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| GA News
| ECLIPSE RELEASES PERFORMANCE FIGURES, PRICES
Eclipse Aviation set the price for its new twin-engine jet at $837,500 in June 2000 dollars in an announcement made Wednesday at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. The maximum cruise speed is estimated at 355 knots, but with a low stall speed of only 62 knots. The range with four people is expected to be 1,300 nm, carrying a useful load of 2,000 pounds. The aircraft will feature five seats standard, with an optional six-seat configuration. The Eclipse 500 will have IFR capability with electronic flight displays and be certified for known icing. Full-size mockups are on display at the fly-in. Electronics and aircraft control systems will be provided by Avidyne and BAE Systems Aircraft Controls. Eclipse, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, also announced an extended range option for the jet, bringing it up to 1,825 nm. The extended range model is estimated to have a cruise speed of 345 kt. For more information, see the Web site.
ECHO FLIGHT GOES HANDHELD
Also at Oshkosh, Echo Flight introduced the new Flight Cheetah system, a compact color GPS unit that displays graphical weather datalinked via the Orbcomm satellite network. The Flight Cheetah display is a handheld GPS moving map with a bright 3.8-inch color screen. The unit measures 7.8 inches long by 3.3 inches wide. The Flight Cheetah unit attaches to the portable Orbcomm transceiver. With the Flight Cheetah system, pilots can view Nexrad radar, airport visibility, ceiling, wind speed and direction, as well as temperature/dew point spreads. Flight Cheetah also sends and receives e-mail messages and sends position reports in-flight. The Flight Cheetah will be available in two models. Flight Cheetah FL 90 will list for a projected retail price of $2,495 and features a transflective color screen. The second model, Flight Cheetah FL 180, is expected to list for $2,995 and will feature the same type of brilliant high-contrast screen currently used on Echo Flight's StratoCheetah Flight Manager, a larger system already shipping. Initial deliveries of the new products are planned for this fall. For more details, visit the Web.
GARMIN OFFERS AVIONICS FOR 14-, 28-VOLT SYSTEMS
Garmin International announced what it calls an engineering breakthrough for its popular integrated avionics systems. The company is now offering 14/28-volt versions of the GNS 430, GNS 530, and GNC 420. The new versions are said to reduce costs for aircraft owners, eliminate complex installations for avionics shops, and give users the same communication quality and transmission power whether the aircraft has a 14- or 28-volt electrical system. The company said prices for the new products won't go up and will eliminate the cost of installing a voltage converter for 14-volt aircraft. The GNS 430–an integrated IFR GPS/com with VOR, localizer, and glideslope on a color moving map display–will continue to sell for $9,250. The GNS 530, which has all of the 430's features and a larger display, will still sell for $14,995. And the GNC 420, a GPS/com unit with color moving map, keeps its $7,995 price tag. The new versions will start shipping in August. For more information, see the Web site.
SOCATA UNVEILS WINNING DESIGN
 Socata Aircraft on Wednesday unveiled at EAA AirVenture 2000 in Oshkosh the winning design in the company's Paint the Trinidad contest. Socata created the contest for AOPA members to welcome the new century with the introduction of a new generation of TB aircraft. Scott Dorsey, a symphony conductor and active pilot from Alliance, Ohio, won a trip for two to Paris and a side trip to Socata's factory in southern France. For more information, visit the Web.
JET GURU DIES FROM CANCER
Allen E. Paulson, who had a thing for fast jets and racehorses, died July 19 at a hospital in La Jolla, California, after a battle with cancer, The Los Angeles Times reported. He was 78. Paulson once owned Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and accumulated a fortune in the aviation industry. The self-made man worked his way up from a mechanic at Trans World Airlines when he was 19. Paulson later had a successful career in horse racing and breeding. Paulson is survived by his wife, Madeleine; sons Richard, Jim, and Mike; and Dominique, a stepdaughter. Another son died in a plane crash, the newspaper reported.
G-V BREAKS SPEED RECORD
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation announced Monday that the Gulfstream V set a world speed record on a flight from New York to Los Angeles–breaking the previous record, held by a Cessna Citation X. On July 3 the G-V departed Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, carrying eight passengers and three crew members. The business jet cruised at speeds up to Mach 0.88 before landing with NBAA IFR reserves at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles. It completed the 2,219-nm flight in four hours, 34 minutes, breaking the previous record by almost 15 minutes. For more information, see the Web site.
For daily news updates, see AOPA Online.
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Inside AOPA
| CAPSTONE GROUND EQUIPMENT INSTALLED
AOPA is continuing to lead the way in improving general aviation safety through a unique cooperative project. On Monday Mitre Corporation completed installation of the ground-based equipment that will be used to uplink traffic and weather data to AOPA aircraft equipped with the FAA's Capstone avionics packages and datalink transceivers. When demonstrations are in progress, members visiting AOPA can see the data being sent skyward to AOPA's Capstone-equipped Beech Bonanza and the Air Safety Foundation's Piper Archer. After installation, AOPA staff took to the tarmac to test the new ground equipment by transmitting ADS-B signals. Eventually, traffic from local air traffic control radar as well as graphical weather products will be sent skyward to the aircraft using avionics produced by UPS Aviation Technologies. AOPA will demonstrate these capabilities in addition to moving map technology, terrain avoidance displays, and runway incursion prevention tools to key government officials, industry leaders, and the aviation media.
