Experimenter

MAR 2015

Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.

Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/471466

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8 Vol.4 No.3 / March 2015 FLIGHTLINE PS ENGINEERING HAS tailored its latest and most capable audio panel to suit the requirements of homebuilt airplanes and other experimental aircraft. The new PDA360EX retains the advanced features of PS Engineering's top-of-the-line audio panel but leaves out capabilities experimental airplanes won't use to save money. IntelliAudio is a new feature PS Engineering introduced last year. The technology allows pilots to listen to two radios at once but to "position" the sound using stereo headphones so one radio is audibly dominate while the other is still hearable in the background. The technique is essentially the same that we use to listen to a conversation with one person in a crowded room of other conversations. Listening to ATIS while still being able to hear controllers is a common example of how IntelliAudio is useful. And there are many other situations where you want to "guard" a second frequency while paying close attention to another. The PDA360EX also has PS Engineering's IntelliVox voice sensing technology on the intercom. IntelliVox uses digital electronics to recognize when you are speaking into the micro- phone and opens the circuit automatically. The system is smart enough to reject non-vocal noise to keep the intercom quiet when nobody is talking. The audio panel also has Bluetooth capability so you can wirelessly connect personal electronics to your headset and intercom. A new feature is a USB charger outlet so you can keep the batteries of your personal electronics topped off during flight. What the PDA360EX leaves out to cut cost is intercom capability for more than four locations, a cockpit speaker amplifi er, and marker beacon receiver, which few homebuilt airplane owners would want or need. That allows PS Engineer- ing to price the PDA360EX at $2,095, signifi cantly less than the comparable unit for certifi ed aircraft. Units are available for immediate delivery from authorized PS Engineering dealers. For more information visit the PS Engineering website . New PS Engineering Audio Panel Designed for Homebuilts JUST AIRCRAFT IS NOW providing optional instructions and materials for installing spoilers on its new SuperSTOL kits. The addition of spoilers signifi cantly enhances slow fl ight control, especially in undesirable wind conditions. The spoilers represent the latest step in advancing the short takeof and landing capabilities of the SuperSTOL. Troy Woodland, who designed and fl ight tested the spoilers, said, "Once a pilot discovers the advantage of spoil- ers in slow fl ight and turbulent air, he won't want to fl y without them. They go a long way toward taking the rock and roll out of rough air on fi nal, and they open up a lot of new areas for landings." The kits, which connect the spoilers to the ailerons, take about 40 hours to install. They can be mounted at the factory for an additional charge. Designed to deploy with the ai- lerons, the spoilers will rise on the right wing when the pilot moves the stick to the right. Since stick movements at cruise speed are minimal, the spoil- ers have little ef ect, but in slow speed operations, when the stick movements are greater, the spoilers will reach maxi- mum deployment and ef ectiveness. The SuperSTOL wing features slats that extend in slow fl ight, vortex gener- ators, and Fowler fl aps, all of which are designed to allow the aircraft to fl y at a very high angle of attack without stall- ing. That in turn allows a touchdown speed in the low 20s in calm conditions. Optional spoiler kits, which are available only for the SuperSTOL, are priced at $1,000. With factory instal- lation, the price is $2,500. For more information visit JustAircraft.com . Just Aircraft Offers Spoilers Kit for the SuperSTOL

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