What I learned at AOPA Summit.

[chartbundle]

Mostly about vendors and their stuff.

The FAA's chart tax is still moving forward but no one seems to know exactly what form it will take or when. I'm starting to think scanning all the paper products might not be such a bad idea. (What if the FAA started taxing digital downloads and no one came...)

Fly This Sim had their FAA approved sims for the Cessna and Cirrus on display. They were a bit smaller than I expected(screen size). But on the plus side they were using somewhat better controls than the red colored sim company.

Anywhere Map does have Terrain/Synthetic Vision on their roadmap. Also they're partnering with Dual for ADS-B.

Garmin Pilot also has Terrain on their road map, maybe even synthetic vision. They didn't seem worried about the possible impact to their portable line so maybe we will get all the features. On the other hand, they have no plans to make the GDL 39 work with anyone else. They did ask me what I was hearing about the other products and I told them the truth. As far as I knew, almost everyone chose their app first, and then selected the ADS-B receiver that worked with it.

Cessna had a tiny presence, I think there were more turbine converted Cessna aircraft from other companies than there were Cessnas brought by Cessna.

All in all not much to write home about, got to see Harrison Ford up on stage with Craig Fuller. Probably could have easily gone for just 2 days instead of the 3 I'm here for. If you didn't go to any seminars, the exhibits and aircraft would have been easy to do in a day.

 

[gprellwitz]

I agree. Without seminars, it is an easy 1 - 1.5 day event. But there are some good seminars, as well as opportunities to meet fellow pilots. Are you around Saturday and maybe want to do dinner?

 

[chartbundle]

Personally I'm heading out as soon as the airplanes leave.

 

[DaytonaLynn]

Mostly about vendors and their stuff.

The FAA's chart tax is still moving forward but no one seems to know exactly what form it will take or when. I'm starting to think scanning all the paper products might not be such a bad idea. (What if the FAA started taxing digital downloads and no one came...)

Can you explain to us new PPL this proposed tax.
Thank you.

 

[SkyHog]

Mostly about vendors and their stuff.

The FAA's chart tax is still moving forward but no one seems to know exactly what form it will take or when. I'm starting to think scanning all the paper products might not be such a bad idea. (What if the FAA started taxing digital downloads and no one came...)

Can you explain to us new PPL this proposed tax.
Thank you.

To date, digital downloads of FAA charts has been free. The only reason you pay for paper sectionals is because it costs the FAA money to print them, and you need to pay them to recoup the costs.

Now, the FAA is planning on charging for digital charts. That is the "tax." Its not really a tax, but it is a double dip, since we already pay for the digital charts through our normal taxes.