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Aerospace Center for Excellence Launches Partnership with Able Flight
For Immediate Release
March 6, 2019
Lakeland, Florida: The Aerospace Center for Excellence, the educational component of SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In Inc., is excited to announce its partnership with Able Flight, a unique organization that shares a similar belief that learning to fly is a life changing experience. This partnership will enable those with disabilities an opportunity to earn their private pilot’s license in a customized aircraft that meets their physical needs, housing during their training, and instruction from volunteer certified instructors.
The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) is renowned for youth-based educational programs, including a mentoring and scholarship program that has created 91 teenage private pilots. According to Ed Young, Executive Director of ACE, the partnership with Able Flight is synergistic. “Our mission at ACE is to engage, educate and accelerate the next generation of aerospace professionals. Able Flight’s success in engaging and educating individuals with disabilities in flight training is unparalleled. We have the opportunity to truly change lives by combining our core competencies.”
The partnership is also being supported by Zenith Aircraft Co., a designer and manufacturer of aircraft kits. Recently, an Able Flight award winner built a specially designed Zenith 750, with the support of his community. Rick Garcia, President of Gulf Coast Avionics and ACE Board Member, said that “our community in Lakeland has a chance to not only support this noble effort, but to literally come together and build a training airplane that could serve hundreds or thousands of disabled people in the future.”
“The plan is to build the airplane in the Buehler Restoration Center on the ACE campus during the 2019 SUN ‘n FUN Fly-In and with the help of the Lakeland Aero Club, the youth flying club on the ACE campus, after the Fly-In,” Young said. “We are planning to name the aircraft the “Spirit of Lakeland”. This project imbues the nature of the aviation community at the Lakeland Linder International Airport.”
Charles Stites, Executive Director of Able Flight, extolled the partnership’s potential to expand their program. “Our new training partnership with ACE provides an outstanding opportunity to build upon our successful relationships with Purdue University and The Ohio State University. Now with three training locations, and the ability to train almost year round in Florida, Able Flight pilots will benefit from the expertise of the dedicated aviation professionals at the Aerospace Center for Excellence who share our mission of creating a pathway for people with physical disabilities to have equal access to flight training and aviation career training.”
“Lakeland is ideally situated close to the Tampa VA rehabilitation center,” notes ACE and SUN ‘n FUN CEO John “Lites” Leenhouts. “We hope the disabled veterans in our area will apply for the Able Flight Scholarship. While anyone with a disability is eligible for the opportunities Able Flight gives, we are keenly aware of the needs of the nearby former and current service members.”
Able Flight Scholarship students will be housed in the Tom Davis Educational Center on the ACE Campus during training and instructed by volunteer certified flight instructors.
For more information, contact Ed Young at eyoung@flysnf.org or (863)904-6948.
About Aerospace Center for Excellence, Inc.:
The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has emerged as a nationally recognized leader in STEM-related and aerospace education through its various learning centers, outreach programs, summer camps and scholarships aimed at preparing students for tomorrow’s aerospace challenges. Located on the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus in Lakeland, Florida, the organization is known for its annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo fundraising event as well as the Aerospace Discovery Museum which is Florida’s Official Aviation Museum and Education Center. ACE is the world’s leader in producing licensed teenage private pilots and delivers youth programs that engage over 40,000 students a year. For more information, www.ACEedu.aero.
About Able Flight, Inc.:
Able Flight’s mission is to offer people with disabilities a unique way to challenge themselves through flight and aviation career training, and by doing so, to gain greater self-confidence and self-reliance. Able Flight was created by pilots who believe that the life-changing experience of learning to fly is best shared, and designed the Able Flight Scholarships to enable people with disabilities to pursue that experience. Members of the Able Flight Board of Directors and Advisory Board include a flight instructor, an Aviation Medical Examiner, a veteran who flies his own plane with the aid of a prosthetic device, and a previous scholarship recipient. Able Flight™ is incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, and is supported by the generous donations and sponsorships of individuals, foundations and corporations.
Daher unveils the TBM 940
The new model TBM 940 will bring more automation in the cockpit to ease handling of the very fast turboprop aircraft with a smart and stylish cabin.
Check out the cool new improvements to an already great airplane.
Pompano Beach, Florida, USA, March 7, 2019 – Daher today introduced the latest version of its single-engine very fast turboprop aircraft – the TBM 940 – which sets new standards with the integration of an automated throttle and automatic deicing system, along with enhancements to style and ergonomic elements inside the cabin.
Succeeding the current TBM 930 as the upper-end product in Daher’s TBM family, the TBM 940 marks important steps forward in further upgrading aircraft performance, safety and comfort. The TBM 940’s launch was announced today during the Safety Seminar meeting of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA), held in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA.
“The TBM 940 redefines the ultimate private aircraft:
user-friendly, safe and efficient for both pilots and passengers,” said
Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of the Daher Airplane Business Unit.
“This newest TBM family member underscores our firm commitment to constant
improvement for the ownership and operational experience with our very fast
turboprop aircraft.”
One
key TBM 940 feature is its automated throttle – the first ever installed on a
standard production turboprop aircraft weighing less than 12,500 lbs. (5.7
metric tons). Fully integrated with the autopilot, this single power lever
autothrottle automatically adjusts the aircraft’s speeds based on the preset
flight profile – from climb-out to the landing approach.
In addition to reducing pilot workload, the autothrottle enables a TBM 940 to be operated to the edge of approved power regimes for its Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D turboprop engine, providing optimum performance and efficiency from the powerplant.
Engine parameters display is also simplified through an intuitive single smart gauge.
Also introduced on the TBM 940 is increased automation for the deicing system – another first in the TBM’s aircraft category. When icing or ice accretion is detected – and if the pilot does not take action – the system is automatically activated for deicing of the airframe, windshield, propeller and the engine’s particle separator. An amber CAS (Crew Alerting System) message is displayed by the avionics, advising the pilot to clear the automatic activation and revert to the manual control mode.
The automatic deicing protection and autothrottle are fully aligned with Daher’s e-copilot® strategy of introducing functionality for improved operational safety on the TBM product line.
Inside the TBM 940’s cabin, Daher has incorporated ergonomic and style upgrades that include redesigned seats, additional thermal insulation for the cabin sidewalls, a new central shelf with side storage, an additional 115V electrical outlet at the right rear seat panel, and USB ports (bringing the overall total of USB ports to six for passengers and three for the pilots).
The TBM 940 retains the same range and handling qualities that made Daher’s TBM 900 series a true success, with more than 267 aircraft in this product line delivered from the overall production to date for the very fast turboprop aircraft.
Certification of the TBM 940 by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to be received at Aero Friedrichshafen 2019, the largest European airshow for general aviation, allowing new aircraft deliveries late spring this year.