The Biesuz family (Val, Pedro and Eloy) show off their new artwork, "Spirit of St. Louis" and "Spruce Goose" from the Martin-Young Aviation Collection.

Banyan Air Service and Steven F. Greenwald Design, Inc. have teamed up to provide an aviation art display in Banyan’s lobby.

“We are always looking for unique and interesting displays for our spacious lobby,” says Nancy Bouvier, Banyan’s director of marketing.  “We like to keep it interesting for our customers and have had a variety of displays including boats, golf carts, cars, paddle boards, and now aviation art.”

The display includes The Martin-Young Aviation Collection created by artists Frank Martin and Judeen Young.  They have fused their award-winning artistic techniques to create an aviation art collection ranging from the evolution of flight and classic military aircraft to today’s latest commercial and general aviation aircraft.  Their unique skills combine to form a hybrid collaboration of abstract paintings and collage techniques.

Mr. and Mrs. Eloy Biesuz and their son, Pedro, stopped to look at the artwork in the lobby and purchased two pieces to take home to Brazil on their Lear 45.  “We liked the subject matter and the aircraft featured in the artwork and thought they would make a great addition to our office.  We get nice comments about the uniqueness and the bright colors,” said Mr. Biesuz.

The Steven F. Greenwald Design aviation art display will remain in Banyan’s lobby until the end of November.  Pieces can be purchased right from the lobby display, on-line at BanyanPilotShop.com/art or in Banyan’s Pilot Shop.  The Pilot Shop is located at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport next to Banyan’s FBO terminal and is open 7 days a week.  The store carries a wide selection of The Martin-Young Aviation Art Collection and offers assistance on customized orders; including specific aircraft, different sizes and framing options.  World-wide shipping is also available.  For more information, contact: dgreene@banyanair.com.

Steven Greenwald Design, Inc. has been providing art, consulting, and framing services since 1983.  Their 6500 square foot Ft. Lauderdale gallery and custom framing studio houses a complete art gallery and a state of the art production facility.  The Martin-Young Aviation Collection is quickly becoming well known as the most contemporary and comprehensive aviation art collection in today’s market.  Martin-Young and SFGD have completed special projects for many aviation and aerospace corporations.  For more information, visit www.theartofaircraft.com

George Tucker - Director of Banyan Pilot Shop

George Tucker recently joined Banyan Air Service as the Director of Banyan Pilot Shop.  He is responsible for the leadership and growth of the Pilot Shop and banyanpilotshop.com including marketing strategy, supply chain, inventory and management.

“We are excited that George has joined the Banyan team.  Given his extensive background in e-commerce and on-line marketing, we anticipate that he will increase our market share through new relationships and increase revenue streams,” says Don Campion, President of Banyan Air Service.

George previously worked at Envisia Group for seven years promoting health and beauty products and has managed advertising budgets in excel of $1.5 million annually.  Before Envisia, he was a copywriter at MLA Consult Inc.  George earned a Master’s degree in creative writing from Florida International University and has taught college composition courses. He is an accomplished fiction writer, has won multiple national awards and was nominated for an American literary prize by Pushcart Press.

“I’m thrilled to put my skills to work in the aviation industry.  Very few niches are as technologically advanced as aviation electronics.  What’s even more thrilling is that banyanpilotshop.com offers the same great products as our physical store, but on a global level,” says Tucker.

Banyan Pilot Shop is located at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and is one of the largest aviation stores in the nation.  It offers pilot supplies, a large selection of headsets, safety gear, training materials, charts, apparel, children’s items, radio controlled aircraft, and everything a pilot or aviation enthusiast needs or wants.  The store also features a Gulfstream II fuselage equipped with flight simulator software and an electronic tower featuring a wide variety of portable aviation electronics.  The store is open seven days a week. For more information, visit www.banyanair.com/pilotshop.

One Size Fits All?

Selling products where size, fit and comfort are critical elements in the purchasing process is a challenge many e-tailers face every day. In many cases, including shoes and clothing, a person may know the specific size or size range they require — but what about the products that don’t have a specific size? Products where satisfaction is based almost entirely on comfort and fit? What is a product that has these requirements?

