Pilot Products

Icom America recently introduced the A14 entry-level handheld radio to its growing product line. Designed with basic and essential features in mind, it is an option for pilots who don't want to spend copious amounts of money on a handheld radio.

The A14 is a portable air band transceiver and weather broadcast receiver. The radio receives and transmits on communication frequencies, and receives navigation and weather frequencies. A numbered keypad allows users to directly input frequencies, although with 200 memory channels, it can be even easier than that to bring up an oft-used frequency. Icom claims that the A14's 700mW of audio output translates to good volume and clarity, something often lacking with inexpensive handhelds.

Lithium-ion batteries are the future, and the A14 comes standard with one that is rated to last 18 hours, according to the company. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries don't have issues with memory, meaning they can be charged after partial use with no harmful effects. The A14's full weight with the battery and antenna is 12 ounces, and it measures less than five inches tall.

A wall charger, belt clip, and wrist strap are standard accessories. Additional accessories such as a cigarette-lighter charger, AA battery backup case, and headset adapter are available.
Price: $210 suggested retail
Contact: www.icomamerica.com

'Sport Pilot Checkride: A Guide to Passing the FAA Practical Flight & Oral Exam'

As more students seek to become sport pilots, the training materials are starting to emerge and catch up to the growing trend. ASA is offering a new, expanded edition of Paul Hamilton's Sport Pilot Checkride: A Guide to Passing the FAA Practical Flight & Oral Exam. The book is a guide on what is required to pass the sport pilot checkride--and teach as a sport pilot instructor--both from a regulatory and practical standpoint. New to this edition are expanded sections on passing the sport pilot instructor checkride, and a guide for sport pilot instructors on administering proficiency checks. A discussion on the flight review is also new. ASA is also offering the guide with a sport pilot checkride DVD as part of a sport pilot combo.
Price: $24.95 for the book; $59.95 for the combo
Contact: www.asa2fly.com; 800-272-2359

Sporty's Pilot Shop 'Learning Beyond the License'

Sporty's has a new series of courses aimed at educating pilots on specific aspects of aviation, and all of them are available for download. Learning Beyond the License is an online video series focused on properly utilizing modern equipment, as well as some specific flying techniques. WAAS Approaches: Garmin 430W and WAAS Approaches: Garmin G1000 are the first two programs in the series. These two videos are aimed at instrument pilots and review such topics as LPV and LNAV/VNAV approaches, how to select and load an approach, and various trouble spots with the applicable equipment. In-flight video is used to further enforce the topics. Downloads are available for PC, Mac, iPod, and iPhone.
Price: $9.95 each
Contact: www.sportys.com/downloads

Glass Cockpit Instrument Covers

New technology brings new problems to solve. In the case of flight training, one of the newest issues is an inability to cover the new liquid crystal (glass) displays for primary or instrument flight training. Particularly in instrument flight training where partial-panel work is critical, instructors must be able to cover instruments for simulated failures.

Sporty's Pilot Shop has designed a remedy with its new glass cockpit instrument covers. The covers are an opaque, static-cling film cut to fit the Garmin G1000 primary and multifunction displays. The films are designed to cover specific sections of the PFD to simulate instrument failures for the attitude indicator and heading indicator, airspeed and altitude tapes, and the vertical speed indicator. The package also includes films to simulate common annunciations, such as low fuel or low voltage. Full system failures are included to simulate an attitude and heading reference system failure, or air data computer failure. Two blank sheets are also included so that instructors may make their own stickers.
Price: $29.95
Contact: www.sportys.com; 800-776-7897

'On Top' version 9.5 IFR Simulator

Newly updated from ASA is the company's popular On Top IFR simulator software for use in personal computer-based aviation training devices. The company said version 9.5 has many improvements over previous offerings of the software, including an enhanced control interface and dual monitor support. The improved control interface allows students to alter pitch and roll sensitivity independently, which ASA said will translate into a more realistic simulation experience. Dual monitor support is an important update that allows instructors to remotely alter weather conditions and aircraft configuration for more realistic--and unexpected--emergency practice. The second monitor, or instructor station, can also track flight progress in both plan and profile views.
Price: $149.95; $274.95 for the student and instructor package; $99.95 upgrade for users of version 8 or earlier
Contact: www.asa2fly.com; 800-272-2359