Max Trescott on General Aviation

New Cessna YouTube Video Scores a Homerun

Nothing makes me smile more than seeing good advertising. For example, the other night on television I saw a great commercial for JG Wentworth, a company of which I’d never heard. Yet their use of opera singers and subtitles to communicate about their product was engaging and left me with a clear impression of their name and services after a single viewing. That’s rare in a channel surfing world where I do everything I can to ignore commercials.

So you can imagine that I was grinning from ear-to-ear when I saw...

Blue Skies for GA and the ICON A5 Light Sport Aircraft

Humans are notoriously bad in forecasting the future. We tend to simply extend recent trend lines in whatever direction they’re currently headed, whether that be up or down. So it’s not surprising that there’s been some doom and gloom associated with the recent spike in gas prices and the twenty-five year decline in the pilot population. While I’d be nuts to predict a drop in gas prices (these have happened, but don’t hold your breath this time) I do see some signposts that suggest the General Aviation skies are not as cloudy and gloomy as some might suggest (I've included a list at the end of this post).

One of those signs arrived over my fax machine two days ago. Mixed in with the offers for health insurance and bogus stock alerts that spam my fax machine was...

Commencement Address: Green Aviation

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind--and very satisfying. Two weeks ago, I watched my oldest daughter graduate from college. Then, a week later, I was the commencement speaker at San Jose State University. The students in their Aviation Division requested me and I was only too happy to speak. I've uploaded ten minutes of the speech, which is apparently the maximum allowed on YouTube. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed giving it. Having talked with a lot of college graduates in the last two weeks, I'm optimistic about the future which will soon be in the hands of this up and coming generation. God Speed.

Cirrus SR22: Coffee, Tea or SmartDeck

Last week, I wrote about the announcement of the Cirrus Perspective glass cockpit for the SR22, and how I had thought they’d be announcing the L-3 SmartDeck instead. My comments were prescient, as just two days later L-3 announced the availability of SmartDeck for the Cirrus SR22, though as a retrofit, rather than a factory option. Now SR22 owners have a choice of three different glass cockpits for their plane! With this much choice, don’t be surprised if Cirrus buys the “Have it Your Way” slogan from Burger King.

As I mentioned last week, Cirrus announced....

New Cirrus Perspective for the SR22

 
Update: Our Max Trescott's Garmin Perspective VFR Training Course is now available on line for $79 at http://pilotlearning.coursehost.com.  Today, Cirrus Design announced that the Cirrus Perspective glass cockpit--think Garmin G1000 Plus--is available as an option to their SR22 aircraft. This is big news for several reasons, and future SR22 buyers will want to consider whether to choose it or the current Avidyne Entegra glass cockpit. They will also want to think about buying Max Trescott's G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook with WAAS.

For pilots who have recently taken delivery on a new SR22 and are concerned...

Aviation Podcasts

"The world is constantly changing and in the process is creating new ways to enjoy learning about and staying in touch with aviation.” That’s the beginning of an article I wrote on podcasts, the latest way to download and listen to audio on virtually any topic, in the Fall/Winter issue of my free online Pilot Safety News journal.

I've just updated my Max Trescott on General Aviation blog with a new section where you can listen to several of my podcast interviews. The new “My Podcasts” section is in the left column of the blog, just below my photograph. The most recent podcast, released by the Aero News Network on Friday, is an interview they conducted at Sun ‘n Fun a couple of weeks ago.

For the past six months, my daily routine has included...

G1000 Pilots Getting Synthetic Vision

If you're a pilot, Christmas comes twice a year in April and July. That’s when manufacturers trot out announcements of their new products at Sun ‘n Fun and AirVenture. Based on press releases by Garmin, Cessna and Diamond, Sun ‘n Fun—where I’ll be later this week—is off to a roaring start.

First, Garmin announced their Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT), which presents a 3D depiction of terrain, obstacles and traffic on the G1000’s PFD or primary flight-display. As we note below, Garmin has had this on the drawing board since they first introduced the G1000 in June, 2004. Essential, it draws on the PFD the picture that a pilot would see looking out the window on a clear day. It also...

Cessna’s Columbia Purchase—a good deal for everyone

Over the last nearly 100 years, dozens of aircraft companies have gone into bankruptcy, most never to be heard of again. The outcome of the Columbia bankruptcy is a far happier story for everyone, with the possible exception of some unsecured creditors.

The deal is obviously good for Columbia employees, which have numbered as many as 700, making the factory one of the largest employers in Bend, OR. Cessna’s announced they plan to continue production in Bend rather than move the factory, which is an obvious plus to the employees and the local economy. 

The deal is especially good for Columbia aircraft owners. Not only will they benefit from Cessna’s large network of service centers, but they are now assured of a long term supply of parts and support. That’s got to be comforting news to anyone who’s invested $600,000 in a new airplane.

Financially, the deal is...

Starting AOPA in China?

Chaos theory tells us that small changes can have huge, unpredictable effects. Thus a butterfly beating its wings in Asia might affect the weather in the U.S. I may have inadvertently made a small change that could have a huge effect when I visited China with a business group in early November.

This picture of me in the AOPA hat was taken atop the Great Wall, not far from Beijing. Later that evening, the hat was lost in a Chinese restaurant. I can only imagine that somewhere in China, a waiter is walking around dreaming of becoming a pilot! Who knows what I may have started.

Currently, there's very little general aviation in China. While I was there, ...