| On Capitol Hill
| AOPA-BACKED LEGISLATION PASSES SENATE
Supporters of the AOPA-backed effort to prevent the closure of backcountry airstrips have attached an amendment to the Interior Appropriations Act to protect the airstrips. The amendment, offered by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), passed the full Senate by unanimous consent on July 17. The provision ensures that no federal funds are used to permanently close backcountry landing strips on federal land administered by the U.S. Department of Interior. The amendment would halt landing strip closures for one year while a more comprehensive piece of legislation, also introduced by Crapo, is completed. That bill, known as the Backcountry Landing Site Access Act, calls for a public process and approval by state aviation officials before land management agencies permanently close landing sites on federal land. But the Clinton administration has signaled that it will adamantly oppose Crapo's provision in an upcoming House/Senate conference, putting its approval in conference highly in doubt.
| Airport Support Network
| VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK–RANDAL UDY
AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer Randal Udy has been working at Utah's Ogden-Hinckley Airport (OGD) to help establish a new organization with a mission to "help ensure the Ogden-Hinckley Airport is integrated into the economic structure of Northern Utah." According to Udy, the association will interface with the city of Ogden and surrounding communities to improve community/airport relations and serve general aviation's interests while working to obtain economic vitality for the airport and its facilities.
Click here to learn more about the Airport Support Network.
| Quiz me!
| Here’s a question asked by an AOPA member last week of our AOPA technical specialists. Test your knowledge.
Question: On my sectional chart there is a white box with magenta borders in a military operations area. It shows the letters "CTC" followed by a frequency. What is this?
Answer: The white boxes with magenta borders are meant for VFR aircraft flying in that area and provides information on how to contact air traffic control without the need for other publications. The letters "CTC" stand for "contact" and the information that follows is the facility and frequency that should be used. AOPA has long advocated the addition of this information to VFR charts. A good source of information on charts is the Aeronautical Chart User's Guide, published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Got a technical question? Call our technical specialists at 800/872-2672 or e-mail to [email protected]. Send comments on our Quiz Me! questions to [email protected].
| ePilot Calendar
| WEEKEND FLYING DESTINATIONS
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. General aviation enthusiasts are in Oshkosh through August 1 for EAA AirVenture 2000, the largest general aviation event in the United States. Stop by the big AOPA tent to meet the editors of AOPA Pilot, AOPA Flight Training, AOPA ePilot, and other staff members. Call 920/426-4800 or visit the Web for event information and information on fly-in procedures to local airports that serve the area.
Parowan, Utah. The Parowan Air Show takes place July 28 and 29, featuring military and civilian static displays, aviation vendors, and more. Parowan Airport (1L9), 801/477-8911, is the host airport. Call 888/727-6926 for event information.
Berlin, New Hampshire. Festival du Bois celebrates the French heritage of northern New Hampshire July 29. Canadian bands, arts and crafts, artisans. Berlin Municipal Airport (BML), 603/449-268, serves the area. Call 603/752-7202 for event information.
Readington, New Jersey. The New Jersey Festival of Ballooning features more than 125 sport and specialty balloons at Solberg-Hunterdon Airport (N51) July 28 through 30. The Beach Boys, America, and The Nerds are scheduled. Call the airport at 908/534-4000; or 973/882-5464 for event information.
UPCOMING AOPA EVENTS
AOPA Expo 2000 takes place in Long Beach, California, October 20 through 22. Visit the Web site.
For more airport details, see AOPA’s Airport Directory Online. For more events, see the Aviation Calendar of Events.
ASF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REFRESHER CLINICS
(All clinics start at 7:30 a.m.)
The next AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics are scheduled in Baltimore, Maryland; Memphis, Tennessee; and New Orleans July 29 and 30. Clinics are scheduled in Tampa, Florida, and Dallas, Texas, August 5 and 6. For complete details, visit the Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic schedule.
ASF SAFETY SEMINARS
The next AOPA ASF Safety Seminars are scheduled in Milwaukee and Memphis August 14; Madison, Wisconsin, and Nashville August 15; Rochester, New York, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, August 16; and in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Minneapolis August 17. The seminar topic is "GPS for VFR Operations." Familiarity with GPS units is essential because it is the navigation system of the future. You will learn rules for survival in an electronic environment as well as advantages and disadvantages of using GPS; GPS capabilities; how to navigate using GPS; and traps and tricks of GPS navigation. Pilots of all skill levels and experience will benefit from this thorough review of GPS in VFR conditions. For more information about ASF Safety Seminars, visit the Web site.
ASF PINCH HITTER GROUND-SCHOOL COURSES
(Pinch Hitter courses start at 9:30 a.m.)
The next Pinch-Hitter� Ground School will take place place August 12 and 13 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. For details and a complete schedule, see the Pinch Hitter Ground School Schedule.
AOPA PILOT TOWN MEETINGS
Featuring AOPA President Phil Boyer
(7:30 p.m.; admission is free)
The next Pilot Town Meetings are in Omaha, Nebraska, August 28; Des Moines, Iowa, August 29; and Lansing, Michigan, September 11. Click for more information on Pilot Town Meetings.
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Contacting ePilot
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