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Guest John Zimmerman is a Vice President at Sporty’s, one of the world’s oldest and largest pilot shops. They also offer gifts, memorabilia, apparel, models and other items for aviation enthusiasts through their Wright Brothers catalog. Sporty’s Flight Center includes Sporty’s Academy a Part 61 flight school that also provides a degree program in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati, Clermont College Professional Pilot Training Program.

We talk with John about last week’s National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting & Convention, iPad and tablet apps for aviators, flying the Robinson and R-44 helicopter, Air Facts journal, and more.

Follow Sporty’s on Twitter as @Sportys, the Air Facts journal as @airfacts, and John’s personal Twitter account, @JTZim.

The week’s aviation news:

• Hawker Beechcraft abandons business-jet market.
• Beechcraft Reveals Plans for New Turboprop, Piston Models.
• IS&S and EAI Announce Production Order for Eclipse 550 Flightdeck.
• HondaJet Production Line Starts Rolling Along.
• Airlines & Hurricane Sandy: What Do Airlines Owe Passengers Displaced By ‘Acts Of God’?.

In this week’s Australia Desk report:

Its QANTAS Annual General Meeting time again and its just the same news as the last three years…so we didn’t pay much attention to it! The big news of the week is that Virgin Australia have purchased 60% of Tiger Airways, giving them a low cost carrier of their own. This after Singapore Airlines bought 10% of Virgin Australia. The three way deal also sees Virgin looking to buy out regional carrier Sky West. In similar fashion, Air New Zealand have formed an alliance with Cathay Pacific which see the latter taking ANZ passenger to Europe beyond Hong Kong. This frees up ANZ aircraft to operate more flights into the USA instead.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net.

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

Etienne Maillard calls from Geneva in Switzerland to give us an update on GA and his progress as an Air Traffic Controller. Etienne can be found on Twitter as @Flightlevel150.

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

The Matterhorn by Etienne Maillard on his cross country flight.

Mentions:

• HGS Flight app for iPad, Head Up Guidance System from Rockwell Collins.
• Captains of the Clouds with James Cagney.
• From Vintage Wings of Canada: Hollywood and the RCAF go to War and Ghosts of Saskatchewan.
• Langley man guilty of pointing laser
• Laser aimed at B.C. helicopter a ‘real danger’
• Boeing Now Has A Missile That Destroys Only Electronics And Leaves All Else Intact
• This F-15 Aerial Dogfighting Video Was Shot Entirely By Pilots
• Avspecs Facebook page.
• Flying DH Mosquito KA114.
• A questionable way to avoid airline baggage-check fees

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

This episode is sponsored by: the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.