Aviation Headsets

For many pilots, their headset is the most important tool in their flight bag. A good aviation headset can be the difference between a great flight or a miserable one. And what makes a “good” aviation headset is based entirely on the individual and not necessarily the technology. Anyone who has flown a cross country wearing a headset with more clamping pressure than their head requires can surely relate. Those are the headaches we will one day tell our grandchildren about.

Now, before I get any negative feedback regarding my “technology” comment, let me say that the two most technically advanced aviation headsets on the market rarely get returned because of a comfort or fit issue. These are the Bose® a20™ and the Lightspeed Zulu.2 aviation headsets. These headsets rely primarily on state-of-the-art sound cancelling and filtering technology rather than clamping pressure to eliminate cockpit noise. Low pressure and their super soft ear seals make these headsets arguably the most comfortable on the planet.

Perfect Fit Program

Banyan Pilot Shop’s online store, www.BanyanPilotShop.net, has come up with a program that eases the anxiety and potential stress that may come from purchasing a headset from a website. It’s called the Perfect Fit Program and here’s how it works: Purchase a new headset from their online store and if, for any reason, you’re not absolutely thrilled with it, return it and tell them what you’d like to try instead – as many times as you want until you find your Perfect Fit (see image below taken from the Banyan Pilot Shop website).

The Perfect Fit Program gives pilots peace of mind when purchasing a headset online and will free them up to worry about more important things – like which airport to fly to for lunch!

 Garmin, the world’s leading provider of GPS equipment, announced their latest shot in the GPS wars. The all-new Garmin GLO is a small gray box that serves as a GPS accessible via a Bluetooth-enabled iPhone or iPad (okay, Android devices, too). This $99 device enables pilots and drivers to keep track of their position without the hassle of adding another screen. The GLO is Apple approved to work with its products.

Interestingly, the GLO uses not only GPS satellites but also the Russian version of GPS called GLONASS — an additional 24 location beacons. This provides rapid location, 20% faster than competing devices. Position updates 10 times per second seems excessive but will certainly be popular for performance junkies. Overall, the additional satellite coverage means more robust positioning.

The GLO’s internal battery lasts for 12 hours, or it can run off ship power (cable included in the aviation bundle).

The real brain behind the Garmin GLO is the very popular Garmin Pilot app. Garmin Pilot is an incredibly powerful piece of kit that enables:

• weather reporting
• plan and file flight plans
• navigation assistance
• electronic flight bag (fewer pieces of paper to blow away when you open the door)
• IFR high and low enroute charts
• VFR sectionals
• Garmin FliteCharts
• SafeTaxi diagrams for unfamiliar airports

The GLO Aviation package comes with a 6-month subscription to Garmin Pilot, as well as a mount, power cable and USB cable. The aviation package MSRP: $139. Garmin Pilot costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 for a year’s subscription. Online reviews of the Garmin Pilot app are unfavorable compared to ForeFlight. Hopefully Garmin will take some cues from the competition and iron out the bugs in their app. Even without the software, the GLO is a handy little device.

The GLO seems targeted toward the Dual XGPS150A iPad GPS device that’s proven so wildly popular among pilots in the general aviation community. Like the Dual, the GLO is Bluetooth compatible, easily portable, and runs off battery power or ship power. The GLO is an interesting direction for Garmin.

Clearly Garmin has taken another step toward surrendering the user interface battle. Why would anyone who has ever held an iPad want any other touch-screen interface? Pilots love iPads and Garmin is feeling the heat from the tablet market. The GLO, at $129 for the aviation package, is 20 times less expensive than the top-of-the-line Garmin 796. There’s no reason for Garmin to offer this low-cost entry into their line of avionics products — no reason other than to capture sales from pilots who already have traded in their flight bag for an iPad.

