Learn to Fly

We get a lot of email at the Thirty Thousand Feet aviation directory from people who want to know how to get a pilot's license. Now, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has announced their "Reach For The Sky" e-newsletter designed to help prospective pilots get a start.

"This online newsletter focuses on the basics for those who want to get started: What do I need to know? How much time does it take? How much will it cost? Where do I find a good instructor?" said EAA president Tom Poberezny. "The newsletter focuses on giving those interested in learning to fly the confidence to take that first step, which can lead them to an achievement and fulfillment that are matched by few other pursuits."

To sign up for "Reach For The Sky," register at www.sportpilot.org/learntofly/subscribe.asp.

Tip of the hat to Uncontrolled Airspace: The General Aviation Podcast for mentioning this newsletter in a recent episode.

Interview with Avi-Sched

Recently, Thirty Thousand Feet interviewed Martin Klutz, the Managing Director of Avi-Sched, a provider of flight operations software:

Thirty Thousand Feet: What kind of customers does Avi-Sched try to target?

Martin Klutz: Avi-Sched is primarily focused on providing Executive Airline Operators and Charter Brokers with tailor made flight ops software solutions.

TTF: When you say "executive airline," what do you mean exactly?

MK: Business airlines and air taxi companies which are focused on providing individual transport services to their customers without fixed schedules.

TTF: How did Avi-Sched come into existence? What is the company history?

MK: Avi-Sched was originally designed for an executive airline and has been constantly developed and improved ever since. Avi-Sched has been used by well-known executive airlines for many years. These years of experience form the kernel of this scheduling system.

TTF: What is the essence of the product you offer? What does it do?

MK: Avi-Sched is the central information center for an airline / broker. Besides it's flight and aircraft scheduling capabilities, it provides the possibility to manage all operation-specific data centrally and easily. (Crew, maintenance schedules, airports, handling agents.) With it's built-in reporting tool you can manage and modify all necessary printouts with Avi-Sched.

TTF: What platform does Avi-Sched run on? Is it hosted by you or does it run on the customer's computer?

MK: You can use Avi-Sched on every 32 Bit Windows platform (Win2000, XP, Vista) and it is designed to run either "stand-alone" (database and application on same machine) or within your network environment in a classic client-server scenario. In both cases the customer has full control over his data because Avi-Sched is hosted locally.

TTF: How do you differentiate Avi-Sched from other companies in the marketplace that offer similar products?

MK: Avi-Sched is 100% adaptable to your requirements. We guarantee that Avi-Sched will fully integrate into your existing corporate structure taking into account your specific requirements. We offer premium technical solutions with contemporary features in a modern and easily understandable design specially tailored to your needs.

TTF: Any future developments you see coming in the flight scheduling industry?

MK: The main challenge for all providers of flight ops software is to offer useful features without becoming overloaded. The key is to keep the process short, simple, and effective. The only way to get this job done well is to be flexible and keep an eye onto the market and on the unique requirements of every single customer. We are in permanent contact with our customers to help them find the most suitable solution for their specific needs.

MK: In the near future we are planing to deploy a new module. It will be a web interface which enables our customers to gain access to their schedules over a secure channel via the Internet from every place of the world.

You'll find the Avi-Sched website at http://www.avisched.com/.

Honda begins testing jet engine

Honda (actually "GE Honda Aero Engines") has announced they have started testing their demonstrator engine.

Over the next five months, GE Honda will conduct an array of tests on several HF120 demonstrator engine builds to verify performance operability, thermal characteristics, and component efficiencies. This full-engine testing follows several months of engine core (hot section) tests on several builds of hardware.

GE Honda is looking to begin full certification testing in 2008 with production of the HF120 engine to begin in 2009 at GE's Lynn, Massachusetts facility.

Sources:

GE Honda Aero Engines begins full engine testing of HF120

Photo Index (4 photos)

Wanted: flight attendants with stories

A flight attendant writes Thirty Thousand Feet to mention she's working on a book of F/A travel recommendations. She'd like to invite crew members to submit their "best of" travel opinions.

If you've got something, send a email to seeworthyawards@gmail.com with "SeeWorthy Recommendations" in the subject line. She'll send you a short questionnaire where you can tell her all you'd like.

Your very own B-24

Thirty Thousand Feet was recently informed that anyone interested in obtaining a B-24 "d" model can contact warbirdretriever@toast2.net. This aircraft is an actual combat veteran which completed 18 missions, and will be recovered in the summer of 2008.

You don't see many of these come on the market!

Pratt & Whitney photo store

Pictopia describes their website as "the premier photo commerce provider to the world's top media companies, enabling them and other owners of large image collections to sell their photos and related products directly to consumers."

In the Photo Stores, you'll find newspapers, entertainment and sports, schools and colleges, books and magazines, and others. Among them is a Pratt & Whitney Photo Store where you can purchase prints of engines, facilities, aircraft, employees, celebrities, ads, and tech art. Some images are from the modern era, and others are historic, such as Wasp engines, and Mr. Boeing and Mr. Rentshler together, or the 5000th JT3D Engine. Engine photos include radials, commercial turbofan, regional A/C engines, military jet, land and marine, as well as rocket motors from the space business.

Prints are available in different sizes, frame materials, and mat colors. Pictopia also offers both paper and electronic gift certificates, and provides photographic services to professional and amateur photographers, other photo labs, museums, galleries, and corporations.

A Pilot’s Guide to Safe Flying

The publisher mCOVE Resources informs Thirty Thousand Feet that the Pilot’s Guide to Safe Flying is now available to Flight Schools around the world at a 25% discount when used as a gift to student pilots in recognition of an achievement, such as obtaining their private pilot license.

www.mcove.com describes the book:

This internationally praised Australian manual is essential reading for all GA pilots.

This practical book is perfect for GA pilots and student pilots to learn the accumulated wisdom of avoiding the pitfalls that have trapped many pilots over the years.

It summarizes the ways of avoiding situations that can potentially impair the safety of a flight. It covers almost every topic relating to safe flying and provides the single pilot with an extremely useful framework for gaining and maintaining knowledge in this important area. Easy to read and focusing on the facts a pilot really needs, this book will help the reader develop the confidence in their decision making that will lead to safer flying.

The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority thought so highly of the book, they are including a copy with every new private pilot license they issue.

See www.mcove.com for details about the Flight School discount. Individuals can also purchase the book through Amazon.com: