There's a revolution going on right in front of us, says Editor in Chief Tom Haines. "The avionics panels we fly behind are moving from disparate pieces of equipment to highly integrated suites. The change affects not only aircraft owners but renters too as this once-esoteric equipment moves into mainstream airplanes found on every ramp. Pilots benefit from having more information available, but in a format that's easy to interpret." In " The Big Picture" (see page 91), Haines writes about one of the most popular of this new breed of general aviation multifunction displays, the Garmin GNS 530. The article is the first in a series called "On Display — Exploring the Multifunction Frontier." Look for future installments dealing with other multifunction displays.
Sometimes the search for good aircraft to shoot for Pilot's used-aircraft reports is made easy by efforts from our members. For this month's "Budget Buys" (see " Day-Tripper," page 100), we contacted Paul Diette, AOPA 1311781, who owns the beautifully restored Piper Tomahawk seen in the story. Diette, a marketing consultant from Mansfield, Massachusetts, was more than happy to cool his heels in Frederick while we polished his airplane for the photos. His Tomahawk II is probably one of the nicest around, after no less than $27,000 worth of panel and interior work. The airplane was truly a labor of love for Diette, beginning with his trip to Idaho to pick it up. Yes, he flew over the Wyoming and Wind River Ranges in western Wyoming during the trip home with nary a hiccup. For the story, Associate Editor Julie Boatman was pleased to reacquaint herself with the Tomahawk after an 11-year hiatus. Boatman accomplished much of her instrument rating in the late 1980s while flying the Tomahawk in Iowa and Illinois.
After promising themselves for years, former AOPA Pilot Technical Editor Pete Bedell and his wife, Laura, finally made the trek to Chicago's Meigs Field in the family Beech Baron (see " Postcards: Chicago in a Day — Or Two," page 113). Bedell describes how much there is to do within walking distance (or a short cab ride) of the famed lakeside airport. "After spending the last year as a pilot for a regional airline, I've really come to appreciate the freedom that general aviation provides," said Bedell. "Simply being able to fly [on] my own schedule to a destination that my wife and I have chosen is sheer luxury compared to the grind of airline flying." But all was not well in Chi-town. "The more we grew to like Chicago, the more sour our feelings became about the airport's scheduled closure. Meigs is a gem for GA and corporate aviation. The conversion of the land to yet another lakefront park, or a launch point for a 'floating casino' as our cab driver had heard was to happen, would be foolish given the amount of traffic that the airport sees. Quite simply, were it not for the convenience of Meigs, we wouldn't think of visiting Chicago. It made the trip."
Says Continental Airlines Capt. Vincent Czaplyski, "One of the great things about flying for a living is getting to watch some really good pilots at work. A rare few are naturals, but I realized early on that most work hard to make it all look easy. Some, however, seem to understand better than others when not to break a sweat." One such pilot was the inspiration for Czaplyski's article on training (see " Turbine Pilot: Need to Know, Nice to Know," page 97) and he illustrated for the author the difference between what pilots should know and must know about their aircraft — whether they fly a Boeing 737 or a Cessna 152 (Czaplyski flies both aircraft).
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