The headset was lighter than my more expensive personal headset, just as comfortable, canceled noise every bit as well, and included features I wish I had - like the drop-in nine-volt battery. Nine-volt batteries usually require a snap-on connection; with this one, just drop the battery into its case against two metal contacts. Close the in-line battery compartment door, and the battery is shoved against the contacts. You'll get 20 hours of continuous use from one nine-volt battery, Flightcom promises. The battery box has indicators for power-on and low-battery conditions, and a stereo/mono selection switch.
There are other features, such as a washable fleece head pad to take the pressure off the top of your head and one-inch foam ear seals. If I had any complaints, it seemed as though the headband presses the ear cushions against the ears with slightly more pressure than other headsets used for comparison, and the pressure is not adjustable. But noise canceling depends on a tight fit against the ears. And the Classic drew no complaints from my fellow AOPA tester.
For more information on the Classic ANR, contact Flightcom, 7340 Southwest Durham Road, Portland, Oregon 97224; telephone 800/432-4342 or 503/684-8229; fax 503/620-2943; or visit the Web site ( www.flightcom.net ).
Alton K. Marsh
Lightwave 2100 LED Flashlight
I own enough flashlights to single-handedly outfit a night watchmans' corps, yet it seems that whenever I prepare for a night flight, I come up only with dead batteries and burned-out light bulbs. LED (light-emitting diode) flashlights such as the Lightwave 2100 promise to eliminate this problem.
The 2100 uses four LED lamps instead of bulbs to illuminate, emitting a bright and strikingly white light that bathes the entire panel or checklist with a smooth, diffused glow - no hot spots common to traditional flashlights. The flashlight uses three AA batteries that the company claims will last 14 times longer than batteries in regular flashlights. The water-resistant case is also shockproof, and the model carries a three-year warranty that includes the LED lamps. The lamps themselves are purported to last thousands of hours.
One caveat - white light can erode night vision, so care must be taken when using the flashlight in a dark cockpit. The company offers the Lightwave 2000, which has red LEDs, to address this concern. Lightwave also has introduced the model 4000 flashlight with 10 LED lamps for larger applications. The flashlights retail for $34.95 for the 2100, $29.95 for the 2000, and $59.95 for the 4000. For more information, contact Lightwave, 5665 Highway 9, Suite 103, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004; telephone 678/393-9072; or visit the Web site ( www.longlight.com ).
Briefly Noted
Sporty's Pilot Shop is offering two new CD-ROMs to help students prepare for the private pilot certificate and instrument rating oral exams. The oral exam is often as challenging for prospective pilots as the flight maneuvers, and each of these new discs contains more than 420 typical questions covered during the practical test. The CDs include more than 135 images, according to Sporty's, and the student can select one or more topics with questions randomly presented. Correctly answered questions are recorded, and the program drills the student on questions missed. The CDs require a personal computer running Windows 95/98/Millenium or Windows 2000/NT operating systems, a 133 Mhz or faster processor and 51 MB hard disk space available. The Private Pilot Oral Exam and Instrument Rating Oral Exam CDs retail for $39.95 each.
Sporty's also offers VFR chart training aids: mounted versions of the Chicago sectional chart, Chicago terminal area chart, and Chicago VFR flyway chart. These come in oak frames and can be written on directly with wet- or dry-erase markers and wiped clean. Each chart is $34.95; the set of three can be purchased for $99.95. For more information, contact Sporty's Pilot Shop, Clermont County Airport, Batavia, Ohio 45103-9747; telephone 800/543-8633 or 513/735-9000; fax 513/735-9200; or visit the Web site ( www.sportys.com ).
TRC Development has introduced The Real Cockpit (above), a highly realistic flight training device for use at home or in the flight school environment in conjunction with Microsoft's Flight Simulator 2002. The Real Cockpit simulates a Cessna 172 cockpit using mechanically driven instruments, allowing the student to adjust these instruments as one would in a real cockpit, as opposed to pointing and clicking on a computer monitor. Since the cockpit is designed to be a replica of the Cessna 172, all the instruments are in the same positions as on a true 172. The device uses one power cord (110/220 volts) and a USB cable to connect it to a PC running Flight Simulator 2002. The product currently is not FAA-certified. The price is approximately $4,995. For more information, visit the Web site ( www.therealcockpit.com ).
