From The Editor: Flying Two Engines

ATP Flight School is the largest flight academy in the country, excelling at training flight students for professional airline careers. The school also offers training options for private pilots, including a 10-hour four-day multi-engine rating course. Even if you don't have plans to fly a twin later on, earning a multi rating is a great way to broaden your flying skills, and it counts as a BFR.

Pro Aviation Trainers has taken a new approach to studying for FAA knowledge exams. Their online study courses are a hybrid of traditional training courses, offering live ground school combined with rich graphics and animation. Students hear and interact with a live instructor, as well as other students in the class. Marc C. Lee gives us the details in this issue.

Also in this issue, Lee tests out the new S1 Noisegard headset from Sennheiser. It's a lower-cost headset designed to appeal to a wider audience of pilots. In spite of the reduced price, it offers nearly the same attenuation performance as the flagship S1 Digital model.

In addition to the S1 Noisegard, we have many new pilot products in this issue. James Lawrence's roundup covers new planes, avionics and iPad apps. The Quicksilver Sport 2S is a new light-sport aircraft that was announced at EAA AirVenture this summer. Bendix/King's KLR 10 Lift Reserve Indicator lets pilots fly by angle of attack; FlyCool is an all-electric 22-pound air-conditioning system aimed at the LSA market.

Contributor John Ruley recently co-piloted a Pilatus PC-12 from Northern California to Lloydminister in Alberta, Canada. Ruley tells us what it's like to fly the go-anywhere turboprop, and gives us tips for crossing the border in a general aviation plane. He reviews paperwork requirements, standard procedures and relates his lessons learned---things he would do differently on the next international trip.

This month's pilot report is the Blackhawk PT6A-42A Caravan conversion. The modifications increase shp by 25% to 850, thereby increasing cruise performance. Senior Editor Bill Cox traveled to Waco, Texas, where he visited the Blackhawk Modifications headquarters and flew the Caravan with test pilot Chris Duncan.

When air show star Patty Wagstaff flew from her home base in St. Augustine, Fla., to an air show in St. Louis, Mo., a salmon bake in Alaska and flight training in a Mk1 Tucano in Louisville, Ky., the logistics of packing and planning presented a challenge. And, of course, on long cross-country flights, things don't always go as planned. In this month's "Let It Roll" column, Patty relates how we should enjoy unplanned events as part of the adventure.

Jessica AmbatsWriter

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