The magazine's art and editorial staff faced an interesting challenge when AOPA Pilot Editor in Chief Tom Haines announced plans for the August 2006 issue. The edict: Outline a special general aviation technology section, then turn it into a complete overview of 40 technologies that are predicted to shape general aviation's future, pick 10 considered to be at the top of the technology chart today, and expand coverage on those. We think you will enjoy exploring the results of the editors' in-depth research and vast knowledge that skillfully predict, examine, and project what's in your future. "So, why not get on board for the ride?" asks AOPA Pilot Senior Editor Machteld A. Smith. "After reading through this issue, you will want to satisfy your thirst for more. And we are prepared." Smith invites you to experience additional rich coverage at AOPA Pilot's GA Technology Web portal. But first, see "General Aviation Technology: A Special Report" on page 70 to find out what is in, out, or on the back burner.
There are indications the light-sport-aircraft business might be an important contributor to the GA marketplace. At least four companies report deliveries of 30 aircraft in the first year, with one company reporting double that. After AOPA Pilot Senior Editor Alton K. Marsh finished writing this month's story on the StingSport ( " Flying Techmobile," page 108), Cessna Aircraft Co. announced it was thinking about entering the market, with a decision in 2007. At the same time, the TL Ultralight company in the Czech Republic reported it was developing a Cessna 172 look-alike as a light-sport model that will be introduced in 2007. Some dealers still predict, though, that the light-sport industry will shake out at some point to a half-dozen companies.
"I was washing dishes and not really listening to our local National Public Radio station when the sound of an airplane engine on the radio caught my attention," says author Jeff Van West about his interest in Penobscot Island Air ( " Heart Bigger Than the Bay," page 116). "The part of the story I heard said that residents of some Maine seacoast islands and some pilots banded together and resurrected a defunct air charter operation. I had to go and get the rest of the story." Van West's story demonstrates how a successful aviation business is really about the people who make it happen.
"When I started working toward my private pilot certificate in 1987, I was given two books," says AOPA Pilot Technical Editor Julie K. Boatman. "One was a Cessna private pilot manual and the other was The Student Pilot's Flight Manual, written by Bill Kershner. His writing style and illustrations made abstract concepts such as lift easier to understand, and I finished that book feeling like I'd been in the airplane with him, like I knew him personally. I didn't have that opportunity until last year, when we met for the first time at his home airport in Tennessee. He's every bit the instructor I felt I'd met in the pages years ago." Boatman spent quality time with the legendary teacher ( " Spin Masters," page 125). "Kershner has managed with his writing and teaching to make us feel that we're not so alone in our pursuits of the sky," she says.
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