Anderson comes well-equipped to write about the subject. He is an Air National Guard F-16 pilot, and, in fact, is Rick Wedan. The book chronicles his aviation journey and proves the point that even though aviation experiences may not seem connected, one leads to another, and each can open doors to new adventures.
Wedan started flying a beat-up Aeronca Champ while in college. On a cross-country adventure in the airplane, he met an Air National Guard pilot who was flying his homebuilt racer, learned about the Guard, and decided that's what he wanted to do. How Wedan got into the Guard, and how it is different from the Air Force, lead into the meat (and really interesting part) of the book - what it's like to learn to fly the Air Force way.
Even though street crews were clearing December's first snow from the streets outside the courthouse where I awaited the call to jury duty, I sweated with Wedan as the Texas sun turned the cockpits of the T-41, T-37, and T-38 into greenhouses. I had sympathy, anxiety, and tummy snakes when Wedan had to fly an "87 ride" after he "got confused" on his instrument progress checkride. I was irritated when the bailiff called us into the courtroom, and I couldn't wait for our lunch break. Instead of eating, I devoured more of the book.
With 205 pages between its soft covers, Unknown Rider is a quick, enjoyable read. Anderson writes simply, and well. It didn't surprise me to find out that his first book, Distant Fires, which chronicled a three-month canoe trip through the Canadian wilds, was named an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.
Unknown Rider is a book for anyone who flies or wants to fly, regardless of age; and you don't have to be called to jury duty to enjoy it. Available at many bookstores for $12.50, you can also order it direct from the publisher, Dennoch Press, 808 Martha St., Duluth, MN 55805; 800/336-6624; 218/728-0505; [email protected]
S.M. Spangler
Ground School in a Box
Using multimedia technology, Ground School in a Box brings computer-based instruction within reach of any flight school. Part 141 approved, the program from Aeromedia Inc. includes on-demand sound and full-screen animation. More important, Ground School in a Box promotes and enhances the instructor's role rather than replacing it.
The instructor controls the course content, pace, and oral presentation, but it virtually eliminates preparation time because the teaching material is always up to date. The program includes everything the instructor needs to teach, including animation, voice samples, charts, tables, prepared exercises, and FAA question samples.
Ground School in a Box uses a three-step teaching process. The student views the computer-based visuals, the instructor explains the material, and the student writes the information in a preformatted workbook.
The program is available in two versions - private pilot and instrument rating. The basic package for either course retails for $2,499 and the Part 141-approved package is $2,999. The package includes a "cutting-edge" CD-ROM multimedia program that can be viewed on any TV; a remote control to pace the presentation; an instructor's notebook filled with lesson plans, key graphics, presentation notes, and practice tests; student notebooks and quizbooks; and a CD-ROM quiz station on which students can practice taking computerized tests.
For more information, contact Aeromedia, P.O. Box 27740, Las Vegas, NV 89126; 800/616-87798; 702/257-2236; http://members.aol.com/aeromedia.
S.M. Spangler
Find Your Way With AOPA
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association recently issued the 1998 edition of its AOPA's Airport Directory, and AOPA members started receiving their copies in December. One of aviation's most comprehensive directories, it gives information on more than 7,500 airports, 4,395 FBOs, and 33,000 on-airport and off-airport services.
AOPA has added new features to make the 1998 edition more useful. One is an alphabetical airport index of public-use airports. The airports are listed by name, as they are on a sectional chart, not by city. Bold, new icons identify key services, such as FBOs with DTN weather graphics computers and those that sell Avfuel-brand fuel. A "3%" icon indicates an FBO that participates in AOPA's rebate program, which returns three percent of purchases made with MBNA's AOPA credit card.
The directory provides a complete catalog of airport features and services. Also it lists hotels, restaurants, rental cars, FBO hours of operation, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. More than 2,560 runway diagrams for airports with instrument approaches appear in the 1998 edition. Airport entries include necessary information for safe operation such as runway information, traffic pattern altitude, lighting, and frequencies. The directory also provides information about 1,880 private-use airports, including phone numbers so pilots can call ahead for permission to land.
Finally, the directory includes listings for FAA regional offices, Flight Standards District Offices, control towers, air route traffic control centers, and several hundred aviation associations, organizations, and clubs.
The directory is also available on CD-ROM, and a pilot can find exactly what he (or she) is looking for with its powerful search engine. The CD-ROM version also includes a 12-section source book that provides a wealth of information -from the pilot/controller glossary to a compilation of printable forms for the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System, flight planning, and more.
Both versions of AOPA's Airport Directory are available from Sporty's Pilot Shop, 800/LIFTOFF. AOPA members can buy additional copies for $24.95, and nonmembers can purchase it for $35.95. The CD-ROM costs members $27.50, and nonmembers $39.95. S.M. Spangler
Elite Twins
Aviation Teachware Technology and Initiative Computing are now shipping version 5.2 of the ELITE Personal Simulator, the first program to offer twin-engine aircraft for use as an FAA-approved PCATD under Advisory Circular 61-126. The newly enhanced Piper Seneca III comes in both 800 by 600 and 1024 by 768 computer-screen resolutions, as do the new Beech A36 Bonanza and twin-engine Beech 58 Baron.
The new aircraft bring ELITE's training fleet to eight, and all of them have photo-realistic instrument panels. Running the Bonanza, Seneca, and Baron at the higher resolutions allows for additional features, including a fully functional Trimble 2000 Approach GPS Navigator. Also included in the high resolution panels are a radar altimeter, altitude/vertical speed preselect, and audio and annunciator light panels.
The company offers five different hardware configurations for the software, which is the other half of the PCATD system. For more information, contact Aviation Teachware Technology, 672 North Semoran Blvd., Suite 104, Orlando, FL 32807; 800 557-7590 or www.flyelite.com.
S.M. Spangler
Related Articles
