After four years of development, Bose today introduced the A30 as its latest active noise-reduction (ANR) aviation headset. Retailing for $1,249 and available immediately, the A30 is slightly lighter than the $1,195 A20 and offers lower clamping pressure while incorporating digital ANR features similar to those in the ProFlight 2 in-ear headset. Like the A20 and ProFlight 2, the A30 is FAA technical standard order (TSO) approved—a feature that some airlines and operators require for headsets used by their pilots.
“The A20 has been such a great headset, it’s really been hard to make something better,” said Bose senior product manager Matt Ruwe. “Our engineers have shed a lot of tears trying to do just that.”
The A20 has been in production since 2010 and features analog ANR technology, which requires less battery power, according to Ruwe. The digital chipset powering the A30 ANR runs all the time, he explained, “and requires significant power, which is usually a drawback.”
Working with a partner to develop a proprietary microprocessor and microcontroller to optimize noise reduction, Bose engineers were able to maximize battery life to more than 45 hours. “There were no tradeoffs,” he said. The ProFlight series was the first to get the digital chipset, and on the A30 that chipset is more advanced. “After our initial learning on the ProFlight, this takes that to the next level.”
This year’s Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo will host The Island, a newly added “social hub” sponsored by the Island of the Bahamas and surrounded by seaplanes. Amenities at The Island include a cafe, entertainment, restrooms, showers, a storefront for personal and aircraft camping needs, grocery delivery, an Uber terminal, and a tram system hub. The area also houses the Pilot Welcome Center—a stage for forums and movies, as well as “a gathering area to reconnect with old friends and make new ones while sharing aviation stories.”
In addition, Sun 'n Fun organizers have partnered with The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Investments & Aviation to hold a Grand Bahama fly-out after the airshow from April 2 to 5. This event is intended to highlight the ease of flying to the Bahamas, which is 50 miles off the eastern coast of Florida.
“It is an effortless experience, well within the capabilities of most certified, experimental, and even light-sport single-engine aircraft,” the partners said.
Aviation job website JSfirm is again partnering with Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo organizers to host a career fair at the show in Lakeland, Florida. This year’s 10th annual job fair has been expanded to five days—Tuesday, March 28, through Saturday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily—and is being held at the Career Fair Tent near the southeast exhibit area.
An admission ticket to the Sun 'n Fun expo is required to gain entry to the career fair and the suggested attire is “airshow appropriate” rather than business dress. Some 20 companies and organizations are hiring at the event, including the FAA, regional and major airlines, charter and fractional providers, MROs, and aircraft manufacturers.
“Expanding the career fair that takes place during Sun 'n Fun was a common request from participating companies and job seekers alike,” said JSfirm executive director Abbey Hutter. “Since 2014 it has grown from a one-day event to a three-day event, and now we are up to five days this year.”
Oxygen equipment manufacturer Aerox is demonstrating its new Boomula headset-mounted oxygen cannula at the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo this week in Lakeland, Florida. Boomula fits on most headset types via a stick-on mount or using a hard mount designed to fit Bose A20 headsets. It is compatible with any continuous-flow portable or installed oxygen system, according to Aerox.
Boomula retails for $149, which includes the cannula and boom, a stick-on mount and A20 hard-mount, and an Aerox Oxy-Saver Pendant, which extends oxygen duration.
To help pilots learn more about aviation oxygen, Aerox president Scott Ashton will also deliver two seminars at Sun ’n Fun—on Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. “This program is practical and is based on answering the most frequently asked questions that we receive at Aerox,” according to the company, “and will explain why having an oxygen system on board isn't just for mountain flying.”
Sun ’n Fun visitors are also invited to the Aerox booth (A-098) to try out the company’s Portable Reduced Oxygen Training Enclosure. The system helps pilots learn their specific hypoxia symptoms while simulating the environment at 25,000 feet.
Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo, the annual airshow that opens today, is the primary fundraiser for the nonprofit show organizer’s Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), a STEM-related and aerospace education hub. Under ACE’s wing is the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA), an aviation- and engineering-focused public high school on-site at Lakeland (Florida) Linder International Airport (KLAL).
While the airshow brings in considerable resources for CFAA, there are some funding gaps, including the need for an updated audiovisual system, repainting the interior, and covering field-trip bus transportation. That is why the school’s Parents Launching a Network of Educational Support (PLANES) group is separately fundraising by selling food and drinks (cash or card) this week during the airshow just outside the back of the CFAA building, near the forum area. This year’s offerings from PLANES include pastries and fruit for breakfast; hot lunches such as grilled hamburgers; chips, cookies, and trail mix for snacks; and water and soda.
Overall, PLANES strives to be “enthusiastic advocates for CFAA students and we look forward to providing them opportunities for socializing, teambuilding, recognition, and lifelong fond memories of high school,” secretary Lissa Bontrager told AIN.
ACE, which is headquartered at the Florida Air Museum at KLAL, also includes learning centers, outreach programs, aviation scholarships, aerospace summer camps, and the Lakeland Aero Club for area high school students. CFAA is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.
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