Electronic logbooks have been around for years. I tried several times to put all my flight time into a spread sheet, but I started well into my flying career, so I had no desire to put all the hours in to document all my flights. I have a lot of friends who did start the spreadsheet approach when they started flying, so they have a complete electronic record.
A Critical Decision Making (CDM) seminar isn’t really a seminar but rather a facilitated interactive hangar flying session where the group looks at general aviation and Cirrus statistics, reviews case studies of Cirrus accidents, and participates in the reenactment of an actual accident.
The iPad brought pilots convenience and functionality in the cockpit. The iPad Mini has taken what the iPad did for aviation and made it even better. I started using the iPad Mini in December and have loved it in the cockpit. Below is a breakdown of why you should go with it over the regular sized iPad for aviation uses.
Ever wish your airplane could fly itself? With the Garmin GFC 700, that vision is getting closer to reality. In the past, some GA aircraft have been equipped with rate-based autopilots, like the S-TEC 55X or the Bendix-King KAP 140. Some of these autopilots would allow the aircraft to fly standard-rate turns, hold altitudes, command wings-level, and even couple to instrument approaches, depending on the particular model. With the Garmin Flight Control system, we now have access to incredible attitude-based digital precision.
Due to fiscal constraints at NASA, all FAA training in the altitude chamber has been discontinued until further notice.
The VNAV function on a G1000 or Garmin Perspective system is a great resource to assist pilots in planning descents. It takes a lot of the math out of the process. Here are some advanced tips and tricks for utilizing the VNAV function properly.
Cirrus Aircraft today introduced its new SR-Series aircraft lineup for 2013, which is dominated by an order of magnitude increase in load carrying capability for the best-selling SR22 and SR22T. Increasing the certified gross weight to 3600 lbs. (1,633 kg) for both SR22 and SR22T, this new utility and flexibility allows an extra person and substantial extra baggage or cargo all while carrying more fuel in both of these 5-seat aircraft.
With winter on the way, all pilots know what that means. When it gets cold and cloudy, hello icing conditions. Pilots without any kind of de-icing or TKS system on their airplanes know this is a no-go. It’s always a really bad idea to go into icing conditions with no protection.
As a flight instructor, I make it to a lot of airports throughout the course of a year. I like going new places, landing at different airports, and finding new challenges. But, my goal for each flight is to find some place good to eat. That could either be an airport diner (Brenham, TX for example, 11R) or some place close by that can be reached by a golf cart (Hard Eight BBQ in Stephenville, TX (KSEP); more on that later).
You have finally upgraded from an Avidyne equipped aircraft to a Garmin glass panel. Admittedly, there are a lot more buttons, but yet so much more capability. You spend the first several weeks after your transition training flying around, mostly VFR, getting the hang of things. At the end of the month, you turn on the MFD and see that your NavData is expired.
Yasmina Platt, Regional Manager for AOPA, joined several other students on Tuesday at the NASA Altitude Chamber for a hypoxia training session. She wrote a review on her experience, found here on the AOPA Blog. High Performance Aviation sponsors several Altitude Chamber events per year. Please visit the Contact Us page to inquire.
I was taking a peek into a Cirrus a few weeks back, probably a 2002 or 2003 SR22. A quick glance at the panel and the GPS’s showed me everything was as it should be: 2 Avidyne screens, 2 Garmin 430s, the S-TEC 55x autopilot. The pilot offered to take me for a demo flight to show off his new GPS. I thought, well, I’m pretty good with a 430, maybe he wants some tips or something.
Question: Want all the benefits of those brand new glass cockpits? Don’t want to buy a brand new
aircraft? Even better, want it to work with your existing Garmin avionics?
Answer: A retrofit Garmin G500/G600. You get to keep your airplane, your Garmin GPS, and still get the
benefits of a glass cockpit.
This week at Oshkosh, Cessna unveiled the next generation C182 Skylane, known appropriately as the NXT. What’s so fancy about it? Well, Cessna has taken a leap forward in the General Aviation community by putting an SMA SR305-230E Turbo Charged, Jet A fueled engine on the latest Skylane model. By switching from the tradition Lycoming engines that all high wing Cessna’s have been powered by for decades, Cessna is ushering in the new era of Jet A fueled GA aircraft.
Stick your head in a 2012 Cirrus SR22 and you’ll see the typical Garmin Perspective setup: the big, 12-inch displays, the Garmin Autopilot, and the 5 seats (4.5 really since you can only fit 2 kids and 1 adult in the back). Look a little closer and you’ll see something new on the ’12 SR22. It’s the Garmin GMA 350 Audio Panel, the audio panel modernized. What’s this 3-D audio, you ask? Don’t worry, we’re here to help.
HPA is excited to announce this upcoming event… We have organized a group event for the altitude chamber at NASA on Tuesday, August 28th, 2012. This will be a great learning experience that you won’t want to miss!
Whether you are buying your first high-performance aircraft or selling the one you own, the HPA brokerage team can help.
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