A new Piper Seminole will join the Redbird Skyport, Redbird Flight Simulations' multifaceted aviation research and development laboratory, in the first quarter of 2012. The Skyport is dedicated to developing new ways of pilot training to help reduce the cost and time required, and to improve safety. The team is focused on creating new and innovative curriculum to help make flight training accessible to more individuals. Roger Sharp, general manager of
Redbird Skyport's flight-training laboratory, said, "Skyport is excited about incorporating our new Piper Seminole into our studies, because this airplane is ideally suited to meet our mission, and it will enable us to develop real-world solutions to the challenges of flight training today." The new facility will open on November 8, 2011. Visit www.redbirdflightsimulations.com.

The Pipistrel team announced that the Taurus G4, the world's first four-seat electric aircraft in the world, has completed its first flight. It was flown by test pilot Dave Morss at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., following EAA AirVenture. It was developed to compete at the 2011 CAFE Green Flight Challenge. The event will take place during the fifth annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium held in Santa Rosa, Calif., and the competition prize pool amounts to $1.65 million dollars. The twin-fuselage design was created by combining two Taurus G2 fuselages connected by a five-meter-long spar. A 145 kW brushless electric motor is mounted between the passenger pods, and drives a two-meter-diameter, two-blade propeller. "The Taurus G4 NASA Racer is a technology demonstrator," said Tine Tomažic, Pipistrel development engineer. "It is the first-ever electric four-place aircraft---the most powerful electric aircraft with the most battery capacity on board." Visit www.pipistrel.si.

Adventure Pilot has released iFly Streets, a road-navigation add-on to the iFly GPS device with 3D visuals and voice-guided turn-by-turn driving directions. iFly Streets will have a small one-time fee for new purchases. Existing iFly GPS owners also will have an upgrade option on the iFlyGPS.com store. "Now, pilots can take the iFly GPS from the runway to the highway," comments Shane Woodson, VP Business Development for Adventure Pilot. Visit www.iflygps.com.

Accelerated Flight & Instrument Training (AFIT) announced new 14-day accelerated private-pilot training at their St. George, Utah, and Sacramento, Calif., facilities. Training is conducted in a one-on-one training environment, with a minimum of eight hours per day. "AFIT values the trust our clients have shown in us," says AFIT President Tony Montalte. "Our company will continue to protect the principles of our profession, maintain the highest standards of excellence, and provide each client with the quality services they have come to expect and deserve from AFIT." Visit www.afit-info.com.

LoPresti Aviation Engineering's latest GA innovation is the NeverFlat Lifesaver aircraft tire. "We named it the NeverFlat because that's what it does---it never goes flat," Rj Siegel, LoPresti's CEO, said. "It's the first aviation tire with a wound-carbon-fiber band embedded in the circumference of the tire. It's just about impossible to puncture this tire, and even if you could, it still wouldn't go flat. It's an unpressurized system with load and suspension characteristics matched to the aircraft's needs." The first version is mated to the takeoff and landing performance of the Cirrus SR20 and the SR22, and is expected to be available to owners in late December. Visit www.speedmods.com.

The Sporty's Sweepstakes airplane for 2012 is a brand-new Cessna Skycatcher, serial number 100. "We are thrilled that Cessna reserved this milestone Skycatcher for Sporty's Sweepstakes," says Sporty's President Michael Wolf. "It's such a fun and popular airplane---in fact, Sporty's owns another Skycatcher as part of our training fleet." The Sweepstakes Skycatcher will be awarded on Saturday, May 19, 2012, as part of the festivities of Sporty's annual fly-in. Any purchase from Sporty's Pilot Shop qualifies a customer for a chance to win this airplane. Visit www.sportys.com/sweepstakes.

