poly-Fiber Fabric Covering Instruction Program

Aircraft restorers and hombuilders now can invest five days in learning how to cover an aircraft with Poly-Fiber and then paint it. At the end of the program, they should be able to go home, cover an entire airframe and paint it with professional results. The program, sponsored by Poly-Fiber Enterprises, encourages people to ship the elevator or rudder for their project to Poly-Fiber's Griffin, Ga., facility, where they will receive instruction, practice and then guidance on covering and finishing the part from their own aircraft.

The program, which is restricted to four people at a time and is run by two instructors, begins with an overview of fabric covering of aircraft. It moves on to surface preparation, a discussion of covering methods (i.e., blanket, single wrap, and envelope) before proceeding to applying Poly-Fiber fabric to their rudder or elevator. The loose fabric surface is then heat shrunk and rib-stitched, before finishing tapes and drain grommets are applied. That is followed by the complete painting sequence leading to a finished part. The company then ships the finished part back to the builder/restorer, who should by then possess the knowledge and skills to prep, cover and paint their compete aircraft project at home.

The cost of the course is about $1,500 for the week and the price includes all materials and tools used in the program.

More information is available from the Alexander Technical Center Web site.

SiriusWings Window Lock for Cessnas

More than ever before, aircraft owners must be certain their aircraft are locked and secured. A new STC by SiriusWings enables owners of 172 Series, 182 Series, 180s, 185s, 206 and 210 Series Cessnas to add heightened security to their aircraft with a window lock.

This window lock is flush-mounted and positioned on the left door window. With this window lock, you can close the door with the window open, rotate the inside handle to the fully-locked position and then close and lock the window from the outside.

The window lock STC will ensure that no one can open your airplane with a "fits-all" key or nail file. The STC uses AceT tubular locks that eliminate the ability to pick the lock.

The STC documents are available for $125. The locks are purchased separately for approximately $8.00 each. Time for installation is approximately four to five hours, which includes installing the window lock and changing the door and baggage door locks that are covered by the STC.

For a complete model list of aircraft covered by this STC, visit SiriusWings.

Aviat Husky With Alaskan Bushweel Tailwheel

Aviat Aircraft has certified all models of the Husky to fly with an Alaskan Bushwheel tailwheel. The new installation can also be retrofitted to all existing Huskys. Alaskan Bushwheel was chosen over other tailwheel configurations because it is larger, more robust and rugged than other models. It is designed to be operated in remote areas where field conditions are considered primitive. The new tailwheel also provides smoother, safer ground handling.

The Alaskan Bushwheel tailwheel is now standard equipment on the Husky A1-B160, A1-B180 and A1-B200. More information is available from the Aviat Aircraft Web site.

Sporty's IFR Communications DVD

Not all instrument flights are the same. That's why Sporty's has included three unique IFR flights -- in differently equipped aircraft and edited as if they were occurring simultaneously -- in its new IFR Communications DVD. This production allows you to experience the same phase of each flight to aid the learning experience.

The program gives today's instrument pilot a fresh look at IFR operations through all phases of flight in a variety of airspace and weather conditions. The flights take place in a Cessna Skyhawk equipped for basic VOR navigation, a Garmin G1000-equipped Cessna Skylane and a twin-engine Piper Aztec with an MFD, GPS, traffic avoidance and datalink weather.

The pilots on these instrument flights visit several airports, including rural pilot-controlled airports and the high-density LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to present the viewer with a variety of communication scenarios. You will experience the unique challenges each flight presents and see how the pilots effectively manage all available resources to complete each mission.

The DVD contains bonus features to refresh your knowledge of IFR communications including a review of lost communications procedures.

IFR Communications is available for about $25 and may be ordered at Sporty's Web site.

Learn To Fly Kit Web Site

Plane & Pilot and Pilot Journal magazines have launched a new promotional Web site. This site will connect potential pilots with free information on learning to fly, including five exciting training DVDs and/or CDs. Also included is a Be A Pilot introductory flight certificate.

Plane & Pilot and Pilot Journal, along with the flight training industry, have created this package. In addition to the Learn-To-Fly Kit, visitors to the Web site will find other promotional items, such as a free mini-subscription to the magazines and information on how to enter the ongoing Plane & Pilot sweepstakes.

