What’s New

Pretty in Pink: Powder Puff Pilot/Oregon Aero Team Up

Powder Puff Pilot, a web retailer that specializes in pilot gear and accessories for women, has paired up with Oregon Aero to create two products that may appeal to female pilots and fliers: a pink Super Cushion portable cushion and a pink-highlighted headset bag.

Powder Puff Pilot is the exclusive retailer of the customized portable cushion, which measures 13×13 inches and can make long flights more comfortable. It was hard to find a seat cushion off-the-shelf that was pink, so I approached Oregon Aero about making one for us, said Sue Hughes, who founded Powder Puff Pilot in 2008. I always use a seat cushion when flight instructing, since many airplanes, especially the older ones, don’t accommodate those of us who are less-than-average height.

The cushion is a logical addition to the Powder Puff Pilot product line. The new item supports the company’s mission, which is to attract more women and girls to aviation by making the cockpit a little friendlier. The seat cushion can also be used as a flotation device.

The headset bag sports a Powder Puff Pilot patch on one side and a pink Oregon Aero logo on the other. The durable bag protects all standard-size aviation headsets, and has an outside pocket for storing books, charts or instrument plates, the company says.

The headset bag is $59.95, and the Super Cushion is $79.95. For more information, call 720/256-3442 or visit www.powderpuffpilot.com or www.oregonaero.com.

Superflite Practice Kits

Superflite practice kits are now available from Wicks Aircraft supply for builders interested in learning how to work with Superflite finishing materials or who need to make small repairs to a fabric-covered aircraft.

The kits include a comprehensive, illustrated manual and DVD, a yard of Superflite fabric, a 6-inch straight needle, 3 yards of surface tape and an equal amount of rib-stitching cord, a glue gun, invisible gloves, a pint of adhesive, a pint of primer base, and equal amounts of primer catalyst and flex agent, plus a quart of reducer. For $125, the kit can provide enough experience that builders may feel comfortable tackling a larger project.

For more information about the practice kits, call 800/221-9425 or visit www.wicksaircraft.com.

New ANR Headset from DRE

DRE Communications offers popular active and passive noise attenuation headsets for fixed-wing and helicopter applications. Advances in technology now enable the company to deliver state-of-the-art active noise reduction (ANR) for about half of the traditional market value, the company says.

DREs top of the line is its new stereo ANR DRE-6001, with a noise-canceling electret microphone, pillow-top head pad, gel ear seals and gold-plated plugs, for $462.95. The company also makes a straightforward dual-volume-control passive noise reduction headset, the DRE-1001, priced at $130.95, and the full stereo passive DRE-4001 at $193.95. All headsets come with Mil-Spec cabling and a new-generation full flex microphone boom. Optional gel ear seals are available. A complete line of accessories is also available, and DRE warranties its products for three years.

For more information and a list of dealers worldwide, call 877/987-9977 or visit the company’s web site at www.DRECommunications.com.

Hummingbird Heli Status Is Official

Vertical Aviation Technologies of Orlando, Florida, is proud to announce that the company has recently received official FAA notice that the new Hummingbird 260L standard and quickbuild kits are eligible Experimental/Amateur-Built kits meeting the 51% rule. The standard Hummingbird kit has been eligible since 1993 and was recently re-evaluated, the company says. The quickbuild kit was developed two years ago to assist builders through the sheet-metal construction of the fuselage and tail cone.

When you purchase the quickbuild kit you receive a factory-built fuselage and tail cone, said Brad Clark, president of Vertical Aviation. This includes the lower cabin, upper cabin, firewall, nose, windshields, chin windows, center console, instrument panel, tail cone, tail vertical and horizontal stabilizers, all assembled and sitting on preassembled landing gear. We perform the entire fabrication, assembly and riveting of the sheet-metal construction process for you.

The Hummingbird 260L is a four-place, Lycoming-powered helicopter that was previously certified by the FAA. It is important to note that the Hummingbird was designed to be a certified helicopter, so this is a real advantage over conventional Experimental kits, Clark said. Its an aircraft for the person who has researched and knows something about helicopters. Its performance, craftsmanship and safety record are unmatched.

For more information, call Vertical Aviation Technologies at 407/322-9488 or visit www.vertical-aviation.com.

Approach Fast Stack Issued FAA PMA

Approach Fast Stack, a manufacturer of avionics interface products, recently announced the issuance of FAA-PMA (Federal Aviation Administration – Parts Material Authorization) on the company’s popular Pro-G Hub. Approachs modular wiring system interconnects avionics components with a central hub and ready-built cables for the majority of avionics in the marketplace, including Garmins panel-mount avionics. All cables are double-shielded and grounded at the hub, which eliminates the possibility of ground loops and protects against any noise induction into the avionics system.

According to General Manager Tim Hass, We always strive for the highest quality in our products, and the issuance of FAA-PMA will help us achieve the results we and our customers expect. We have a stringent quality-control process for the manufacture of our products, and we are proud to have achieved this FAA-PMA qualification.

Approach specializes in assist ing customers in designing and developing an avionics suite that best meets the pilots needs. The company also helps customers in the installation and operation of their avionics packages, and provides complete interface documentation and support.

For more information, call 218/237-STAK (7825) or visit www.approachfaststack.com.