I have been using an iPad 2 for about two years, and after much peer persuasion I recently upgraded to the new Apple iPad Mini. For most of the airplanes I fly, the iPad 2/3/4 is a little cumbersome in the cockpit. After a long cross-country from California to Colorado, I was finally sold on the iPad Mini when I saw the smaller size and better functionality in action on my co-pilot’s Mini. Needless to say, that next week I traded in my iPad 2 for a 64GB 4G iPad Mini.

Aviation app functionality is wonderful. I run ForeFlight Mobile Pro, and the orientation on the iPad Mini is seamless. The smaller screen size seems more natural with the flight deck and the screen resolution brings vibrancy and life to the moving map and charts.

So, once you get familiar with the iPad Mini in the airplane, the next logical step for any custom ornamentation nut is how to best accessorize your new toy. This past weekend I was able to test some awesome products made just for pilots. MyGoFlight’s – iPad Kneeboard Folio C for iPad Mini meets all the needs for an iPad case/kneeboard/cradle/desk stand/lapdesk. It’s really a great all-in-one solution. I’m a lefty, so my first frustration in some product design usually stems from not being accommodated for my left-handedness. However, the Folio C is an ambidextrous design that satisfies both lefty’s and righty’s. It has two unique vertical rails on the back of the case that allows you to slide a leg strap through and mounts on you thigh. These rails also allow you to pick up the Folio C easier and helps to hold the Folio with one hand.

If you fly a multitude of different aircraft a kneeboard can be a great option as you move from cockpit to cockpit. Mounts are great, but they are really a more stationary solution that doesn’t always work well across separate flight deck configurations. The Folio C can be attached around either leg, comes with a magnetic clipboard that can be placed on the front cover or on the inside front cover, holds the Mini securely in a rotating cradle, and keeps your iPad firmly in place while providing protection. The iPad Mini is a great size for the kneeboard — especially in the portrait orientation, it just works.

The Folio C doubles as just a great protective case for iPad Mini too. It is made of luxurious black leather which protects the iPad well and is lined with a nice micro-fiber cloth. The unique integrated stand allows you to prop the device up to type comfortably and view media/entertainment without straining your arm. The clipboard and 2” wide strap can be removed when not used for flying. With a price tag of $159. it is one of the more expensive solutions out there. However, I think you get what you pay for here as the Folio C really is a great all-in-one solution in and out of the airplane.

My primary complaint when using any iPad tablet while flying is the problem of glare on the screen. Could Apple have made a more reflective screen surface? I don’t think so! Luckily, there are glare shields that go onto the screen to help remedy this issue. There’s a big range out there of different screen protectors and glare shields. Some of them are better than others. Along with demo-ing MyGoFlight’s Folio C I also tried out the MyGoFlight Anti-Glare Screen Protector for the iPad mini. I can tell you with confidence that this glare shield was relatively easy to install (some of them are not!) and does its job of reducing screen glare and protects your Mini from scratches. The connectivity is maintained while using your finger to navigate and it has a very nice matte finish for viewing. No more mirror image. With a price tag of $24.99 it is a fair buy, and comes with a set of two screen protectors.

All in all I was excited to see that there are some great iPad mini accessories made just for pilots, and I can’t say enough about the overall switch to iPad mini. Soon we’ll be taking a look at a few other tablet solutions, reviewing more accessories, and showcasing new aviation specific apps. Stay tuned for more reviews and updates!

The post Flying with iPad Mini: Accessories Made with Pilots in Mind appeared first on PilotMag.

One-hundred years from now, the Smithsonian museum at our nation’s capital will host a display of history’s most revolutionary automobiles. The collection will include the 1866 Dudgeon steam wagon (one of the earliest self-propelled vehicles), the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen (recognized as the first combustion-powered automobile) and the 1908 Ford Model T (the first automobile mass produced on an assembly line).
Most certainly included, among the dozen or so other pioneering automobiles, will be a 2012 Tesla Model S.

Slightly more than a few years after the first prototype debuted in March of 2009, I was able to spend an evening with an early production model of the innovative all-electric sedan touted as “the next step to accelerate the world’s transition to electric mobility.” Much has been said and written about Tesla’s enormous undertaking, but it was time to brush off the hype, ignore the rumors, and cut through the layers of misinformation. It was time to drive.