Pilot Flight Maneuvers Manuals

The best way to prepare for a flight lesson is to have the details of the maneuver down cold before you ever step into the airplane. If you know the exact steps to complete the maneuver and the standards at which you will be held at, then you will see your time spent inside the cockpit with your instructor reduced. All this means less dual instruction time, which saves you money!

Pilot Flight Maneuvers Manuals are now available to help in the explanation, visualization and execution of the flight maneuvers required for each pilot practical flight test, including private, commercial, instrument and multi-engine.

The Flight Maneuver manuals are divided into six parts:

• FAA objective for the maneuver
• FAA completion standards
• General description of the maneuver
• Detailed step by step textual description on how to execute the maneuver as recommended by the FAA
• References to FAA publications where the information was gleaned
• Detailed graphic profiles summarizing the procedure in a visual format

The Private, Commercial and Instrument Flight Maneuver manuals also include airspeeds, pitch attitudes, bank angles, power settings and configurations for a Cessna 172P plus room to add the same information for up to three additional aircraft. The Multi-Engine Flight Maneuver manual also includes airspeeds, pitch attitudes, bank angles, power settings and configurations for a Piper Seminole PA-44 plus room to add the same information for up to three additional aircraft.

CFIs can use this teaching aid as an excellent resource for preflight briefings. The easy-to-lay book opens flat in the classroom or in the cockpit.

The Pilot Flight Maneuvers Manuals are available from pilot shops such as AvShop.

VistaNav v1.5 3D Synthetic Vision System with XM Weather Integration

Mercury Computer Systems has releases VistaNav version 1.5, its multi-function flight display system with synthetic vision technology. This latest release of the VistaNav system integrates XM satellite weather information including NEXRAD precipitation and cloud information, live TFRs, METAR flight rules indicators (FRI), as well as detailed METAR and TAF text information.

The VistaNav system provides the pilot with a portable navigation solution including 3D synthetic vision, highway-in-the-sky (HITS) flight path guidance, 3D terrain views and 3D approach display. In addition to its synthetic vision features, VistaNav can display 2D navigation in either full or split-screen formats.

The VistaNav system includes an INU (inertial navigation unit) featuring 3D solid-state inertial sensors, a WAAS-enabled (wide area augmentation system) GPS receiver, and a Bluetooth wireless interface. The unit can be mounted in a number of places inside an aircraft and communicates through a wireless interface using a tablet PC mobile computing platform (MCP). The MCP has a high-resolution 5" x 8" LCD display with a full navigation user interface that allows pilots to manage all phases of flight, from preparation to parking. The entire unit is powered by the aircraft power supply and includes rechargeable batteries that will operate for up to one hour in the event of an aircraft electrical failure. Both the INU and MCP are designed to be removed or installed in an aircraft in less than three minutes.

The VistaNav View Anywhere Package, with MCP, INU and power cords is available for about $4300. A yoke mount, WxWorks receiver and other components are extra. As with all portable navigation systems, the VistaNav system is intended for backup purposes only.

For more information or to order the VistaNav system, visit their Web site.

Evans Prep Fluid And NPG+ Coolant

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty has added two new products for aircraft and pilots: Evans Prep Fluid for flushing systems that do not drain easily when preparing to convert to the second product, Evans NPG+ Coolant for Rotax engines. Evans NPG+ is the only coolant recommended for a Rotax engine.

Evans NPG+ is an improvement over other fluids for heat transfer and viscosity as a simple "pour-in" substance that does not require changes to cooling system components. Once installed, the coolant becomes a permanent part of the engine that does not have to be replaced each season.

NPG+ is a waterless coolant that virtually eliminates boil-over in gasoline or diesel engines. It allows engines to run hotter, at very low pressure, without the risk of boiling over or the possibility of freezing. The absence of water prevents corrosion and electrolysis, avoiding the problems that arise in extremes of hot or freezing cold.

The Evans Prep Fluid sells for about $24 per gallon and the NPG+ Coolant is about $28 per gallon. Both items can be ordered by visiting the Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Web site.