L i g h t P l a n e Wor l d
way operations, which must have taxed the volunteers,
a lot of young and old folks could be seen going out for
airplane rides.
New Avionics
Funkwerk Avionics USA displayed its line of Germanbuilt, lightweight compact radios and transponders.
The ATR833-OLED model and its companion transponder with brilliant LED displays are now standard on the
Aerotrek 220/240 light-sport aircraft. The radio with
100 channel memory fits in a 2.25-inch round instrument panel cutout, includes a built-in voice-activated
intercom for up to four headsets, and features dualwatch technology to allow monitoring of the active
and a standby frequency. The radio weighs 1 pound 9
ounces and is 6.3 inches in length. Allow an additional
2 inches for connectors.
The TRT800H transponder is an FAA-certified Class 1
Mode S transponder approved for VFR and IFR flight,
and best of all it includes an integrated altitude encoder that greatly reduces the installation cost. It
can operate in either Mode A/C or Mode S. Even if
you don't need Mode S, it can still help because it
has a better resolution. It reads out altitude in 25-foot
increments instead of 100-foot increments. Funkwerk
Avionics USA is in the Rollison Airplane Company
family. See their other aviation products at
www.AirplaneGear.com. For examples of how these
units can be incorporated into an economical instrument panel, look to www.Aerotrek.aero. The folding
wing Aerotrek 220/240 was the third best-selling lightsport aircraft (LSA) in the United States last year with 80
aircraft in the United States and about 400 worldwide.
At least five Aerotreks were on display at Sun 'n Fun.
Belite Aircraft also introduced new instruments for the
light side of aviation, including an innovative airspeed
indicator, an all-in-one gauge, and a lightweight altimeter. Most of James Weibe's digital gauges weigh
only 40 grams, fit in a standard 2.25-inch cutout, and
can run on a range of 8 to 14 volts. The digital LCD
altimeter does everything you would expect from a
standard aviation altimeter and a whole lot more in a
package the fraction of its size and weight. Watching
the numbers change on the little 2.5-ounce unit as you
raise and lower it in your hand is quite convincing. See
more of their products at Belite Aircraft.
New Fabric Covering Method
Another innovation from Belite Aircraft is a new
fabric covering method that saves weight and time
James Weibe (behind the wing of the aircraf), president of Belite, prepares to fy the Belite UltraCub.
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Vol.2 N o.6 / June 2013