PC-based systems training
Computer Based Training (CBT) software is everywhere nowadays. Whether it's typing skills or nuclear powerplant emergency procedures that need brushing up, there's a software package to help. Certain subjects are naturals for this approach, and aircraft systems are one of them.
AniJet Software (the name derives from animated jet technology) has produced a series of CBT programs intended as systems and procedures trainers for several popular corporate aircraft, including the Beech King Air C90, the Piper Cheyenne, Cessna 400-series twins, and soon, the Cessna Citation. AniJet also sells a stand-alone Pratt & Whitney PT-6 turboprop engine package and has launched a series of aircraft-specific programs aimed at the private pilot marketplace. These include Cessna's 152 and 172 models and the Beech Bonanza A36.
Although a CD-ROM version should be available by the time you read this, DOS-based version 1.1 currently ships on 10 high-density disks; the installation takes about 15 minutes. All future releases will run in Microsoft Windows. Sorry, folks; there are no plans for a Macintosh version.
The program does not presuppose prior working knowledge of the King Air C90, although most users will probably already be familiar with the aircraft. The program is organized into six modules, representing powerplant, fuel, electrical, pressurization, landing gear, and ice and rain protection systems. A seventh module, titled "Final Exam," generates multiple-choice questions to help to uncover areas needing more attention.
Once installed, there is little use for the keyboard, other than to start the program from DOS. One navigates through the various modules by using the computer mouse. AniJet has obviously put a lot of thought into making the program "intuitive and user-friendly," just as the copywriters say. At any given time, from two to nine mouse-activated buttons appear at the bottom of the screen. Each button's function is defined clearly, by either a text label or an icon. Unlike some programs whose icons require a working knowledge of ancient hieroglyphics, these actually make sense. Click on a camera symbol and the program generates red "hot zone" rectangles around elements of an aircraft system for which detailed photographs exist. Clicking on the rectangle instantly conjures up the photograph. Similarly, click on a red oval and an animated depiction of the selected component will begin running.
Other useful control buttons include Flash, which calls up flashcard-style questions about the system in question, and Emergency, which details all emergency procedures involving that system.
What makes the program particularly enjoyable is its use of animation. In the Powerplant module, for instance, a cutaway view of the PT-6 appears, with detailed moving parts. Airflow through the engine is easy to visualize.
AniJet's program isn't the last word on King Air bookwork, however. For one thing, it doesn't take the place of the POH. There is no planning and performance section; nor are there modules on flight controls, instruments, or navigation. Being able to practice weight and balance calculations on screen or do other flight planning drills, for that matter, would be useful. The Final Exam section is not exhaustive, either. Although AniJet will include customized review questions for an additional cost, the program arrives with just 80 brain teasers in all.
At $599.95, the King Air C90 program is not cheap. Then again, it can be looked at as a cost-effective way for a private owner or flight department to maintain a working knowledge of King Air systems and procedures in between annual visits to more rigid simulator-based training. Each of the single-engine Cessna programs sells for $99.95, and bundled packages including several aircraft models will be offered in 1996, at currently undetermined prices.
For more information, contact AniJet Software, Post Office Box 2331, Carlsbad, California 92018; telephone 619/434-5932. — Vincent Czaplyski
Aviation Databases
As recently as the late 1980s, the primary means of getting lists of pilots and aircraft was to purchase FAA records on microfiche. It was slow and cumbersome, and the data were difficult to use. Well, throw out the microfiche reader. A number of competing entrepreneurs now offer enormous stores of information on CD-ROM for the personal computer.
Four of those products are The Aviation Gold Mine, The Aviation Locator, Southern Aviator's AeroFacts Database, and Airpac. All of them offer value for the money, but ease of use is important, too. In that category there is no contest: Airpac's two CD-ROM products, Airpac Data Manager for businesses and Airpac Data Viewer for the rest of us, are the clear winners.
The Windows-based programs load effortlessly. Commands are intuitive, and searches can be made with only minor effort, without the user's ever opening the instructions. Searches can be made based on a variety of criteria — whatever you happen to know about the pilot or aircraft. There are more databases than those, however. Look up air-taxi operators, medical examiners, designated examiners, written-test examiners, mechanics, FAA pilot certificates filed in the most recent month, airport managers, and even aircraft dealers who own aircraft.
Airpac Data Manager is the more sophisticated of the two. The database technology is not encrypted and is based on Microsoft Access 2.0, meaning that you can import records into your favorite word-processing program. You can design your own print format, print in color, print letters to individuals in the database — using custom fonts, colors, pictures, logos, and scanned signatures — and develop your own search rules for custom reports. Airpac Data Manager costs $139.95, while Airpac Data Viewer sells for $39.95. For more information, contact Airpac, 919 South Bryant, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034; telephone 800/654-2066 or 405/359-6222.
The Aviation Locator is available for $99 from AeroKnowledge, Post Office Box 711, Pennington, New Jersey 08534; telephone 609/737-9288.
Southern Aviator's AeroFacts Database is available for Macintosh or PC-compatible computers for $99. Write Southern Aviator AeroFacts Database, 404 Hillsborough Street, Suite 200, Raleigh, North Carolina 27603; telephone 919/839-1600.
Aviation Gold Mine is available from Software Innovations, 26004 Southeast 184th Street, Maple Valley, Washington 98038; telephone 800/ 695-6963. — Alton K. Marsh
NRV Lighted Kneeboard
So you're completing that night instrument approach, when all the lights in the aircraft wink out. Quickly, you need to nab the flashlight from the bottom of the flight case, try to keep the airplane upright, and reorganize your scan in the space of what seems like a couple of nanoseconds.
It's in this kind of scenario that the NRV lighted kneeboard is your golden ally. With a four-watt battery-powered fluorescent light at the head of the board, the board provides enough illumination for your charts and much of the bottom instrument panel. A red insert keeps the brightest light from shining directly into your eyes and helps to dim the output for the times when your post lights actually work.
Four AA batteries power the light for about four hours of continuous use, so you'll want to make sure that you have fresh cells in the light before a night departure; replacing the batteries on the fly is not particularly easy. In addition, we found it necessary to place a segment of black electrical tape over the light that faces the instrument panel in order to prevent glare; leave one end of the tape folded over to facilitate quick removal. The light module itself can be removed from the kneeboard and carried by an attached lanyard for other tasks.
In other respects, the NRV kneeboard does a good job of taming cockpit mess. It's good-sized at 11 inches tall, 6 inches wide, and 1.3 inches deep, and carries a locking spring clip to hold either NOS or Jeppesen charts. A sliding drawer emerges from the left side of the board to hold other instrument charts — it's too small for sectionals. A clever, simple pivot on the underside mates the board with the 2-inch-wide elastic leg strap and allows the board to be turned on the leg to help the writing angle. A pair of pencil clips also is included.
Fans of industrial design may not get hot and bothered by the NRV product's construction. The textured plastic casing, though certainly durable, isn't exactly sleek, and the nonslip pad on the main surface scuffs easily.
The NRV kneeboard sells for $85 plus shipping but includes a set of four batteries to get you started. For more information, contact NRV Aviation, Post Office Box 1937, Pulaski, Virginia 24301; telephone 800/659-0802. — MEC
Unless otherwise stated, products listed herein have not been evaluated by AOPA Pilot editors. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors. However, members unable to get satisfaction regarding products listed should advise AOPA. To submit products for evaluation, contact: New Products Editor, AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701; telephone 301/695-2350.
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