After several inquisitive hours behind the wheel, I was smitten – the Tesla Model S really is the world’s first practical, no-compromise, non-combustion automobile.

 The last time I saw a Model S was October of 2011 when Tesla invited me to its Fremont assembly plant for a ride in an early beta model. It is hard to judge a vehicle from the passenger seat, so the exercise left me more frustrated than appeased – I needed time behind the wheel.

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The majestic, volcanic Cascade Mountain range stretches from British Columbia south to Northern California. This spectacular, seven-hundred-mile-long natural wonder runs through central Oregon, encompassing five national forests, Oregon’s two tallest peaks — Mount Hood and Mount Bachelor - and the caldera-formed Crater Lake, the deepest fresh-water lake in the entire United States.

The Cascades offer a plethora of outdoor recreational activities. During the summer months it’s easy to take a leisurely hike through the Deschutes National Forest surrounded by old-growth Ponderosa pines. The truly daring can attempt the Three Sisters Loop. This challenging trek has an 8,500-foot elevation gain and boasts incredible views of the Three Sisters mountains. Those looking for a more strenuous activity can take advantage of First Ascent Climbing Services’ twenty years of experience. They are accredited by the American Mountain Guides Association, offering both individuals and groups a number of guided rock-climbing trips to Smith Rock State Park. First Ascent provides all the necessary equipment and Smith Rock provides plenty of challenging, multi-tiered terrain. 

The nautically-inclined can motor around Prineville Reservoir in the high desert or go sailing on Elk Lake, and Sun Country Tours will help thrill seekers negotiate the Deschutes River. Their most popular Big Eddy Thriller excursion is a three-mile journey down Class III whitewater rapids…

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During World War II, the U.S. Navy needed an upgraded aircraft to replace the aging Curtiss Helldiver and Grumman TBM Avenger.   It had to be carrier-based, single-seat, long-range, high performance, and most importantly be able to do dive bombing and torpedo bombing.  The Douglas Aircraft Company answered the need by developing the XBT2D-1, later named the AD-1 Skyraider, which first flew on March 18, 1945. It was later nicknamed the SPAD, after a French design flown during World War I.  The low-wing monoplane design used the mighty Wright R-3350 radial engine which was upgraded several times during production.

Among its distinctive features was a large, straight wing that had fourteen total hard points for munitions. The aerodynamics of the wing gave the aircraft excellent low-speed maneuverability, and the weapons stations enabled the plane to carry a large amount of ordnance.  It could carry more than its own weight in weaponsover a large combat radius and stay in the sky for hours, compared to much heavier subsonic or supersonic jets that had much “shorter legs.” The Skyraider was optimized for ground-attack missions and it was armored against ground fire in key locations, unlike the faster fighters adapted to carry bombs, such as the Vought F4U Corsair or North American P-51 Mustang…

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As pilots, we are often quick to critique the airplanes we fly. Maybe we wish at times for a roomier cockpit on those longer flights. Perhaps we would like to have more useful load to work with, or even something as simple as better visibility. However, despite all of the nit-picky things we try to avoid pointing out in the airplanes we fly, one question we will always raise with regard to a new aircraft is, “How fast can it go?”

Aviators are incessantly consumed with the desire to go faster. After all, that is the reason we are drawn to events such as the National Championship Air Races in Reno, or find ourselves checking out the videos of the fastest runs in the Red Bull Air Races on YouTube. With this in mind, let me now introduce you an aircraft that is considered one of the prettiest and fastest single-engine light pistons in the world, the Glasair III…

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As kids, many of us dreamed of flying like a bird, soaring among the clouds. I think it’s a dream everybody has had at least once in their life. For some, that dream is real, whether we choose to be supported by wings, rotor blades, or simply fabric stretched like artificial membranes between our arms and legs. Humans have taken to the sky in many forms and we continue to pioneer new, unique and creative ways to fly.

For me, the essence of true flight does not come from big heavy engines, large wings and an encapsulating fuselage. I think true flight is flying with your body, by simply spreading your wings and legs like a bird.  As Leonardo Da Vinci said, “Once you have tasted flight you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.” That quote is so true.

