Top Stories

Red Bull Air Race Champ!
Britain's Paul Bonhomme won the 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship on October 4 in Barcelona, holding off defending champion Hannes Arch of Austria. After finishing second in 2007 and 2008, Bonhomme clinched his first title with 67 points to Arch's 60. Australia's Matt Hall took third place overall, the best-ever result for a rookie, with 36 points. Said Bonhomme, "I'm very happy. It's been a huge amount of pressure, but it's just a question of how you deal with it at the right time. I thought I'd better get my skates on, and that worked." Visit www.redbullairrace.com.

60+ Years Of Ice Protection
Involved with in-flight ice-protection systems since 1942, Kilfrost provides a comprehensive range of TKS fluids for pilots worldwide. The company has launched its first environmentally friendly fluid, TKS Sustain, which is based on Bio-PDO rather than traditional ethylene glycol. It has been submitted for certification and will be commercially available this winter. Visit www.kilfrost.com.

Flight Design West
Flight Design USA has appointed Flight Design West as its Western states distributor. Flight Design West is based in Las Vegas, Nev., and is managed by its president, Scott Anderson. The distributor has teamed with Kenny Scherado and Mark Rogers of Lone Mountain Aviation to complete its service center and sales operations. Karine Noel is the sales representative for the greater Los Angeles area. Visit
www.flightdesignusa.com.

Premier DA40 XLS
The new Premier Edition DA40 XLS offers two versions of aftermarket installations. Package I includes the Premier PowerPlus standby alternator system; LoPresti's Boom Beam; Hartzell's composite propeller; and custom all-leather upholstery. Package II has Package I's features, plus an air-conditioning system. Premier Edition installations are available to all U.S.-based DA40 XLS customers. Visit www.flypas.com.

Avidyne EX600
A follow-on to its EX500 MFD, Avidyne's new EX600 is a full-function MFD that includes new Map Panning keys and a QuickPan function. The "map-centric" operation allows pilots to view all available safety information right on the map page. Entegra Release 9 now is available as an optional avionics suite on the Cirrus SR20 and SR22; it soon will be available on the Piper PA46 Meridian, Mirage and Matrix. Visit www.piper.com and www.avidyne.com.

First Aspen Helicopter Installation
The Dale County Sheriff's Office in Ozark, Ala., has received the first installation of an Aspen Avionics EFD1000H Pro PFD and MFD into an operational helicopter, a Bell OH-58. "Aspen's entry into the rotary-wing market has been eagerly anticipated by a large number of local-government operators," said Aspen CEO and President John Uczekaj. Visit www.aspenavionics.com.

Mid-Continent & AeroMech
Mid-Continent Instruments is partnering with AeroMech on certifying the new MD835 Emergency Power Supply. This teams Mid-Continent's lithium battery with AeroMech's expertise in the development of avionics STCs, including a number of complex RVSM certifications for fixed-wing aircraft. Visit www.mcico.com and www.aeromechinc.com.

Rocky Mountain College Accredited
The aviation program at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., has been awarded accreditation for its bachelor of science majors in aeronautical science (professional pilot) and aviation management by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). Visit aviation.rocky.edu and www.aabi.aero.

EVS For Baron & Bonanza
Forward Vision's EVS-100 and EVS-600 enhanced vision systems soon will be available for Hawker Beechcraft's Bonanza and Baron. EVS technology will be an option on factory-new airplanes, and HBC service centers will provide STC-approved systems. Visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com and www.forward-vision.net.

ATP Opens First FBO
ATP Jet Center, a full-service FBO and training center at Daytona Beach International, is now open. Future FBOs are planned for Arlington, Texas, and Mesa, Ariz. ATP will offer D-Jet training at each of the new facilities. Visit www.atpflightschool.com.

Sky FusionPak Gets STC
Sky IMD has received an FAA STC for installation of its Sky FusionPak surveillance system on Cessna 152/172/182 aircraft. Sky FusionPak is an ideal solution for such missions as pipeline inspection, law enforcement, border patrol and firefighting. Visit www.skyimd.com.

