Bowen recently published Air To Air, an artistic collection of his aerial assignments from the past 25 years. The beautifully designed 10-by-12-inch coffee-table book contains more than 500 color photographs on its 224 pages. The aircraft depicted show the range of Bowen's work, from business aircraft such as his "signature" image, "Citation Fog Vortices," and airliners such as the Boeing 767 to piston singles, twins, helicopters, the P-51 Mustang, and even a blimp.
But Air To Air is much more than a book full of beautiful pictures of aircraft. It's the story of the people who fly them. Each two-page spread includes aerial shots taken on location, and a group shot of the people who made the photographs possible. Personal accounts from the photo shoots emphasize that, as Bowen writes, "the true heroes of any photo session are the pilots."
Bowen's words are elegant, simple, and warm. They add life to his photographs and introduce us to his friends, make us feel like part of the family, and add details about the photographs that give them new meaning. Readers seeking technical details about the aircraft or the photographic process will be disappointed. The book is about the visual beauty of flight - and the people who give it life.
This book is for anyone who's emotionally attached to flying, pilot or not. In addition to the visual and reading enjoyment it gives, Air To Air makes me want to go flying, especially in the early morning or late afternoons and evenings, when the light is liquid, warm, and inviting. It also answers the question for which there is no really articulate answer - Why do you fly?
Air To Air is available directly from North Shore Press for $70 (plus $9.50 S). For more information, call 800/697-2580.
YOUR first few hours
Sporty's Pilot Shop has revised the first video in its Complete Pilot Video Course. Your First Few Hours includes new air-to-air footage of the new Cessna 172R Skyhawk and 3-D computer graphics. The $10, two-video set describes and shows both prospective and new student pilots what they can expect in their first few hours of flight training. To order, call 800/LIFTOFF.
Avcomm ac-450
Besides good noise attenuation and communication, the hallmarks of a good headset are comfort and a custom fit. AVCOMM's AC-450 Deluxe Stereo Headset meets all of these criteria. It has Simarium Cobalt speakers, which are known for their light weight, high efficiency, and natural sound transmission. Each speaker has its own volume control and the headset switches easily from mono to stereo. The noise-canceling electret microphone is attached to a wire spring boom and is covered with a muff to cut wind noise.
A stainless-steel headband holds the ear cups, and it has thumb-nut adjustment screws to lock in the user's preferred placement. The oversized acoustic foam ear seals are cushy and don't create any hot spots. They are covered by pure cotton covers that absorb perspiration and feel like flannel sheets, which are comfy regardless of the season.
The gold plated microphone and headphone plugs ensure positive contact and are connected to high tensile wires that are shielded to prevent RFI and EMI interference. These high quality components should give years of trouble free service. At $159.95, the AC-450 is a good value for any pilot. For more information, call AVCOMM at 800/845-7541 or www.avcomm-inc.com. Or use Flight Training's reader service card.
pilot flight portfolio
McConnell Aviation has created a multipurpose tool for pilots. Made of reinforced, high quality vinyl, The Pilot Flight Portfolio not only provides a sturdy writing surface and place to attach navigation logs and charts, its covers carry a wealth of flight planning information.
The front panel gives useful in-flight information for VFR and IFR flight planning, including the PIREP sequence, time conversion, light gun signals, radio facility chart, chart scale, cruising altitudes, generic IFR checklists, and Flight Watch frequency.
The back panel gives information pertinent to preflight planning, such as the FSS weather brief phone number, flight plan form, METAR/TAF weather decoder, airspace VFR weather minimums, transponder codes, the sequence of ATIS information, and thunderstorm "rules." Opening the portfolio and folding it back onto itself turns it into a lap board, and the large, lever operated spring clip has a bite big enough to hold an NOS approach chart book.
The Pilot Flight Portfolio has a suggested retail price of $12.95. For more information, contact McConnell Aviation, P.O. Box 1156, Wheeling, IL 60090-1156; 847-229-1694. Or use Flight Training's reader service card
GRAB BAG
What pilots take flying with them often depends on the flight they plan to make. Certainly they take a lot more stuff on a cross-country trip than they do on a local sightseeing adventure. For flights that don't require a lot of "stuff," Cencal Aviation Products Flight Bag Zulu makes a great "grab bag."
The Zulu measures 10 inches wide, 9 inches deep, and 11.5 inches tall. Its main compartment, with its double YKK zipper closure, has room for two headsets and an intercom. The zippered portfolio pocket on one side encloses two detachable transceiver/GPS bags, which have belt loops for individual use. On the other side is an open pocket for flat items, such as charts and plotters, and both ends have outside slip pockets for pens and small flashlights.
Like the rest of Cencal's flight bag family, the Zulu is fully padded and made of 1000 denier duPont Cordura nylon in seven colors, black, red, royal blue, teal, burgundy, navy blue, and pewter gray. It comes with a shoulder strap and costs $77.75. For more information, and to find a dealer near you, call 800/423-6225, or www.cencal.com.
keeping track of time
It's important for pilots to keep track of their flight time for regulatory, professional, and personal reasons. ASA has made this easier with its PilotLog series of three Windows-based computerized logbooks. Unlike paper logbooks, which have limited room for different columns and pages, PilotLog logbooks can record an unlimited number of columns, aircraft classifications, routes, remarks, and the required flight information. In addition, they automatically check pilot currency - plus they record and report such things as time in a type of aircraft, or a particular aircraft.
A database engine drives the PilotLog, but all three versions display a recognizable "flight log" grid that looks like the columns in a paper logbook. Unlike paper logbooks, however, the PilotLog allows the user to rearrange, show, hide, and customize the columns.
The PilotLog is the entry-level version. The $59.95 program allows a single pilot to record his (or her) flight time and take advantage of the program's customizable columns and reports. PilotLog Plus, $99.95, has all the features of the previous program but enables any number of pilots to record their time, track their expenses, and find and/or look up airport names and IDs. OwnerLog, $139.95, includes all the features of the other programs, and adds extensive periodic maintenance and repair logging for aircraft owners, whether they be individuals or FBOs.
For more information, call ASA at 800/426-8338 or www.asa2fly.com/asa.
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