Trailer

http://www.flyaboutmovie.com/images/flyabouthigh.mov (high)
http://www.flyaboutmovie.com/images/flyabout_med.mov (med)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2zlyOTwEEI (youtube)

Synopsis

Monika Petrillo has never been a person to postpone her dreams. So at 24 she decided to get a pilot’s license. A year later, her father surprised her by learning to fly as well. As the movie begins, they take off together to circumnavigate the continent of Australia.

As the only woman pilot in a group of eleven people, Monika experiences the true freedom of flight above one of the most untouched places on earth. As she becomes exposed to Australian culture, she learns about the Walkabout, a spiritual journey the Aborigines have valued for tens of thousands of years. That inspires her to use

An amazing cross-country flight of 28 days around Australia. 24 legs in 28 day! What an awesome adventure!

this trip to take stock of her own spiritual household. The first step toward that end is to relax. But that proves much more difficult than she thought: a tight schedule, careful and constant maintenance of the aircraft, pot-holed dirt runways, mechanical failures, sudden loss of visibility and unpredictable crosswinds keep her both too busy and too uptight. But what impacts her most is the conflict that arises between her father and herself.

They had both underestimated the consequences of her father‘s limited experience as a pilot, and that quickly

takes its toll—not only on the collaboration in the cockpit, but also on their relationship. Monika struggles with feelings of responsibility on the one hand versus doubts about contradicting her father, who has always been her role model, on the other.

As their plane continues its path across the outback, the young woman slowly comes to realize that personal and spiritual growth can‘t be forced. Instead of searching so hard, she starts to look out the window. And that simple action is the first step towards learning the real lesson.

Discover the World from a Different Perspective

Monika Petrillo

The quest and journey towards a goal are sometimes just as important as achieving the goal itself. What Monika and her father have experienced is exactly the type of flying that attracted me to aviation. Flying for me is a way to discover the world from a different perspective, to push my limits, to learn more about myself, about life and to live great adventures with people I love. Through adventures, we feel so alive and connected with life, our inner self and the world around us. To me, this is where true happiness lies. But I believe the greatest gift is to be able to share those experiences and adventures with the ones we love.

As a pilot, my objective someday is to fly across Africa, Australia and also to cross the Atlantic with a single engine via Iceland.¬† “Flyabout” has strengthened my determination to fly towards these dreams.

Monika Petrillo

I recently had the chance to exchange a few words with Monika via e-mails and on Facebook and she seems to be a great person with a passion for life, people and aviation.  I recommend you purchase this movie which I personally really enjoyed!

You can get the Flyabout movie at www.flyaboutmovie.com and on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Flyabout-Monika-Petrillo/dp/B001DAVU5K

Enjoy the viewing…

- André Carrier
BuddyPilots Aviation inc

Find more information at: www.flyaboutmovie.com

Filling flight plans is now a simple matter. Pilots use their iPhone’s keypad to type in their flight plan information which includes the pilot‚Äôs name, address, aircraft identification, aircraft type, departure point, cruising altitude, route of flight, fuel on board and estimated time enroute. Pilot My-Cast stores the most recently filed flight plan, which means pilots only need to alter information that has changed from the last time they filed. When the pilot is ready to submit the plan, a few keystrokes will automatically send the information to the DUATS provider.

The App will sells for $99.95 per year and is expected to be available on the Apple App Store in September 2009.

Read more at : http://www.digitalcyclone.com/products/pilot-my-cast/

This article is not a sponsored post or conversation.
Buddypilots is committed and proud of supporting all ideas, products and companies that contribute to the evolution and development of general aviation!

Garmin Reveals New G500 & G3X Retrofit Flight Display Systems
Garmin announced several new products at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 but the most unexpected was the new G500. The G500 avionics suite is a lower-cost version of the G600 display designed specifically for Part 23 Class I and Class II aircrafts, which are defined as single and twin-engine piston and turbine engine aircrafts under 6,000 pounds.

The G500‚Ñ¢ Glass Cockpit

The G500 is an affordable way for pilots (of Part 23 Class I and II aircrafts) to transform their existing ‚Äúsix-pack‚Äù avionic panel and step up to a full ‚Äúglass cockpit‚Äù dual-screen display. G500 avionic suite is a quantum leap forward for pilots’ situational awareness and safety of flight that will also help save on maintenance cost of dated mechanical gyros. It features 6.5-inch PFD and MFD, plus AHRS attitude/heading reference and more.

G500 & G600 replaces standard “six-pack” instruments.

Garmin also received FAA Approved Model List Supplemental Type Certification (AML STC) for the G500. This allows the G500 to be installed in nearly 600 different makes and models of normal and utility category Part 23 Class I and Class II aircrafts.  Diamond Aircraft will be among the first to offer the new system. A Diamond DA20 with the Garmin G500 will be available as of October and will cost $184,980. Early purchasers will get enhanced avionics and synthetic vision free . See this video.

G500 customers can also install a scaled version of Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT™) software as an option.  SVT™ is creating a 3-D “virtual reality” perspective view of flight and enroute terrain features on the primary flight display (PFD), thus enabling one to clearly visualize terrain, waterways, airport locations and runway depiction, obstacles and traffic Рeven in solid IFR or nighttime VFR conditions.
Garmin’s new GAD 43 autopilot interface and Garmin weather radar interface are also available in options for the G500.

The G500 is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2009 for an introductory price of $15,995. The optional SVT and GAD 43 are $4,995 and $2,995, respectively.

G3X‚Ñ¢ for Light Sport & Experimental/Kitbuilt Aircraft

New G3X electronic flight display system suite for Light Sport & Experimental/Kitbuilt aircraft allows pilots of this category to step up & fly with the very latest in electronic “glass cockpit” capabilities, such as Attitude awareness, Engine Instruments, XM weather and radio, SafeTaxi diagrams, Terrain database, Electronic FliteCharts & more.

If you’re looking for a retrofit option for your Light sport (LSA) or Experimental aicraft panel, the G3X offers a full range of upgrade solutions to fit your panel, priorities and budget. Garmin G3X‚Ñ¢ is a real breakthrough. The G3X single screen will sell for about $9,995.

..With the introduction of these fantastic type of new products,
we can truly say that the Glass Cockpit Revolution is Fully Underway!

Here a some more pictures:

You can read more about the G500:

Garmin’s G500 takes Oshkosh by storm
Gamin “in the air products”
Garmin G500 Product page
Weather in the cockpit

Also see the following video:

Garmin Avionics – Oshkosh 2009 Product Update
Garmin G500

You can read more about the G3X at:

Garmin G3X Mini site
Gamin G3x Product page

This article is not a sponsored post or conversation.
Buddypilots is committed and proud of supporting all ideas, products and companies that contribute to the evolution and development of general aviation!

SPOT LLC has just unveiled their next generation satellite GPS messenger. This new version offers advanced capabilities and feature-rich enhancements. SPOT is the only device of its kind using the GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates and then to send its location with a link to Google Maps and a pre-programmed message via a commercial satellite network. It can send position, status updates, help and emergency transmissions from almost everywhere on the planet, even where mobile phones can’t receive a signal.

While everybody is talking about the fact that the new Spot is 30% smaller, lighter and now also available in silver, what really grabs my attention and puts a smile on my face with this new version is its enhanced satellite antenna and its state-of-the-art GPS chipset that promises to improve the performance of the unit when used in less ideal conditions, like in foliage or canopied environments. This is great news. The actual SPOT unit I own doesn’t always perform well without a clear and direct access to the sky, whether I use it on the ground or onboard the aircraft. Since you can’t always choose when, where and under which condition you will need to use your SPOT in case of emergency, reliability and transmission performance is a must on this type of equipment.

Another great improvement I see are the new GPS acquisition and message sending light indicators, which should make it easier to understand if the SPOT unit is tracking satellites properly and if a message was successfully sent. The LED signals were especially unclear at times in the first version of the SPOT. I am sure that everyone using it will feel peace of mind receiving a clear indication that an Ok, help or emergency message they have sent has been successfully transmitted. The new model will also include:

• Dedicated GPS Tracking button.
• New, dedicated pre-programmable Custom Message button.
• Protective covers over S.O.S and Help button to prevent inadvertent message transmission.
• Backlit buttons
• Choice of orange or silver model.

The new SPOT is expected to become available later this Fall and to sell for a little less than or about the same price as the first version.

Read more at: http://international.findmespot.com/

See also: “PILOTS USE SPOT” article and Official News on the constructor website