XC Skiing In A Husky
This winter, strap some skis on your Husky. Ski options for the A-1C include fixed or Fluidyne retractable skis, both made of fiberglass, as well as deluxe RF retractable graphite skis. Visit www.aviataircraft.com.

Amphib FloatCub
The Amphibious Legend FloatCub has been certified and now is available for purchase. The new aircraft is based on the Legend Cub and is configured with amphibious floats from Baumann Floats. The certified LSA meets the category's seaplane requirements with repositionable landing gear. Visit www.legend.aero.


Blue Skies: June & Gary Maule
Services were held on November 1 for June Maule, the matriarch of Maule Air Inc., who passed away on October 29, following a brief illness. She was 92. "The same day, we also lost her son, Gary, at age 57, from leukemia," said an e-mail sent out by the Maule family. "They were very close in life and we are blessed to know they are together." June Maule was an institution for over 40 years in Moultrie, Ga. She ran Maule Air with her husband, B.D., until his death in 1995; she continued on as the president.

PRODUCT PREVIEWS

FAR & AIM "Playing Cards"
ASA's flashcards have been updated with the latest regulatory changes and a new size. The portable Flashcard Study Guides enable pilots to hone their skills with pertinent regulatory questions, detailed answers and references for further study. Contact: ASA, (800) ASA-2-FLY, www.asa2fly.com.

New iPhone App
ASA's comprehensive Prepware Private Pilot iPhone app is a study tool for the Private Pilot FAA Knowledge Exam. With 1,000+ Q&As and explanations, it includes airplane, rotorcraft, glider, lighter-than-air, powered parachute and weight-shift control tests. Contact: ASA, (800) ASA-2-FLY, www.asa2fly.com.

A Classic Audio Panel Updated
PS Engineering's PMA6000B is an updated version of its PMA6000 GA audio panel. It's smaller and lighter, and uses a single connector for all aircraft and intercom interfacing. Features include "set it and forget it" manual VOX circuits, a cockpit speaker amplifier, a "split mode" and two mono music inputs independent of the intercom mode. Contact: PS Engineering, (800) ICS-AERO, www.ps-engineering.com.

AirGator's New Generation Of EFBs
The NAVPad family of EFBs welcomes its newest members: NAVPad 8X and 10X use the high-performance, low-power-consumption Intel Atom 1.6 GHz processor and come standard with 2 GB RAM. NAVPad 5X and 7X are sized for small cockpits and come standard with 1 GB RAM and 16 GB solid-state storage. Contact: AirGator, (914) 666-5656, www.airgator.com.

Fly With Style
Developed for U.S. Air Force bomber pilots in 1944, Sporty's B-15 Leather Jacket is an update on an American classic. Contact: Sporty's, (800) SPORTYS, www.sportys.com.

A Beautiful New Year
Aviation photographer Paul Bowen captures a dozen vintage warbirds with spectacular in-flight photography in Air To Air Warbirds 2010. Each month highlights a different aircraft. Contact: Air To Air, (800) 697-2580, www.airtoair.net.

Mid-Continent Amps Up
Mid-Continent's MD420-1 Emergency Power Supply is a 2.5 amp-hour battery that powers electronic flight displays, standby instruments or other critical avionics systems. Bendix/King has named the MD420-1 as the optional backup for its new KFD 840 PFD. It can be configured for automatic arming and disarming. Contact: Mid-Continent Instruments, www.mcico.com.

First Aspen Evolution Training Program
Launched three years ago, Aspen Evolution PFDs and MFDs make retrofit glass cockpits possible, but no specific training video has existed until now. Flying the Aspen Evolution from Sporty's explores all aspects of the Aspen Evolution, and is available as a DVD or download. Contact: Sporty's, (800) SPORTYS, www.sportys.com.