Piper Inks Its Largest-ever Training Aircraft Order

L3 Commercial Aviation placed an order for up to 240 new Piper Aircraft piston singles and twins on Wednesday at Sun ’n‘ Fun 2019, representing Piper’s largest civilian fleet order in its history. The aircraft will modernize L3’s training fleet at its airline academies in Florida; Ponte de Sor, Portugal; and the UK.

Under the contract, the first 26 aircraft—19 Piper Archer TX piston singles and seven Piper Seminole twins—will be delivered by year-end. The new aircraft will support the growing demand for L3’s cadet pilot programs amid the global pilot shortage.

"We are delighted to sign this long-term agreement with L3, knowing that trusted Piper trainer aircraft will once again launch thousands of aspiring pilots' careers around the world,” said Piper Aircraft president and CEO Simon Caldecott. “Our advanced training aircraft are the ideal classrooms for cadets to learn and first experience the joy of flying."

SocialFlight App Adds Airport Restaurant Information

The newest version of the SocialFlight app, which helps pilots find aviation events and interesting places to fly, now has an airport restaurant feature, the company announced this week at Sun ’n‘ Fun 2019. “Our mission at SocialFlight is to provide pilots with a single go-to source to find aviation events and destinations,” said SocialFlight president Jeff Simon. “Great airport restaurants and the ubiquitous $100 hamburger flight have always been at the core of general aviation culture, and we are excited to be able to make finding them easier than ever before, right from your phone or computer.”

Airport restaurant data came from SocialFlight’s internal research team, contributions from app users, and an algorithm that identifies airport-accessible restaurants from commercial data sources. According to the company, Version 7 of the app—which is available for iOS and Android—now has an “extensive” airport restaurant database that includes location, hours, photos, and reviews, as well as a graphical map of airport-accessible restaurants. SocialFlight also allows users to continuously improve the information and are thus able to add, remove, or comment on their favorite airport restaurants.

In addition, the app currently lists more than 50,000 aviation events, including aircraft fly-ins, airshows, pancake breakfasts, conventions, and FAA safety seminars, among others, as well as destination information such as local attractions, hotels, ground transportation, campgrounds, and aviation businesses.

Lightspeed Donating Headsets to Ray Scholarship Winners

The Lightspeed Aviation Foundation is donating a Lightspeed Zulu 3 headset to each recipient of the EAA Ray Aviation Scholarship, the company announced yesterday at Sun ’n‘ Fun 2019. These scholarships are awarded to young aviators who are on the path to successfully complete flight training.

According to Lightspeed, the headset donations recognize the importance of the EAA Ray scholarships of up to $10,000 that allow young people to take flight training in their local regions. The Ray Foundation has provided $1 million to EAA to fund these scholarships for up to 100 young people, as the program seeks to improve the flight training success rate from the current 20 percent level to 80 percent for those participating in the scholarship program.

“EAA has successfully shown its commitment to expanding aviation through participation by young people in programs such as Young Eagles and now the Ray Aviation Scholarship initiative,” said Allan Schrader, founder and president of Lightspeed Aviation. “The Lightspeed Aviation Foundation, through its 2019 Growth Initiative, wants to empower great programs, such as this one from EAA, to make them even more effective in expanding and promoting a vibrant pilot community.”

EAA announced the first two Ray Aviation Scholarships recipients in February. A Lightspeed Zulu 3 headset will be awarded to each upon completion of their solo flight and ground school requirements.

ASA Releases Mountain and Backcountry Flying Text

Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA) released a new text, Mountain, Canyon, and Backcountry Flying, by Amy L. Hoover and R.K. “Dick” Williams, to coincide with both springtime and the Sun ’n' Fun Fly-In this week.

The book is geared to both recreational fliers and flight instructors who counsel them before trips into the backcountry and the rough terrain they find there. Fundamental concepts covered in the text include preparing for and conducting mountain and canyon flights, airport operations, situational awareness, aircraft performance, risk management, analysis of accident scenarios, and emergency operations.

Exercise sections in each chapter help readers understand and apply the information to their own flying. But it is the personal accounts from the authors’ own experiences, the photographs and illustrations, and contributions from seasoned backcountry pilots and instructors who expand on material detailed in the text that really make this book stand out as an excellent teacher.

The book is available in softcover or as an e-book.

Aero Charting App Gets More Charts, Extended Coverage

Eagle Cap Software released v1.1 of its iPad-dedicated Aero Charting app this week at Sun ’n‘ Fun 2019 that now includes VFR sectionals and IFR en route charts and extends coverage to include the Caribbean, Alaska, and Hawaii. The app is now available for download at the Apple App Store.

“These charts are a necessity for the IFR or VFR pilot. When coupled with GPS input, they greatly improve situational awareness,” said Eagle Cap. “We are pleased to continue the rapid development of our Aero Charting application to include the VFR sectional and IFR en route charts, as well as distance rings.”

While the Aero Charting app is a free download, individual 12-month subscriptions for IFR en route charts and VFR sectional charts each cost $49 or can be purchased as a bundle, along with ad removal, for $69.