Very few want another gadget to add to the collection they’re already schlepping into the cockpit. But the Garmin GLO is small enough that you can almost forget about it — just make sure it’s mounted somewhere you can confirm the power light is on and you’re good to go. The pricepoint makes the last-generation Garmin GPS devices look excessively priced — for less than $1000 you can buy an iPad bundled with a GLO plus aviation accessories. This is an aggressive stance for a manufacturer that’s focused so fanatically on its own devices complete with touch screen, its own user interfaces. Is Garmin giving up the UI struggle with Apple’s iPad? Only the sales numbers will determine the winner of this struggle.

The Garmin GDL 39 combines a dual-link ADS-B (Automatic Dependant Surveillance Broadcast) receiver and GPS into a single unit. Now you can get ADS-B datalink traffic, weather and GPS positioning from a single portable device. The cost conscious will be happy to hear that weather service is subscription-free.

The GDL-39 is an ADS-B In device, which outputs to a Garmin portable or any mobile device running Garmin Pilot. The GDL-39 is compatible with:

1. aera 796-795
2. aera 500 series GPS
3. GPSMAP 696/695
4. G3X experimental flight display
5. output via Bluetooth to Garmin Pilot app-compatible devices (including the iPad!)

Integration with other Garmin devices is pending. Specifically, Garmin anticipates integration with the G1000 avionics suite in January 2014.

The GTX 330 and 33ES transponder units must have their firmware upgraded by Garmin to receive traffic. Contact an authorized Garmin dealer for assistance.

Comprehensive Weather Information

The Garmin GLD-39 uses ADS-B input technology to receive free Flight Information Service Broadcasts (FIS-B) from the FAA-maintained 978 MHz Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) uplink. The following information is at your fingertips:

1. animated NEXRAD radar (5-12 minute sweep depending on radar)
2. METARs
3. TAFs
4. winds and temperatures aloft
5. PIREPs
6. NOTAMs
7. And more!

You get comprehensive weather information at a glance. Keep in mind that FIS-B is delivered line-of-sight by ADS-B antennae. Here is a map of current coverage:

These antennae work by line-of-sight — meaning, in some cases, you have to take off to position yourself within the LOS of an antenna. Furthermore, proximity to an antenna gives you a clearer, higher-resolution weather map. Aircraft equipped with ADS-B Out devices pass on information to other aircraft within range automatically so it is possible to get weather information in this manner.

ADS-B In and Out

The Garmin GDL-39 supports ADS-B In only information. This provides weather and traffic information but is limited by the ADS-B antenna coverage pictured above.

For best results, combine the GDL-39 with an ADS-B Out device. This provides more accurate traffic information as well as better weather information. In the event that your cockpit contains multiple ADS-B reception devices, the GDL-39 assesses information integrity and displays the most complete data to the pilot.

The GLD-39 receives ADS-B In signals on both available frequencies (978 UAT and 1090 ES).

Garmin GDL-39 vs. Zaon

The GDL-39 seems to be a direct head-to-head competitor with Zaon’s collision warning devices. In this head-to-head comparison, the Garmin wins in the display category. The GDL-39 offers more features (especially if you have ADS-B In/Out capability): weather, traffic and GPS.

However, the Zaon devices are much simpler, and deliver critical positioning information. Furthermore, Zaon devices don’t depend on ADS-B output of other aircraft. Instead, Zaon uses XM satellite coverage. On the downsite, word around the pilot shop is that the Zaon tracks a limited number of targets and defaults to closest targets. We’ve heard complaints of false alarms, too. (And there’s no iPad support, if you’re into that kind of thing).

Some pilots prefer an uncluttered, single-output device to juggling multiple inputs from the same device. For those of you who have trouble multi-tasking on your iPad, a Zaon MRX Collision Avoidance System ($500) may be a better choice.

On the other hand, the GDL-39 definitely helps to provide a clearer picture of the skies all around.

Spot traffic threats

The GDL-39 alerts the pilot with both visual and verbal signals when new aircraft are detected. Your unit alerts you with the spoken words, “Traffic, traffic” to get your eyes on the display right away. The Garmin display technology assesses data integrity from both ADS-B frequencies and displays the most accurate data. This cuts down on ghosts, duplicate targets and other false alarms.

