Another Cool Selection From ANN's Top 10 Products/Programs Of 2008

Final Compilations by ANN Editor-In-Chief/Editorial Instigator, Jim Campbell

When it comes to the people, planes and products of the aviation business, ANN firmly believes there is no such thing as an embarrassment of riches. 2008 saw a spate of new programs and 'gadgets' designed to separate a pilot from his flying dollar... fortunately, the vast majority of them are quite worthy of foregoing the occasional $500 hamburger or two

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In fact, for 2008 we really had to struggle with the list in order to pare it down to a manageable assembly and if we hadn't, we'd have easily had to increase the size of our annual 'Best Of' list to several dozen, or so, to accommodate them all.

From established products that continue to impress, to new and exciting developments across the range of general aviation... here, to our eyes, are some of  the VERY BEST from our list of the 10 most worthy 'gadgets' and programs of 2008.

Mutt Muffs

Mutt Muffs... a silly idea at first glance, seems not so silly if you have any affection for the canine side of the world. Since ANN became the home to a new German Shepherd puppy last year (named 'Anjin'), the care and feeding of a dog, especially one who has grown up on an airport and keeps trying to sneak into my airplanes, has taken on new urgency... But now, hearing protection for our favorite pup has been found in the form of the aforementioned 'Mutt Muffs'.

It sounds crazy at first, but bear with us... this is a cool product.

The folks who dreamed up this idea claim to have been '...inspired by pilots who know the noise level of the cockpit is unsafe for man or beast....  Mutt Muffs offer hearing protection for your four-legged family members. Your dog's keenest sense is smell and number two is hearing. If you think something is loud, your dog is probably in pain.  After heredity, long exposure to loud noise is the biggest contributor to deafness. Good news though... noise-induced hearing loss is different in one very important way... it can be reduced or prevented altogether.'

And for those who will see this program and immediately conclude that, "My dog would never wear those...", the Mutt Muffs folks tell ANN that "you'd be surprised."

They explain that, "It doesn't take long for most dogs to 'compute' cause and effect. Dogs figure out very quickly that the Mutt Muffs are what is stopping the noise. Ironically, most make this determination by getting them off in flight.  Usually just once. That's all the doggy evidence required to know life was happier when they were on. When adjusted properly, Mutt Muffs fit securely enough that head shaking isn't enough to get them off."

And yes... they work well on cats -- but we're not cat fans (according to Anjin--shown below with Jim Campbell)... so who cares (grin)?

So; there you have it -- an aero-canine hearing protection system... who'da thunk it? But it makes for an easy, if off-beat, selection as one of ANN's products Of The Year!

FMI:  www.safeandsoundpets.com