Avidyne is expanding the market for its attitude-bafgtsed digital autopilot system, the DFC90, to include Entegra-equipped Piper PA-46 Matrix and Mirage aircraft. The DFC90 features Indicated Airspeed Hold, a method for climbing and descending in high-performance aircraft, and a Straight and Level mode that provides one-button unusual attitude recovery. "The DFC90 has proven to be an incredibly successful product for Avidyne, and we are confident that Matrix and Mirage owners will be equally thrilled with the performance and safety improvements this autopilot brings to their airplane," said Avidyne President and CEO, Dan Schwinn. Visit www.avidyne.com.

Sporty's Academy has taken delivery of a new 2011 Cessna 162 Skycatcher. It joins Sporty's training fleet of late-model Cessna 172s, a Cessna 182 and a Diamond Xtreme Motorglider. The Skycatcher, which features a Garmin G300 glass panel, will be used for sport, recreational and private pilot training, as well as glass-panel transition flying, rental checkouts and introductory flights. "This airplane represents all that we love about flying. It's fun and adventuresome while still being safe and modern," said Sporty's Academy President, Eric Radtke. "We are counting on the Skycatcher to make flying fun for our 'Finish Up' students, those who somehow got bogged down in the training process at other schools." Sporty's will make the Skycatcher available at an introductory rate of $99 per hour. Visit www.sportysacademy.com.

Coradine Aviation Systems and Jeppesen announced a new feature integrating Coradine's LogTen Pro logbook with Jeppesen's Crew Alert app. Until the new feature was built in, pilots had to manually enter flight, duty and rest time into both their logbook and crew alert. Now, commercial pilots using LogTen Pro can quickly import their schedules, and then export all flight, duty and rest data directly into Jeppesen's Crew Alert. Noah Lieberman, CEO for Coradine, said, "This is a great time saver for commercial pilots. Our motto is 'Less paperwork. More Flying.' This feature offers a big step in that direction." Visit www.coradine.com.

Cirrus Aircraft and China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) announced that they have completed their merger to form a worldwide general aviation enterprise. "We're very excited to have joined forces with CAIGA," said Brent Wouters, Cirrus Chief Executive Officer. "This will benefit our business and our customers; we share with CAIGA a vision of worldwide growth. CAIGA has the resources that will allow us to expedite our aircraft development programs, and accelerate our global expansion." Wouters also said that he expects the merger to deliver benefits in terms of jobs and job growth in the U.S.: "Our partners at CAIGA understand the strength and the talent of Cirrus' workforce who have made the Cirrus brand so successful. CAIGA will continue to invest in our employees and in our world-class production facilities in Minnesota and North Dakota." Visit www.cirrusaircraft.com.

Stratos Aircraft is preparing a one-fifth scale model of their 714 VLPJ for wind-tunnel tests at the University of Washington in Seattle during mid-August. The Stratos engineering team has developed an agenda that includes verification of extensive computational fluid-dynamics work. Using the same wind tunnel that's often employed by Boeing, the team expects to collect data on drag, lift, stability derivatives, downwash angles, ground effect and flow visualization to check for separation. "It's an exciting process to shift from a virtual model that lives in a computer to a physical model that gets real air flowing by," said Gordon Robinson, Stratos' Chief Aerodynamicist. "When you transition from software to real wind, there are bound to be some minor refinements, but we're very optimistic about the performance of the design, and we're eager to move onto the next phase." Stratos is now accepting refundable $10,000 deposits on 714 delivery positions, and expects to have two flying prototype aircraft within the next two years. Visit www.stratosaircraft.com.

A Flight Design CT fitted with a laser-based particle spectrometer was used for volcanic-ash test flights over northern Germany on behalf of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Weather Forecast). The aim of the test flights was to obtain data on the level of concentration and the distribution of volcanic ash. During the flight, ash particles were collected from the air for later examination using electron microscopy. "We are proud to help aviation safety in airliners through the very economical use of our CT aircraft," reported Flight Design GmbH CEO, Matthias Betsch. "While we enjoy flying our aircraft, our personnel also use airline travel, and we are pleased to help ensure their safe travel." The next use of this equipment is planned for early July 2011 at the Etna volcano in Sizilia, Italy. Visit www.flightdesign.com.

Specially designed pockets on the AOPA Flight Bag include two double-padded headset pockets, and a custom side organizer pocket for pens, sunglasses and charts. A 13½x9x11-inch center section can fit a fuel tester, aircraft manual and additional books. The heavy-duty construction features metal hardware, and the back of the bag has a roll-aboard strap. The overall measurements of the AOPA Flight Bag are 18x10x12 inches. A portion of the sales goes to AOPA to help protect the rights of general aviation pilots. Contact: www.sportys.com.

The proper way to position a propeller in the winter is to have a blade vertical on the bottom to allow water to drain. However, this will allow water, snow and ice to sit on your propeller hub and bearings, which could have negative effects should any water leak into your propeller hub. This spinner cover is designed to minimize snow, ice and water from laying on your propeller hub and bearings, and freezing inside your spinner. Contact: www.proppastie.com.

These sturdy chocks are constructed from an indestructible ALMAG 535 aluminum/magnesium alloy, and feature a 10-year corrosion-resistance warranty. They have a concave tire surface and a hollowed bottom connected by a 21-inch nylon connecting rope. Sporty's can add custom lettering or an N-number for a personalized touch. The design measures 53⁄8 inches wide by 2 inches high, and will fit almost any airplane, including those with low-profile wheel pants. They're available in a natural finish or with a yellow powder-coated finish. Contact: www.sportys.com.

Developed by Essex Industries, this personalized system has size D or C cylinders that can be adorned with your name or your aircraft's N-number. Each system includes a four-place regulator, one oxygen mask (additional masks can be ordered), an altitude flow chart, a flow selector, a pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen levels and a canister bag. The system weighs three pounds (D) or five pounds (C). Contact: www.wicksaircraft.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 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.