My first taste of flight was July 2, 2005, in Sydney, Australia. The door of a DeHavilland Beaver opened, and between the ground and I were fourteen thousand feet of empty space and a bone-chilling wind violently blasted my face. I will never forget it. I turned to my instructor with a very wimpy, self-deprecating look of hesitation. He had seen that look before and beckoned me to climb out. My body said no, but my mind said yes and my mind won. I took a solid grip on a handle outside on the fuselage, my heart pounding as the cold air blasted my face.

You are standing on the outside of a perfectly good airplane and you’re going to jump…

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The post Wingsuit Tech appeared first on PilotMag.

Part 1: Humble. Approachable. Credible.

 In every elite organization, there is the person who we all refer to as “that guy” or “that girl.” They are the ones with the answers—even to questions we’ve not yet formulated, or the ones we’re afraid to ask for fear of looking like ignorant fools in front of our peers. The thing that makes that guy different from a pompous, know-it-all jackass loathed by his colleagues is the willingness to share information, impart wisdom, or provide the extra push needed to get over the hump of whatever challenge is at hand. They are the superstars, and if they were athletes in professional leagues, they would be the ones whose names are on display at the Hall of Fame. They elevate the game of everyone around them, and inspire greatness in the individuals and organizations they serve.

In the United States Air Force, the person who is most often referred to as that guy or that girl is the squadron weapons officer. Known as a “Patch” or “Patch wearer,” a weapons officer not only bears a heavy responsibility, but possesses the uncanny ability to rise to the top of the heap, despite any adversity standing in their path. They serve as advisors to military leaders at all levels, to both those actually in uniform and those in elected or nominated government positions. These men and women are the ones who teach the Air Force’s teachers – the corps of instructors – providing that service’s deep reservoir of tactical expertise and operational understanding. It is a guild of dependable problem-solvers and tacticians that enable the Air Force to integrate its prowess seamlessly alongside that of other military services…

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The Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds, a premiere flight demonstration team, showcases Canada’s military excellence at airshows throughout North America.  They perform about fifty shows from early May to the end of October and then return to their base in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan for the year-end show.  The team—officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron—can trace its history back to World War II when it was a part of the RAF Bomber Command.  In 1954, the unit was temporarily reformed as a fighter squadron flying the Canadair F-86 Saber jet, and combined their training duties with flight demonstrations at airshows across western Canada.

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If it is said the best feelings are the ones unable to be described with words. I agree with that statement, not just because its truth resonates somewhere deep within me, but because I’ve seen it manifest in my life—especially as a pilot. I think about how blessed I am to have visited the places I have, met some of the most incredible people walking the planet Earth, and been able to fly some of the world’s most amazing aircraft. People, places, and planes.

Today is no exception, finding myself in the rear seat of a North American TF-51 Mustang named Crazy Horse², cruising at two-hundred indicated above a milky-white cloud deck over central Florida. It’s a gorgeous morning after bands of moisture from Hurricane Sandy drifted through the area the night before, soaking everything with a steady rain that threatened to drown out today’s adventure. God has seen fit to not allow any setbacks with our plan, and there isn’t a moment where I am not thankful to Him for a break in the clouds, the sun on our faces, and meeting our weather minimums to get airborne.

“Looks like a good day to fly a P-51, eh?” said the pilot up front.

“I think any day would be a good day to fly a P-51, sir.”

“There you go!” was the response. “No argument from me.”

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The post Lee Lauderback: The Horse Whisperer appeared first on PilotMag.

Sounds simple enough. But arranging such a race would prove to be no small task. FAA approval would be required to stage and film the race, and the City of Longmont would need to close Vance Brand Airport and surrounding airspace for almost a full day to provide a safe platform. But thanks to diligent efforts by airport manager Tim Barth, Lexus Executive Mark Egger and pilot Marc Arnold, eighteen months later everything was finally in place for the race to be run.

Professional race driver Scott Pruett was picked to drive a special limited-edition Nürburgring Lexus LFA, producing 562 horsepower and capable of achieving speeds over 200 miles per hour. Meanwhile, Arnold’s twin engine Eclipse 500 jet  represented the latest in next-generation personal business aircraft: light, fast and highly efficient, boasting a carbon footprint equivalent to about seven Lexus CT200h hybrid cars.

So who was t the victor you might ask? It was the LFA that crossed the finish line first!

Check out our full article on the Lexus LFA in Issue 21 of PilotMag!

(information courtesy StevinsonLexus.com)

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