Both the 1998 and oral PTS are included so that the manual reflects the current standards you will encounter during the checkride. In the intervening years, the FAA has changed some terminology in the PTS, and this fine-tuning is also present in the third edition of the manual. With GPS and RNAV navigation much more commonplace, these inclusions have been made by the FAA, and subsequently by Aero Tech.
Aero Tech has also improved the graphics to better illustrate each maneuver while retaining those maneuvers that the FAA had deleted from its Instrument Flying Handbook. A cross-reference of FAA publications applicable to each maneuver and task helps with further research.
The spiral-bound manual is easy to use, clipping onto a standard, approach-plate-sized kneeboard for flight. One thing hasn't changed-the price. And it's worth every cent to help you navigate the complexities of the instrument checkride.
Price: $18.95. For more information: 800/247-6553; [email protected]
Tom Shefchunas' Alpha Trainer CD
In July 2001, we looked at the Alpha Trainer, a unique angle-of-attack training aid for use by students and instructors. Now, Tom Shefchunas has added an accompanying CD that bring together all of the supporting information for the laminated training aid in one convenient package.
Angle of attack is a term that, depending on the instructor, gets a widely varying treatment during your flight instruction. The Alpha Trainer helps pilots to visualize what angle of attack is and how it is affected by changes in center of gravity and center of thrust. The trainer also helps to illustrate how the airplane's wing can exceed its critical angle of attack in various flight conditions. While such a detailed exploration might not suit every student, others may find that the kinesthetic exercise of the Alpha Trainer makes the concept come alive. An animation on the CD takes you through the use of the laminated device.
Notably, the CD also contains the full text of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (AC61-23C) and Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3) for easy referral. In addition, it contains links to FAA and NASA Web sites to further illustrate certain terms; they aid in correlation and give yet another set of examples for better understanding.
Price: $14.95 plus shipping. For more information: 877/542-1112, www.alphatrainer.com
William Kershner has released the seventh edition of The Advanced Pilot's Flight Manual, published by the Iowa State Press. The manual teaches about performance to aid the transition between primary training aircraft and high-performance, complex aircraft. The text is updated to explore in greater depth the basics of flight instruments and navigation-the backbone of all flying-which often falls by the wayside when GPS comes into the cockpit.
Price: $39.99. For more information: 800/862-6657; www.iowastatepress.com
ElectronicFlight Solutions has announced its latest software training module, which focuses on using an autopilot. The autopilot training software covers the operation of three different models: the Bendix/King KAP 140 and KFC 225, and the S-Tec Fifty Five X. Procedures for using these autopilots are similar to those for others within their respective product families. Even if there isn't an autopilot in your trainer, understanding how autopilots function will allow for easier transition to more complex aircraft that do have these systems. And instrument pilots often depend on autopilots to provide an extra "crewmember" when flying single pilot in instrument meteorological conditions.
Price: $145. For more information: 508/775-7575; www.electronicflight.com
Sporty's now offers a Palm OS-based E6B program for personal digital assistants. Sporty's E6B software for PDAs performs 19 aviation functions (such as weight and balance, navigation, and fuel problems) and 14 aviation conversions (such as changing nautical miles to statute miles). Remember, software on a PDA is not authorized for use during FAA exams-but in real life, this software puts an E6B into a form you may already carry with you.
Price: $19.95. For more information: 800/776-7897; www.sportys.com
The FAA has issued parts manufacturing approval (PMA) to WSI Corporation for the InFlight AV200 cockpit weather briefing system, allowing the company to manufacture the equipment. The AV200 system continuously transmits near-real-time aviation weather directly to the cockpit using a satellite in geosynchronous orbit. The service provides a display of current and forecast weather conditions, as well as WSI NOWrad, a high-quality mosaic of the Nexrad Doppler weather system.
Price: $4,995 plus installation. For more information: www.wsi.com
Precise Flight, maker of SpeedBrakes and PulseLites, is now marketing its own individual oxygen system, PreciseFlow, based on Nelson Oxygen systems. The system uses a pulsed delivery method to match the oxygen outflow to the user's inhalation, resulting in an efficient metering of oxygen so that pilots retain about 90 to 92 percent oxygen saturation while using about half the oxygen of continuous-flow systems. The system will use cannulas.
Price: $380. For more information: www.preciseflight.com
The latest version of Jeppesen's SimCharts, for use with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight, eases the user's ability to utilize realistic instrument charts during sim sessions. Each of the nine available CDs covers a geographic region, spanning nearly the entire globe. Paper en route charts add another element, available in three U.S. regions and one package that covers Europe.
For more information: www.jeppesen.com
Chelton Flight Systems, as part of its work with the FAA's Capstone program, now holds a supplemental type certificate in the Bell 206 helicopter for its FlightLogic synthetic vision primary flight display (PFD). The PFD gained approval for use under visual flight rules (VFR), and it allows pilots a "blue-sky view" of the surrounding area in cases of temporary whiteout conditions caused by snow, dust, and other debris encountered during hover, as well as increased situational awareness in normal operations.
For more information: www.cheltonflightsystems.com
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