ANN's Top 10 Products/Programs Of 2005 (Part Two, of Two)
When it comes to the people, planes and products of the aviation
business, ANN firmly believes that there is no such thing as an
embarrassment of riches -- though 2005 actually made us think
that dictum over a time or two. This was a good year for aviation
products and programs; one of the best we've seen. Here are ten
reasons why... the best ten, of 2005, in our humble
opinion.
Glasair Aviation's Customer Assembly Center (CAC)
Program
There was a time when the folks who built the
highly regarded Glasair and GlaStar lines inhabited a pretty lofty
place on the aeronautical food chain... and then times got tough
--really tough. A few setbacks put them in a less visible position
for quite the while as they rebuilt their company and updated their
product line.
Now; with a reinvigorated update of the highly
regarded GlaStar (an airplane that ANN's Jim Campbell judged to be
one of the industry's ten best, several years ago), called the
Sportsman 2+2, the folks of Glasair Aviation have been pushing
a novel program executed with exceptional efficiency.
Glasair Aviation's Customer Assembly Center (CAC)
Program offers a two prong approach that is designed to make their
Sportsman 2 + 2 accelerated building assistance program one of the
fastest in the business... A number of programs, of a week to
two week duration, are designed to allow a builder to come to
Glasair Aviation's Customer Assembly Center (CAC) and do as much
work as they once would have taken months... if not years
(especially for those of us who work on "ZST-Zoom Standard Time"),
to accomplish.
The "CAC" options allow Glasair Aviation to offer
completion times on the Sportsman aircraft that "no other aircraft
company in the industry can even come close to matching."
With a 2 week Airframe Assembly Option, a builder
essentially completes their airframe, accomplishing Installation of
fuel tanks and fuel lines, Wiring for fuel transfer pumps in wings,
Installation of Nav/Strobe conduit and wiring in wings,
Installation of pitot system in wings, Wings complete and closed,
Main Landing Gear aligned and installed (tail dragger or trike),
Wheels and tires mounted to main gear, Tail Wheel Installed (if
tail dragger), Nose Gear Assembled (if trike), Horizontal
Stabilizer aligned and installed, Elevator rigged and installed
(including trim tab), Rudder rigged and installed, Control yoke,
control sticks, and flap handle assembly installed, Seat assemblies
installed (minus cushions/upholstery), Rudder pedal assemblies and
cables installed, Brake pedals, brake lines and master cylinders
installed, Brake lines installed from pedals to wheels,
Aileron/Flap and Rudder pulley system and control cables rigged and
installed, Stainless Firewall installed (with all wire and cable
pass throughs located and drilled), and wings and wing struts
aligned, rigged, drilled and installed on fuselage.
Yes, this does leave some airframe related items
left for the builder to complete, including fairings for rudder,
elevator and wing tips; installation of windows; stick grips; cabin
air system; etc.
The 1 week Firewall Forward Option allows the
builder to complete their 'firewall forward' installation, which
means that the engine mount is installed, as is the engine,
Exhaust, Baffling, Induction system, Oil cooler system, Firewall
forward fuel system, Nose Wheel Assembly (if trike), Cowling,
Propeller and governor, and the spinner and backplates. This leaves
the builder with a chores left... such as CHT/EGT probes, fuel
system transducer, throttle, mixture and prop controls; etc.
All in all, it's as comprehensive a builder program
as we've seen for this genre of aircraft... and customer reports
are very enthusiastic... thereby making the CAC a shoo-in for a
program of the year nod.
One-Six Right
One Six Right is an enthralling documentary that
"celebrates the unsung hero of aviation — the local
airport."
Built around Southern California's Van Nuys Airport
(VNY), One Six Right is creating tremendous buzz in the aviation
community... and deservedly so. It is the result of an
obvious love affair with general aviation and is produced with
care, professionalism and panache. One Six Right is presented in
High Definition 16:9 format with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
It takes viewers on a journey through breathtaking aerial
sequences (accompanied by some lovely music), and is narrated
by the people at the airport: the pilots who use it, air traffic
controllers, historians and aviation boosters such as
Hollywood director Sydney Pollack, actor Lorenzo Lamas, news
anchors Paul Moyer and Hal Fishman and many others.
It's a lovely way to spend an hour or so... There
is a point in 'One-Six right" where I must admit, tears came to me.
This loving documentary about the history, aura and people that
have built Van Nuys into one of the nation's most renowned GA
airports also shows what happens when airports are allowed to
die... showing images of Meigs field -- as it was once and as it is
now... as an example to us all. I admit it, I teared up. One-Six
Right got to me... again and again. The imagery, the music, the
pacing, the production... they all meld into a symphony of aerial
sight and sound that should be seen by everyone who loves the
sky... and what it takes to get there.
Sure... offering a DVD like this to the aviation
community is kinda like taking the Pope to Sunday school...
but it is an affirming, uplifting, absolutely gorgeous experience
that actually lives up to the hype that is building around this
outstanding cinematic effort. It definitely qualifies as an ANN
Selection for a Product of the Year.
Professional Pilot magazine
I used to LOVE reading aviation magazines... in my
heyday, I'd read dozens a month, devouring every word and every
pic. I couldn't get enough. It got even "worse" when I worked in
the business... and even worse when I owned a magazine publication
company.
