New Aviation Products

New aviation products help you fly faster, smarter, better and faster. Read our reviews of new products for general aviation pilots and improve the functionality of your cockpit.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 Jul-Aug 2009 On The Radar A new program that opens up co-ownership opportunities for the TBM 850 has been launched by Daher-Socata.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 August 2009 Readback Nicolas Ivanoff of France won the second stop of the 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship (in San Diego, Calif.) on May 10, narrowing the distance between him and race championship leader Hannes Arch, who placed third after a bird strike cost him back-to-back wins.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 July 2009 Readback First Wolfpitts Pro! Steve Wolf’s latest creation flies! Wyche T. Coleman III, of Shreveport, La., has taken delivery of the first Wolfpitts Pro, which he intends to fly in aerobatic contests and air shows.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 June 2009 Readback The Transition’s First Flight! The Terrafugia Transition proof-of-concept roadable aircraft successfully completed its first flight at Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, N.Y., on March 5. The Transition took off from runway 17; after 37 seconds, it landed and taxied to a full stop.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 May 2009 Readback Embraer Phenom 100 Certified Delivered Unrestricted U.S. FAA certification of Embraer’s smallest jet, the Phenom 100, was awarded in December 2008, and the first delivery was made to James and Elizabeth Frost on December 24 in São José dos Campos, Brazil. “Surprises” in the final certified operating specs were an improved range (1,178 nm with four aboard), shortened max performance field requirements (now 3,125 feet at MTOW under standard conditions) and a 301-foot improvement in landing distance, among others. EASA certification is expected in Q2 2009, with European deliveries to begin shortly after. Visit www.embraer.com.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009 April 2009 Readback Surfing The Skies! On January 25, the extreme worlds of aerobatics and surfing were united in the skies over the break at Morro Bay, Calif. Kevin Eldredge, owner of SLO Air, the exclusive distributor of the new Sbach 300 and 342 Xtreme aerobatic aircraft from Germany, flew loops, rolls and hammerheads with world-class surfers Chris Ward and Gavin Sutherland. Also participating was Tutima Academy, going inverted with Ben Freelove in a Pitts S-2B. The first-of-its-kind event was sponsored by VedaloHD Performance Sunglasses, Azhiaziam American Aerial Wear and S.O. Productions to commemorate the launch of the new WardoHD signature line of sunglasses.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 March 2009 Readback A Diamond In The Rough In spite of the difficult economy, Diamond Aircraft has announced large new orders. Saint Louis University’s Parks College of Engineering, Aviation & Technology has added nine new Diamond DA20-C1 aircraft to its flight-training department. Parks College, founded in 1927, was the first certified school of aviation in the United States.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 January/February 2009 Readback Hannes Arch: 2008 Red Bull Champ! Paul Bonhomme of Britain scored a victory in the final race of the Red Bull Air Race World Series in Perth, Australia, on November 2, 2008, but Hannes Arch of Austria was crowned 2008 World Champion after finishing third.

Saturday, November 1, 2008 Nov-Dec 2008 On The Radar On July 30, 2008, a wave of excitement washed over the crowds at Oshkosh. Fifteen hundred miles away, in Vero Beach, Fla., the PiperJet had made its maiden flight, spending an hour aloft and reaching 10,000 feet. Since then (at this writing), the PiperJet has made 18 additional flights and spent about 34 hours in the air as test pilots Dave Schwartz and Buddy Sessoms focus on exploring stability, control and handling throughout the envelope.

Saturday, November 1, 2008 November 2008 Readback Electric LSA Are Charging Up Randall Fishman’s ElectraFlyer-C monoplane can fly for 1.5 hours on 75 cents of lithium-polymer battery power. Fishman aims to wed one of his larger motor-battery power packs with a two-seat aircraft.

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