Embraer in Florida has been recently recognized as one of the "Best Companies to Work For" by Florida Trend magazine, ranking 28th in the Large Company Category. Hundreds of companies participated in the process, and only 100 companies made the list. "We are thrilled to be recognized by Florida Trend magazine," said Gary Spulak, President, Embraer Aircraft Holding. "We continually strive to create a positive employee experience by listening to our employees, communicating openly, providing them with development opportunities and recognizing their contributions." Visit www.floridatrend.com/bestcompanies.

Five days of tests in the University of Washington Kirsten Wind Tunnel produced positive results for the Stratos light jet. The 1⁄5-scale aluminum, polycarbonate and composite model was subjected to more than 90 runs, with focus on airflow over the fuselage, wings and vertical tail. Development of the Stratos continues with parallel structures and aerodynamics development programs. The programs are focused on extensive stress analysis of the fuselage. Ultimately, all primary structural components will be built and load-tested prior to the construction of the first prototype. The company is seeking investors, and expects to have two flying prototype aircraft within the next two years. Visit www.stratosaircraft.com.

Created by Dr. Irvin Gleim of Gleim Publications, this new simulator is built up from a Dell XPS desktop computer, and uses three 23-inch flat-screen monitors to create a 120-degree wraparound visual experience for student pilots. The system is based on X-Plane 9 simulator software, and can be customized for specific aircraft, as well as defaulting to the school's---or home-study student's---local airport. The simulator comes with fully functioning flight stick-and-rudder pedals, and a throttle quadrant can be added. All 22 sport pilot or 27 private pilot lessons from the Gleim syllabus books are accessible, as well. Contact: www.gleim.com.

The Regal Wireless Digital Remote from Far Start Technologies is a programmable, long-distance aircraft preheater switch that can be controlled via a phone call or a time-based program. It's security protected by a password and a white list of approved users. Contact: www.fstllc.com.

Spain's Topwing has an all-in-one, portable MFD/PFD screen that carries a hangar full of primary and secondary instruments, including 2D moving map and HSI, 3D topographic textured vision, fully featured synthetic vision, Highway-In-The-Sky, and flight instruments such as attitude, altimeter, compass, rate of climb and groundspeed. It's also a touch-screen device, and carries 1 GB of internal flash memory. It has a slot for a microSDHC software external memory chip, and comes with built-in ADS-B receiver. The seven-inch screen has flight planning and a collision avoidance system built in. Contact: www.topwing.net.

Ski-flying season is here! Damian DelGaizo's Ski Flying: 101 DVD takes the tailwheel lover for a subzero spin. Ground and in-flight lessons help pilots learn the techniques necessary to become more proficient in ski flying. DelGaizo also shares several of his ski-flying tips and tricks to help keep your winter flying fun and safe. Contact: www.skiflying101.com.

The new Beyerdynamic HS 800 Digital headset uses DANR (Digital Adaptive Noise Reduction) to combine the advantages of feedback and feed-forward ANR, which allows for adaptability to high-precision frequency peaks. Cushions are upholstered in soft leather, and the ear padding is viscoelastic, which distributes pressure evenly. Three versions are available: the version with the two standard jack plugs; the HS 800 Digital Rotor with spiral cable and U-174/U jack plug for helicopters; and the HS 800 Digital 6pin that has a six-pin Lemo connector and provides the electrical system voltage to get along without batteries. Contact: www.beyerdynamic.com.

Looking for a way to mount your iPad within the cockpit? Compatible with both the iPad and the iPad 2, the iPad YokePad is manufactured out of aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum. Multiple adjustment points allow for it to work with a wide variety of aircraft. Contact: www.pilotmall.com.

Bob Gardner's The Complete Private Pilot, now in its new 11th Edition, provides tips and techniques, checklists and mnemonic devices, as well as advice from the author's personal experience, helping readers not only prepare for the FAA Knowledge Exam, but also for the cockpit. Written in a conversational yet concise style, the textbook allows students to quickly grasp the subjects presented, pass the required tests and checkrides, and have an operational understanding of flight they can take to the real world as a newly minted pilot. Contact: www.asa2fly.com.