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According to the Aircraft Electronics Association and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Federal Aviation Administrations Advisory Circular (90-100A), released in March, seemed to say that except for specified GPS units, some 26,000 other IFR-approved GPSes were no long eligible to be used in lieu of ADF and DME equipment. That now appears to be a tempest in a teapot. According to a statement by the AEA, the core issue was that wording…

The Federal Aviation Administration released an updated Advisory Circular (90-100A) in March that muddies the waters for pilots using IFR-approved GPS receivers in lieu of ADF and DME equipment for instrument approaches and en route fixes. In addition to being legal for non-precision approaches and, more recently with WAAS approval, precision approaches, modern IFR GPSes can be used to identify navigational fixes previously defined by NDBs and DME points. According to the…

CO Guardian Aero 553 Have a dead clock in your panel? Heres a great replacement that features many other functions and enhances flight safety as well with sensitive carbon monoxide (CO) detection. The Aero-553 from CO Guardian not only tells local and Zulu time (including stopwatch and flight timer), but also monitors buss voltage, internal and external temperatures, density altitude, and cabin pressure. However, its most dedicated feature is as a CO monitor that…

Contributing Editor Rick Lindstroms Zodiac 601XL made its show debut at Sun N Fun this year. It represents the first of the new quickbuild kits from Zenith Aircraft to be completed. This 601 is powered by a William Wynne-modified Corvair engine driving a Sensenich wood prop. Lindstrom says his 601 cruises at 105 knots while burning under 6 gph. Follow the story of Lindstroms project beginning in the June issue of KITPLANES.…

The Zaon Flight Systems signage advertises that its XRX traffic collision system plays well with others. The monochrome LCD display of the XRX comes to life when interfaced with third-party systems such as the Garmin 396/496, AnywhereMap, VistaNav, TrueFlight, among others. Pre-396 Garmins wont work because of their inability to process the Mode S TIS data, but Zaon notes the interface will work on the 396 and newer. The XRX unit retails for…

Discovery Kit Aircraft Mostly obscure since its debut at the 1991 EAA Convention in Oshkosh, the Discovery kit aircraft now has new life due to new company ownership. Aero Concepts of Rock Hill, South Carolina, has resurrected this unusually efficient, three-winged canard two-seat pusher, and is back on the convention circuit with the original prototype (now exhibited as a full scale mock-up). Aero Concepts has even retained the original test pilot, Earl Hibler, to assist in…

Front and center in Cessnas outside display at Sun N Fun was the rakish NGP (next-generation piston) four-seater and Light Sport proof-of-concept aircraft. Sporting a cheeky new cowl, the POC, now called the CSA, for Cessna Sport Aircraft, was shown with a Continental O-200 replacing the Rotax 912 the airplane originally flew with. According to project chief pilot Kirby Ortega, the CSA development is continuing apace, though he pointed out that the existing airframe is…

Aerox Aviation Systems unveiled a photoluminescent O2 gauge and flowmeter this week, sporting a fresh patent received the previous Friday. Made of the same kind of material used for exit strips on commercial airliners, the inflight glow will last up to 32 hours. We like the upgrade just for the preservation of your night vision-no more O2 level checks with the flashlight. The O2 gauge retails for around $32, and the flowmeters retail price is…

The Cole Clarifier from OneWink LLC is a magnifier disk that greatly improves a pilots ability to precisely read and set the altimeter under less than ideal flight conditions. Developed by a doctor who had trouble setting his own altimeter during ILS approaches to minimums, this device attaches to the instruments glass permanently over the Kollsman window. FAA approved for certified aircraft, cost is $150.00. …

In addition to its Epic LT kit turboprop and the under-development certified version of the airplane called the Dynasty, Epic will launch two new programs this year, a single-engine turboprop kit called the Escape and a single-turbine called the Victory. Although Epic will be opening a research and development center in Canada, kit production will remain at the company's Bend, Oregon, facility, which is now undergoing the addition of 10,000 square feet. The escape, which…