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!

All you need to do is sign up, select the satellite devices you’ll be using to tweet your updates, enter your SPOT ESN device number (for SPOT units) and add the special spot@sat2twitter email address into your Findmespot profile on the SPOT messenger website. ¬†That’s it! You can now send your SPOT updates into Twitter from remote regions of the world!

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

With its regional travel “Flying 2.0″ solution, Cirrus proposes to travel differently in a more modern, accountable, safe and effective way at your own schedule.¬† Aircrafts such as Cirrus SR22 & Cessna Corvallis 400 allow everyone to access a larger number of regional destinations and airports only served by general aviation, thereby allowing one to land much closer to one’s destination.¬† In North America only, GA’s passengers have access to more 5,200 public-use community airports while commercial airlines serve only about 500 large airports, with 70 percent of airline traffic going to only 30 to 40 major airports. This means that business travelers like you and I require to schedule extra time to clear security, take connecting flights, collect baggage, rent a car and then drive to our destination.

Now imagine this for a minute. No queue and no waiting at the airport, extremely modern aircrafts with beautiful design, absolute state-of-the-art technology, direct point to point travel, safety, reliability, comfort and performance, all this combined with a more personalized and greener approach, that allows you to land closer to your final destination for about the same price. Wow! That is certainly a great proposal and we are all for it!  Visit Cirrus web site to discover the many benefits that their solution involves. Flying 2.0 is music to our ears!

Flying 2.0 video:

GA’s next aircraft generation, like the Cirrus SR20 & SR22, Diamond DA42 & DA50 and the new Cessna Corvallis 350 & 400 truly offers a fantastic and viable alternative to regional travelers that are ready for a change.

Cirrus offers high-performance single-engine, four-seat, composite aircrafts (SR20 & SR22) and will soon release their new Cirrus VISION “SF50″, a high-performance single-jet engine, that offers a flexible 5+2 seating with variable configuration. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 300kts and can climp up to 25 000 feet with a range of about 1100M.

Cirrus VISION SF50 (Pictures issued from Cirrus Web site )

Cirrus VISION SF50 / 5+2 seating variable configuration (Pictures issued from Cirrus Web site )

Cirrus SR22 Turbo (Pictures issued from Cirrus Web site )

Diamond DA42 (Pictures issued from Diamond Aircraft Web site )

Cessna Corvallis TT 400 (Pictures issued from Cessna Aircraft Web site )

More links:
http://cirrusaircraft.com
http://www.cessna.com
http://www.diamondaircraft.com

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!