VedaloHD has developed a new black Stritanium wrap frame that's named in honor of the current U.S. National Aerobatic Champion and air show performer Rob Holland. A portion of the proceeds from each pair of Rob Holland Special Edition sunglasses sold will go to Warrior Aviation's "Wings of Opportunity" program, which pledges to create opportunities for wounded warriors and their families. "I am extremely excited to launch this line of sunglasses with VedaloHD," said Rob Holland. "I fly a very high-performance show, and I require a high-performance pair of sunglasses. I'm thrilled that each pair sold will help Warrior Aviation and the amazing men and women that they serve." Visit www.vedalohd.com and www.warrioraviation.org.

Daher-Socata announced certification of the new seating and cabin configuration on its latest version of its turboprop aircraft, the TBM 850 Elite. The Elite's middle seats can be oriented in a forward-facing position, while the rear seats are removable. In about 30 minutes, the aircraft can be reconfigured in a four-seat cabin, increasing the luggage-volume capacity by three and doubling the maximum luggage weight. Customer delivery of the Elite equipped with the new seats will start immediately, and this cabin enhancement is being applied to all previously delivered 2012 TBM 850s. Visit www.tbm850.com.

J. Phil McCoy, CEO of Light Sport America (LSA), announced that LSA has reached an agreement to purchase the assets of Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR Storm Aircraft. Upon acquisition, the factory will be relocated to the U.S. LSA will offer four Storm models---the all-composite Storm Rally, Rally Amphibious, the all-metal Century with tricycle gear and a tail wheel version. McCoy forecasts the company will hire up to 70 workers the first year and, over the next three years, increase their workforce to more than 125. He expects to be in full production by late in the third quarter of 2012. Visit www.lightsportamerica.com.

Cessna Aircraft's Model 182 Skylane will now be available as the Turbo 182 NXT, equipped with a Safran-made SMA engine designed to run on Jet A aviation fuel. "The 230 horsepower Jet A engine offers customers increased range and greater payload capacity and doesn't sacrifice performance," said Jeff Umscheid, Cessna 182 business leader. "This plane offers significantly lower direct- operating costs due to the fact that Jet A fuel is typically more affordable and much more widely available." The Turbo 182 NXT burns 11 gallons of Jet A per hour, has an estimated max cruise speed of 155 knots and an estimated range at max cruise speed of 1,160 nm. Visit www.cessna.com.

Aspen Avionics has received TSO approval of Connected Pilot, the first in the series of the company's Connected Panel product line that provides a wireless link between certified instrument panel avionics and portable smart devices. FAA STC approval for Connected Pilot is imminent, so with TSO in hand, Aspen has begun production and shipment of Connected Pilot units. Connected Pilot is designed for Apple iOS mobile devices, such as iPads and iPhones, and is able to receive data from almost any panel-mounted GPS navigator. Additionally, Connected Pilot can enter and synchronize flight plans between Garmin GNS 400W/500W series navigators and Connected Panel Enabled flight-planning apps. Visit www.aspenavionics.com.

BRS Aerospace has partnered with US Aviation of Denton, Texas, to create a National Service Center that provides new installation, inspection, removal, replacement and repack services of its whole airframe parachute recovery systems. Services are provided for aircraft that include the Cessna 162, 172 and 182, the Symphony and all LSAs. "BRS Aerospace is constantly trying to focus on how to best reach and service our broad base of customers," said Boris Popov, founder of BRS. "In anticipation of the growing demand for installations and repacks, we decided to expand the capability of our well-proven technology by providing a satellite location at US Aviation." Visit www.ussportplanes.com and www.brsparachutes.com.

Industry veteran Jack J. Pelton, the former CEO of Cessna Aircraft, has joined the Board of Directors of Bye Aerospace. George Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace, said, "What an honor for our company to have such an accomplished professional of Jack's caliber join our board. He is truly one of the premiere executives of the general-aviation industry." Bye Aerospace recently announced the appointment of retired USAF Maj. Gen. Mason Whitney to its board and the selection of the Williams International FJ33-5A turbofan engine for its concept Silent Guardian solar-electric hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle. Visit www.byeaerospace.com.

BRP's Rotax 912 iS engines are now certified according to ASTM standards practice for design and manufacture of reciprocating spark ignition engines for light-sport aircraft. "Some of the aircraft OEMs are now installing the new Rotax 912 iS engine, which is an evolution of the proven Rotax 912 engine family. The new engine delivers 38% to 70% better fuel efficiency than comparable competitive engines in the light-sport, ultra-light and general-aviation industry," stated François Tremblay, Director, Rotax Aircraft Engines. Visit www.brp.com.

Mounting the Datatoys AV-HD Aircraft Camera System is a snap using the built-in two-inch LCD and one of the many camera mounts included in the system. A cigarette power-plug adapter allows 12V to 24V DC input from the aircraft, or use one of the two rechargeable Li-Ion batteries included with the AV-HD. Videos can be easily downloaded using the USB cable or straight from the SD card. Contact: www.banyanpilotshop.com.

Lise Lemeland, an aerobatic pilot as well as a painter, brings together her two passions in colorful oil paintings and works on paper and prints. Lemeland's patterned paintings combine cockpit views, aerobatic diagrams, aeronautical maps and airplanes, and have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her works are part of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's permanent collection. She also paints commissioned works for individual airplane owners. Enter Win This for a chance to win an original commissioned painting (24x18 inches mixed media on paper) customized to feature an airplane of your choice and an agreed-upon color scheme/sectional map. Contact: www.liselemeland.com.

The FC-1 Flight Companion is a new multifunctional electronics instrument that provides a variety of alerts to assist pilots with their cockpit-management functions. Capabilities include an altitude-alert system that alarms with a change of more than 100 feet (plus or minus) from a preset altitude, and a tank timer that provides a 30-minute tank countdown with an LED flash alert that the tank is being timed out. Contact: www.gca.aero and www.pca.aero.

The Instrument Flight Manual is written for the pilot desiring to add an instrument rating, as well as the instrument-rated pilot who needs a refresher. The 388-page book's five main sections cover airplane performance and basic instrument flying, navigation and communications, planning the instrument flight, the instrument flight and a syllabus for the instrument student and CFII. Numerous illustrations help visualization of the concepts. Contact: www.asa2fly.com.

Priceless Aviation Products have introduced a "transaxle" to their 701 model tugs, used by owners of small to medium aircraft. It allows the tug to turn freely and eliminates the need to pick up and reposition the tug to make tight turns. Another advantage is that it reduces the amount of wear on tires during usage. Contact: www.pricelessaviation.com.

King Schools has released two new Part 135 Recurrent online training courses. The King Part 135 Initial and Recurrent Pilot Training courses easily fit into a company's training package to address all the general knowledge requirements of FAR 135.345. These online courses significantly reduce the classroom time required to address the training requirements, freeing up time from the trainer and allowing pilots to meet requirements on their own schedule. Operators with many pilots also have the option to receive regular reports on completion status for their pilots. Contact: www.kingschools.com.