From Sporty’s, New Technology For The Cockpit

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The biggest news from Sporty’s this week at Sun ‘n Fun was the release of their second-generation Stratus device (click here for the AVweb video), but at a news conference on Wednesday the company also highlighted some other developments. For those who haven’t yet tried the popular Foreflight flight-planning software, Sporty’s educational division has developed an hour-long online instructional video with all the basic information a beginner would need to get started. The “Flying with Foreflight” video is available now for about $30 and an app version also will be coming soon, company spokesman John Zimmerman said. He also said a new product now available for $129 can turn an iPhone into a cockpit video camera complete with audio and GPS tracking.

Michael Wolf, Sporty’s CEO, said more than 20,000 youngsters have enrolled in the company’s free online Learn to Fly course for Young Eagles. The comprehensive course, which has a list price of $249, includes everything the students need to take the private pilot knowledge test, including an endorsement. Young Eagles also can be reimbursed by EAA for the cost of the FAA test. Eric Radtke, president of Sporty’s flight academy, said the school had one of its busiest years ever in 2012, and 100 percent of the students who made it to solo went on to complete their ratings. Zimmerman also said Sporty’s is now offering a service to charter companies and fractional operators to take over the paperwork that’s needed to get FAA approval to use the iPad in the cockpit. That service will go live soon and will cost $799, he said.

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