From The Editor: LSA, Turbines & ADS-B

Marc Lee extols the fun that an LSA provides, including backcountry and water flying adventures. He reviews the differences between sport-pilot and private pilot certificates, and gives an overview of the regulations and benefits offered by sport flying. He takes a look into the future of LSA, where the focus is on electric technology.

On the turbine end of the flying spectrum, Bill Cox reviews the largest single-engine turboprop, the Pilatus PC-12, and looks ahead at the Pilatus PC-24, which debuted in August 2014. While a turbine aircraft may get you "above the weather," you'll still need to contend with it on the way up and the way back down. John Hayes discusses weather tactics and safety in the flight levels.

We know that ADS-B and the 2020 FAA mandate have created some confusion for pilots. We're here to help! In our new column, Avionics Academy, longtime contributor John Ruley addresses the most common questions surrounding ADS-B and avionics. This month, he considers the usefulness of ADS-B Out. If you'd like clarification on a certain avionics topic, email your question to editor@planeandpilotmag.com.

With an ever-expanding selection of ADS-B solutions, the purchase choice can be a difficult one. Our comprehensive Buyer's Guide takes you through the options, so you can decide what's best for your airplane. We recently demoed the L-3 Lynx, one of the newest ADS-B units to hit the market. Wynbrandt gives the technical details of the split display and touch-screen NGT-9000.

For additional aviation adventures, head over to our blog. Our bloggers share new flying stories that aren't in the print magazine. The latest post by Marc Lee offers a new perspective on the freedom of flying, when he takes a young paraplegic woman flying in his open-cockpit Great Lakes biplane. To read the full post and more, visit www.planeandpilotmag.com/blog.