But something changed. The professionalism of the
writing, the editorial honesty and overall product quality of
today's aero-mags are not what they were, and the fact of the
matter is that most of the magazines covering aviation today are
but shells of what they once were... and more than half of them are
pure and utter dreck.
As a result, I don't read them much anymore, and
months may pass before I pick one up. It's gotten THAT bad. There
are few exceptions to my poor opinion of the aero-mag genre...
though I still reserve a few guilty aero-mag pleasures --
such as Professional Pilot.
Published and dedicated to the world of business
aviation, I have rarely seen a publication of ANY type so expertly
target its audience and serve it so well. Utterly honest,
beautifully designed, artfully written and well-managed;
Professional Pilot is one of the few reads that gets the cover to
cover treatment and (even rarer) is one of the few mags that I
still archive for future reference.
Managed by our good friend Murray Smith, we know
that this accomplishment is no accident. It is the result of
his passion for his product as well as the outstanding staff that
supports him... and this makes Professional Pilot a 'Must" read
each month... as well as an easy choice as one of ANN's 10 Products
of the Year.
Seattle Avionics Voyager Flight Software
System
Version 3.0 is a recent, major, update to a very
talented piece of aero-software engineering, encompassing a number
of distinct modules: GlassView, SmartPlan, SmartPlates,
SatelliteWX and NavData.
Seattle Avionics says that Voyager is the first
integrated flight software system, comprised of individual software
modules that work together to cover all aspects of flying:
pre-flight planning, in-flight situational awareness, IFR procedure
management, and more. One need only choose the modules which fit
your mission and let them integrate without fuss to do the job you
set before it.
At ANN HQ, this is the most used piece of
aero-software we own (with the exception of our 'Debbie Does DFW'
DVD...). It does just about everything, it does it well, it doesn't
crash (even on RAM limited laptops), and it works great on the road
-- or in the air. What this does for flight planning is
phenomenal... turning a time-consuming and oft-annoying chore
into a simple, fast, and easy job that can literally be done on the
fly.
The GlassView module combines mapping, situational
awareness, and Voyager's many data functions to produce an enroute,
real-time nav tool. With a nav input, you can view current
position, terrain elevation, flight data, weather, and a lot
more... use the Wind Optimizer, and you can easily pick an optimal
altitude and cheat the FBO come refuel time.
The SmartPlan module is a highly accomplished
flight planner... it is easy to use and available in both a deluxe
(Premier) version as well as a slightly stripped down (but still
very useful) version (Express). SmartPlates is a mind blower... it
is a compendium of ALL US NACO Plates, and so long as you hook up
to the net on a regular basis, the plates stay current. Remember
how much "fun" it was to update your Jepp books... and how much you
dreaded the little envelope from Jepp? Dread no more -- its all
electronic... just print out what you need, when you need it, in
UPDATED, current form. I LOVE THIS. By the way, a PocketPC version
of SmartPlates is also available.
SatelliteWX is a wonderful module... offering you Real-time weather
for flight-planning, or inflight use in your cockpit, so long as
you are WxWorx equipped. Seattle Avionics' Navdata module is a full
electronic chart suite, automatically updated every 28 days.
The entire program does it all... seamlessly, cost-effectively
and backed up by a company that is getting rave reviews for
customer support. Add it all up and you can easily see why the
Voyager Flight Software System makes the cut as one of ANN's
selections as a Product of The Year.
SATSair
This program is much
more than it appears at first glance. Yes, it's a Part 135
charter operation with the unusual cachet of using single-engine
piston airplanes... albeit parachute equipped. But... it's much
more, far more, than that.
SATSair has been doing the improbable; flying
virtually all-weather Part 135 operations... in single-engine
piston aircraft. Using SR22s, SATS Air is exciting a new
generation of clientele that likes the $.75 per seat mile costs,
the ability to fly into small LOCAL GA airports and save LOTS of
time, sports REALLY comfy interiors, great scenery and excellent
utility, not to mention the oft-cited security of the
"Ultimate Safety Net," the CAPS airframe parachute system --
possibly the final attribute that allowed the FAA to certify this
operation. SATS Air has staggering potential... in terms of GA
fence-mending, support of smaller GA airfields, economical LOCAL
air travel, and may turn out to be a pivotal PR and sales tool for
the GA industry. Cirrus knew this and bought into this program...
and it fits in "perfectly" with the Cirrus mission of "growing the
industry."
Unlike traditional charter, SATSair offers one-way
pricing within their service area as well as regional
point-to-point air transportation that is safe, convenient and cost
effective. Aircraft are pre-positioned strategically throughout the
SE US service area, allowing customers to board a SATSair aircraft
and depart with as little as an hour's notice.
The program is paying amazing dividends -right
now... GA is being portrayed positively, smaller GA airports are
being seen as REALLY useful and valued members of the community
instead of noise producers, and LOTS of business is getting done
with comfort and style. Even better; we hear that more than one
SATSair customer is turning their experiences into the possibility
of becoming a pilot and buying a bird of their own... one of
the many reasons that this is a program that needs to be continued
(or replicated) and promoted heavily. It's awfully good for GA, and
a model for a possible renaissance in the way that General
Aviation is seen by the traveling public. And yes, this was an easy
choice as one of ANN's Programs of The Year.
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.13.24)
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