Kitplanes

Aspen Avionics, the little EFIS company that has taken aviation by storm with its modular PFD/MFD designed for a low cost retrofit in aircraft with traditional analog instruments, announced the availability of a NEXRAD weather enhancement for its products.The EFD 1000 Pro is currently shipping and has been installed in Experimental aircraft as large as a P-51 Mustang, to date. Pascal Gosselin, of Aero Teknic, in St. Cyhu, Quebec, an aircraft maintenance and installation shop,…

Walking around EAA AirVenture this year, I saw the next generation of airplane enthusiasts being brought up. There are some who are concerned that the population of the aviation faithful is increasingly getting older with fewer young people joining the fold. However, for some aviation has been part of their lives since birth. Coming to airshows like AirVenture helps start a lifetime of interest. …

Garmin's subsidiary Digital Cyclone has upgraded its cellphone-based weather delivery system, Pilot My-Cast, expanding both the types of cellphones supported, and the weather products it delivers.Pilot My-Cast allows you to access a complete weather-briefing product, including Nexrad radar, satellite loops, Metars, TAFs, SIGMETS, AIRMETS and PIREPS via a cellphone with a web browser, and this now includes both RIM Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices. There is also a beta-release of software for the iPhone.…

The internal MP3 player functions of the Experimental-aircraft-only PMA9000EX have been so popular that PS Engineering has embedded the same technology into the TSO'd PMA8000B audio panel/intercom to create the PMA8000B-MP3.Using the same chassis and front-panel layout as the popular 8000B, the new MP3 version adds a 1-gigabyte chip to hold the music contents. The front-panel jack now also acts as a USB portal for uploading the music; a converter cable is provided. Unlike the…

In a strong suggestion that Honeywell is serious about Bendix/King's return to form in general aviation, the company introduced three new handhelds at a press function last night. In addition to reminding us that its KSN 770, a WAAS-LPV-capable GPS/nav/com panel-mount in the general format of the Garmin GPS 530, will be available in the first quarter of 2009, Honeywell execs trotted out a new line of product called AV8OR.…

Lycoming's 10 a.m. press conference today centered on several new projects for the manufacturer. Of note for Experimental fans are two things: Fully electronic engine controls-a FADEC-that includes a knock sensor for detonation control that will be certified but launched into the Experimental market, and the Thunderbolt Signature turbonormalized version of the IO-360 engine.…

Texas Sport Aircraft Company has announced a $2500 rebate on the Texas Sport amateur-built aircraft kit, a derivative of the American Legend Cub intended for amateur aircraft builders.The Texas Sport aircraft kit comprises four major sections: fuselage, wings, tail and firewall-forward kits. To receive the $2500 rebate, customers must purchase all four. Priced individually, the four sections normally cost $39,900. With the rebate, the base price is $37,400.…

PS Engineering's Experimental-aircraft-only audio panel/intercom introduced last year, the PMA9000EX, has gained new capabilities combined with a reduced price-how often does that happen?First the economic news; at $2295, the 9000EX is $100 cheaper than when it was introduced. Second is the capability: The internal MP3 player has increased internal memory, from 512 megabytes to 1 gigabyte.…

Lancair International announced today that it has delivered the first Evolution kit to Andy Cruce of Miramar, Florida. Cruce and his wife saw the Evolution last year at Oshkosh and began contemplating the purchase. When we considered the speed, roominess, carrying capacity, BRS chute and docile flight characteristics of the Evolution, we decided the Evolution is what we need, Cruce is reported to have said.…