The pilot supplies company Av Shop has begun hosting a Web site, www.leftse.at, that provides several online pilot tools and proposes to become an online community for aviators.
Once you set up a pilot profile (free), you can access an online logbook, create an account profile (useful for ordering charts and other recurring supplies from the company), and introduce yourself to other users. The online logbook provides several reminders to help you keep track of your currency and proficiency dates, as well as track your total flight time. Optional e-mail reminders trigger with important dates, such as your medical certificate expiration date and flight review.
You can personalize your home page on www.leftse.at to a certain extent, with your home airport and local weather, as well as add or subtract details from your public profile. And, you can search U.S. airports by three- or four-letter ICAO identifiers; the search option lets you pull up an aerial photo (useful for airports you haven't been to before) and accompanying information on the airport itself, FBOs, nearby businesses, and other details.
Price: Free. For more information: www.leftse.at
Tailwheel Basics DVD
Perhaps you're learning to fly in a tailwheel airplane already--while it used to be that every pilot started flying life in a Piper J-3 or Aeronca Champ, those days are long gone. But there are a lot of wonderful classics--and new airplanes, too, including a number of Light Sport Aircraft designs--that employ tailwheels. And few exercises will increase your stick and rudder skills like mastering a tailwheel aircraft.
Skip Degan is a Virginia-based flight instructor who specializes in tailwheel aircraft. He's produced his first DVD, Tailwheel Basics, that does what the title describes, giving you a solid ground lesson in basic tailwheel aircraft handling. While all tailwheel aircraft have their nuances, Degan cleanly explains and illustrates the salient facts about this breed of airplane.
Ground handling takes precedence when checking out in a tailwheel airplane--and Degan recognizes this by dedicating nearly 70 percent of the DVD to ground-handling basics. Center of gravity location, P-factor, and rudder/brake operation are the first topics. He takes you through S-turns, figure 8s, and high-speed taxi prior to taking the runway for the first takeoff. Your tailwheel instructor should follow this lead. In fact, a good one will dedicate an entire lesson--preferably in windy conditions--to ground handling alone. Once the tailwheel airplane gets airborne, it's easy!
Degan deals with takeoffs and landings in broader strokes, since these operations are where tailwheel aircraft differ most. But some concepts remain the same across the board--touch down at an appropriate speed, in the right attitude, and with the airplane going straight--and keep your feet off the brakes!
The 15-minute DVD is concise and filled with just the right info to get you started. The video is good and well synchronized to the discussion. Further titles will include bush flying and instrument flying.
Price: $19.95. For more information: www.tailwheelbasics.com; [email protected]
ASA Aeronautical Chart Users Guide
As you prepare to make your first flights away from your home airport, your instructor has introduced to you the sectional chart. This vital pilot tool has been used for decades to help pilots navigate from airport to airport, and across the country. It never needs batteries in order to function well--just a solid foundation of understanding in the pilot's mind.
To this end, Aviation Supplies & Academics recently published the Aeronautical Chart Users Guide. Originally printed by the FAA, this seventh ASA edition upgrades the quality and updates the content to reflect the current state of aeronautical charting. The guide provides detailed information on sectional charts, as well as IFR (instrument flight rules) en route charts, terminal procedures publications (instrument approach charts), and world aeronautical charts (WACs).
Within the pages of the Aeronautical Chart Users Guide, you'll find the answers to questions you're likely to field on checkrides for every certificate and rating, from your private pilot checkride on. Want to know what that obscure chart symbol means? It's in there. The guide also includes information on how to procure charts from the FAA's National Aeronautical Charting Office (NACO), and how to obtain notam (notices to airmen) publications. Interim updates to the guide are available on ASA's Web site. The soft-cover book is 73 pages, with color graphics.
Price: $14.95. For more information: 800/426-8338; www.asa2fly.com
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