AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2020 - 33

HEADLINES THAT
AFFECT YOU

Recent news from the aviation world
UAVIONIX, GARMIN SETTLE
LAWSUIT
Garmin International and uAvionix announced a patent lawsuit
settlement that allows uAvionix
to continue selling and supporting its ADS-B product line. The
settlement with Garmin was
announced about a week after
uAvionix reported the acquisition of cockpit display maker
AeroVonics. The company's
primary and multifunction displays will be integrated into the
uAvionix product line.

THE ADVANCED FLIGHT SYSTEMS MFD shows the AOPA Sweepstakes RV-10

flying over the presidential retreat at Camp David during a GPS approach to
its home base at Frederick, Maryland, on a rainy day. The weather imagery is
provided by ADS-B.

autopilot during the climb to 7,000 feet. We entered the clouds as soon as we turned out of
the traffic pattern and into moderate rain.
The IFD550 does a lot to simplify things for pilots in IMC. Its touchscreen tells about
both current and forecast weather conditions, and loading and activating approaches is
painless with a little practice. It also works beautifully with the AFS displays and Dynon
autopilot. Despite a 50-knot crosswind at altitude, the autopilot compensated perfectly and
followed dozens of waypoints as we tracked northeast. We got a couple of reroutes from air
traffic controllers, but instead of being bothersome, they provided some extra practice building and modifying IFR flight plans, and I was glad for the extra repetitions.
Continuous rain gave the airplane a thorough washing, and we finally broke into clear air
somewhere over western Massachusetts, and the carpet of golden trees below us showed that
autumn had already arrived in this region. Our destination at Nashua was brilliantly clear and
the surface winds calm. But McSpadden and I wanted some extra practice in the IFR system, so we loaded and flew an RNAV (LPV) approach to Runway 14. McSpadden hand-flew
the approach, and an aural warning let us know when we had arrived at decision altitude.
The only thing that nagged at me was a vague feeling that I had forgotten an important step. It didn't seem that I had pushed enough buttons or twisted enough knobs to load,
activate, and fly the approach. But the integration between the IFD550, AFS displays, and
autopilot is so tight, and so single-pilot-friendly, that it cuts the workload dramatically.
When flying a coupled GPS approach, there was no need to change autopilot modes, tune
or identify navigational frequencies, or set the vertical speed. The RV-10 smoothly made the
required stepdowns at each fix, all the way to our destination.
IFR cross-countries in adverse weather can be taxing, but this non-TSO instrument
panel makes them fun and enjoyable.
aopa.org/sweeps2020

MOONEY FURLOUGHS ALL
EMPLOYEES
One of general aviation's
best-known brands appears
to be out of business: Mooney
International furloughed the
staff, leaving only the voicemail
behind. The Kerrville Daily Times
of Kerrville, Texas, broke the
story on November 12, reporting that Mooney has furloughed
all employees and shuttered
the local factory where Mooney
International had been slowly
turning out aircraft. Nobody
answered the phone at the factory, and a voicemail announcement appeared to confirm the
bad news: "Please be advised
that all Mooney employees have
been furloughed at this time.
Therefore, we are not able to
respond to your inquiry."
EPIC E100 EARNS TYPE
CERTIFICATE
After seven years of effort, Epic
Aircraft has obtained an FAA
type certificate for its speedy
single-engine E1000 turboprop.
The E1000 is an FAA-certified
version of the Epic LT, a six-seat,
325-knot, PT6A-67-powered,
1,200-horsepower kit airplane
the company has been selling to
individual builders since 2005.
aopa.org

EMAIL dave.hirschman@aopa.org

aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 33

http://www.aopa.org/sweeps2020 http://www.aopa.org http://www.aopa.org/pilot

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2020