Mark your calendar - the first Dog Days of Summer event is coming up on May 4 at Sporty’s. Join us at the Sporty's/Clermont County Airport (I69) for a seminar, cookout, and in-store only specials. It's a fun and relaxed day at the airport.

In an industry famous for its ridiculous acronyms, ADS-B stands out for being uniquely confusing. Lots of pilots use the term, but not everyone really knows what it means. And who can blame them - it’s incredibly complicated. So what is ADS-B? Why should you care about it? Can you just ignore it? No. While ADS-B may be confusing, it’s probably the most important technological change you will have to deal with as a pilot over the next two decades. So it's worth the effort to learn this new language.

If you're shopping for a mount or kneeboard you'll quickly have to answer the question, "which iPad do I have?" It's not as simple as it might sound, so if you're not sure which model you have, you're not alone. Please note that we loathe the naming convention Apple has chosen for the iPads as much as you do. It’s difficult to be sure which iPad you have but if you need to look that information up here’s how you do so.

Technology often moves in waves: a new idea progresses from cutting edge to mainstream to outdated, often in the span of a few years. That’s certainly true when it comes to how pilots watch Sporty’s courses. Here are the trends we’re watching.

Performance + Durability = Game Changer

We first arrived in the Iraqi desert early in 2004. The invasion dubbed “shock and awe” happened in 2003, so our battalion was part of the rebuilding phase. This was well before all the fancy armored vehicles appeared in theater. The “armor” on our trucks and humvees consisted of sheet metal we cut via torch and welded together. This armor “worked” for bullets, but not so much for IEDs. We would later learn the hard way that the IEDs were a much larger threat.

For pilots looking to clean up cockpit clutter without sacrificing premium features and performance, the cable-free convenience of Tango is the answer. The first premium wireless aviation headset, Tango delivers outstanding noise cancellation and renowned Lightspeed comfort, in addition to full Bluetooth integration and a brilliantly conceived user interface.

The first big aviation event of the year is about to kick off, and Sporty's will be there in a big way. The annual Sun 'n Fun Fly-in, which takes place in sunny Lakeland, Florida, runs from April 2-7 this year. Stop by Sporty's big tent - just outside Hangar A on the main ramp - for new products, interactive demos, product experts, and much more.

The Sporty’s Foundation issued its most recent annual report this week, detailing activities during 2018. The philanthropic arm of Sporty's Pilot Shop made bequests of over $225,000 in 2018 to fulfill its goal to attract young people to the aviation community both as a career and a lifestyle. The Foundation also supports organizations and museums that preserve the rich history of aviation for future generations. 

Gearcreep: When stuff is left laying around and starts getting in the way of important tasks.

For anyone who has kids, gearcreep is a daily adventure. Books, bags, lunchboxes, one blue sock, and clarinet reeds somehow can’t cross the forcefield that is found approximately 10 feet inside my front door. Eventually, the forcefield can’t hold back the massive piles of junk and the gear starts creeping across the floor, only to be found at 2 am while stumbling down the hall to the bathroom.

Sporty’s Founder shares his regret at not wearing headsets

I’ve been flying for over 50 years, in everything from single engine Pipers to twin engine jets. But for the first 30 years of my flying career, those flights did not involve an aviation headset. Communicating with Air Traffic Control meant listening to a scratchy cabin speaker over the roar of the engines, and then, if I was lucky enough to understand the instructions, replying with a hand-held microphone.