Gretek's Fastfar 2.0
For online federal aviation regulations (FARs) at your fingertips, you may want to check out Gretek's FastFAR 2.0. The simple program downloads from the Internet and provides a searchable list of most all the commonly used FARs, including Parts 1, 43, 1, 43, 61, 67, 71, 73, 91, 93, 97, 99, 103, 105, 119, 121, 135, 137, 141, 142, and NTSB Section 830. A professional version includes the entire Chapter 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or CFR - which is more parts than anyone, frankly, would want to know. For the one-time price of $29.95, you can update FastFAR for as long as you own the product; changes to the regulations are available within 24 hours of their posting by the government. The search feature allows you to find the exact FAR you're looking for by way of keywords, which could come in handy for rainy-day hangar sessions. For more information, contact Gretek/Rosetta Solutions Inc., 3620 Greenbrier Drive, Dallas, Texas 75225-5105; telephone 214/242-9314; fax 214/242-9315; or visit the Web site ( www.fastfar.com ).
Julie K. Boatman
ISU Press Books For Professional Pilots
The second edition of Job Hunting for Pilots: Networking Your Way to a Flying Job by Gregory N. Brown, a columnist for AOPA Flight Training magazine, is available from Iowa State University Press for $21.95. The 208-page book aids the applicant in developing important contacts inside the industry. Included are pilot r�sum�s, cover letters, interview preparation tips, and more. The book includes help for a wide range of applicants, from those just beginning their careers to military pilots transitioning to civilian careers.
Also released from ISU Press, Professional Pilot by John Lowery explores flying in light multiengine, commuter, and transport category aircraft. The author is an adjunct assistant professor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and works as an aviation safety consultant. The 332-page book highlights Lowery's real-world experience, offering tips and techniques for addressing almost any situation. Professional Pilot retails for $36.95. For more information, contact Iowa State University Press, 2121 South State Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50014-8300; telephone 800/862-6657 or 515/292-0140; fax 515/292-3348; or visit the Web site ( www.isupress.com ). Alton K. Marsh
Checklist Options
You spend a lot of time as a student using the pilot's operating handbook to figure out procedures and performance for the airplane you're flying. But once you have the basics down, you can refine the way you organize your cockpit to what suits you best. Two new products offer different methods of tackling checklists.
CheckMate Aviation recently updated The Aviation CheckBook, a series of lightweight, wire-bound booklets containing specific checklists for various popular aircraft. We've used The Aviation CheckBook in a Piper Archer and found the lists to be thorough and well planned. Various checklists are stacked, and color tabs allow you to locate the checklist you need. Models available include Cessna 150D-K, 172N, 172RG, 182P, and Piper Warrior and Archer, among others. CheckMate keeps prices of the booklets down by selling advertising on the facing pages of the checklists, and the company donates a portion of all CheckBook sales to charitable organizations such as Angel Flight, AirLifeLine, and Flights for Humanity. Retail price for each CheckBook is $10. For more information, contact CheckMate Aviation, 4131 North Stratford Road Northeast, Atlanta, Georgia 30342; telephone 800/359-3741; fax 404/264-0077; or visit the Web site ( www.checkmateaviation.com ).
Another checklist option turns your personal digital assistant into a preflight computer of sorts. Chris Smith, of AirSmith LLC, developed FlightPrompt for PDAs specifically for private pilots who rent aircraft. The software for the Palm OS comes in monochrome and color versions to fit the PDA you may already own. The goal of the program was to provide a standard routine for pilots to follow before and during flight, no matter what aircraft they fly - a handy tool if you often switch between a couple of different aircraft models. The checklists in FlightPrompt follow a protocol that allows you to determine which checklist items are required for all flights, and which may be deemed optional on subsequent flights, such as preflighting the airplane after multiple flights in one day. The interface can be used without the stylus by way of relatively large buttons on the PDA display, and the menus are designed so that any checklist can be accessed quickly at any time from the display. FlightPrompt retails for $30. For more information, contact AirSmith LLC; telephone 206/780-1312; e-mail [email protected] ; or visit the Web site, under construction at press time ( www.flightprompt.com ).
J. Boatman
Jeppesen's New Multiengine Manual
Jeppesen continues its Guided Flight Discovery programmed learning line of training materials with the release of the Multiengine Manual. The new text flies leaps and bounds over the old Jepp offering, illustrating important aerodynamic concepts and complex systems in about 375 full-color graphics. One of the strong points of the GFD series is that it maintains student interest through sometimes dry material by using sidebars to illuminate the text, presented as Discovery and Human Element insets. The Multiengine Manual builds on this practice with two new types of insets, one that highlights flying careers and another that discusses in-flight situations that bring together critical points made in the text. Quotes also liven things up - the Multiengine Manual manages to take inspiration from sources as diverse as Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Monty Python. Retail price for the 320-page book is $49.95. For more information, contact Jeppesen, 55 Inverness Drive East, Englewood, Colorado 80112; telephone 303-799-9090; fax 303-328-4153; or visit the Web site ( www.jeppesen.com ).
J. Boatman
Related Articles
