From The Editor: Music To Fly By

First Titanic, then Avatar. Now the Horsemen. Renowned composer James Horner has taken his musical talents from Hollywood's big screen to the world of aviation. Using an impressive 88-piece orchestra, Horner composed an original score customized specifically for the 121â2-minute aerobatic performance that's flown by the three-ship P-51 Mustang formation team. His music, derived after hours of riding through maneuvers with the team, adds passion and drama to an already emotional performance. At the recent Chino Air Show, Plane & Pilot contributor Marc Lee rode backseat in February, a P-51D flown by team member Dan Friedkin. In this issue, Marc shares the story of his unforgettable flight with Friedkin, Ed Shipley and Jim Beasley, and the day spent with the asb.tv team as the air show season launched into full swing for the summer.

Just as it does for air show performers, summer for most of us means an increase in flying and outdoor activities. Contributor John Parker reports on his visit to the 30th anniversary of the Clear Lake Splash-In, at Lakeport, Calif. The annual gathering sees the likes of seaplanes, from turbine Beavers to Piper Cubs on straight floats, and is a weekend filled with camaraderie, stories and laughter. Mark your calendar for this year's event, which is just around the corner: September 24-26.

From the upcoming Icon A5 to Seamax, the light-sport arena also boasts of exciting amphibians. LSA Editor Jim Lawrence gives us the rundown on these, plus other top LSA that include best sellers such as the Flight Design CTLS and CubCrafters Carbon Cub, as well as up-and-comers like the Paradise P-1 from Brazil and the Phoenix motorglider, which has a 35:1 glide ratio. Also in this issue, Jim takes a closer look at the new Remos GX, a high-wing composite LSA built in Germany. On a recent flight in New England, Jim and demo pilot Ron Glazer took the Remos up for a series of stalls, Dutch rolls and landings. Jim reports that it's a well-mannered aircraft that's easy to fly, with an impressive panel. The Aviator II avionics package includes a Dynon EFIS as well as a Garmin 496 with XM Weather; there's also an angle-of-attack indicator.

Another tech product we feature this month is Spidertracks. The personal tracking device combines a GPS receiver and Iridium satellite system transmitter to capture your exact location, including altitude, speed and direction of travel. A customizable contact list can receive updates on your movements via text messages and e-mail, and your track also is viewable online in real time. Contributor Bill Stein reviews the Spidertracks unit and reports on the newest version, Aviator, which features a more compact design and also will display your path overlaid on a sectional chart. Check in at www.planeandpilotmag.com and www.facebook.com/planeandpilot to track upcoming Plane & Pilot travels.

Most of us wait all year with eager anticipation for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and now it's here! This month's guest speaker, EAA Chairman Tom Poberezny, discusses EAA's part in helping to grow general aviation and reach beyond the current pilot population. Tom has lived aviation his entire life; in fact, the EAA organization was originally founded in the basement of his childhood home, in the early 1950s. He urges all of us to share our passion by inviting participation at local airports and engaging more people in flying.

Tell us what you love about flying by e-mailing the story of your most memorable flight to editor@planeandpilotmag.com.

Jessica AmbatsWriter

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