GDL-39 GPS capabilities

The Garmin GDL-39 contains a WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) receiver for GPS location services. Garmin has been the #1 name in GPS technology for over 20 years. Since the company’s founding in 1989, Garmin has based its reputation on the delivery of fast, robust and error-free navigation information. The GDL-39 is no disappointment in this arena.

Two GDL-39′s To Choose From

Garmin GDL 39 for Garmin Portable Units
Garmin GDL 39 for iPad, iPhone, and Android Devices

Learn about Avfuel’s AVTRIP rewards program and you might even win a very cool looking Avfuel branded Lockheed Sirius 8A model airplane.

AVTRIP Challenge

Banyan Pilot Shop Customer Appreciation Day

Banyan Pilot Shop located at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport will host its sixth annual customer appreciation day, Saturday, April 7, 2012 from 11 am – 2 pm rain or shine.  There will be hot dogs, hamburgers, prize drawings, kid’s activities, special sales, product demonstrations and aircraft on display.

“It’s a fun day for aviation professionals, enthusiasts and families,” says Roberto Mejias, Banyan Pilot Shop Store Manager. “The store’s parking lot will be blocked off and filled with exhibitors, food areas, and activities.  Entertainment will be provided by Crazy Eddie and Variety Entertainment; including, face painting, bounce house, giant slide, basketball game, and a driving game.”

This year’s exhibitors include Airborne Systems, Angel Flight, Dare to Dream, Flight Life Apparel, Florida Helicopters, Florida Aero Club, Key West Properties, Pilots N’ Paws, Steven F. Greenwald Design, Inc., and Women in Aviation. In addition, the EAA Ford Tri-Motor aircraft will be offering rides for $75 per person and aircraft on display will include; a Cessna Skycatcher, Diamond DA-42, and a Robinson R22 helicopter.  Charlie and Donna Rogers from Survival Products Inc. will provide a demonstration on safety equipment.

While most of the activities will be outside, the store will also be busy with in-store sales from 20% – 50% on various items, such as, clothing, toys, watches, sunglasses, and framed artwork.

Crazy Eddie

At the end of the event, drawings will be held for numerous items, such as, Torgeon watches, Oakley, Serengeti and Bushnell Sunglasses, Avfuel items, discovery flights, Garmin items, a Telex Airman 850 headset and more.  Children up to 15 years old can enter special drawings for a Blade MCX helicopter, kite, airplane kit and other prizes.

Banyan Pilot Shop is one of the largest aviation stores in the country that offers pilot supplies, a large selection of headsets, safety gear, training materials, charts, apparel, children’s items, radio controlled aircraft, and everything a pilot or aviation enthusiast needs or wants.

Unique features of the store include a Gulfstream II fuselage equipped with flight simulator software, an electronics tower featuring a wide variety of portable aviation electronics, an entryway featuring a compass rose inlaid in the floor, propellers that just out from the wall and runway lighting that sets off runway 13-31 down the center of the store.  The store is open Monday through Friday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.  In addition, www.BanyanPilotShop.net offers on-line shopping, international shipping and various payment options including Paypal.  For more information about the event, visit www.banyanair.com/cad.

The highly anticipated aera 796 and 795 portable units have arrived and are on display in the Electronics Tower of Banyan Pilot Shop. Stop in to see and feel for yourself how Garmin has once again set the bar high in the world of portable aviation navigation.

The Garmin aera 796 incorporates the popular features of the Garmin 696, while also adding new capabilities such as a touchscreen user interface, pilot-selectable screen orientation and 3D Vision (synthetic vision). The 796 may be qualified for use as either a Class I or Class II Electronic Flight Bag (EFB). Geo-referenced IFR Enroute charts and VFR Sectional charts come pre-loaded, and the Garmin 796 also includes geo-referenced Garmin FliteCharts, an electronic version of the AeroNav U.S. Terminal Procedures Publication. Other new features include a built-in digital document viewer that enables the pilot to load and view PDF documents, JPEG photos, and many other electronically formatted materials including checklists and detailed performance/procedural data from the aircraft flight manual. There is also a convenient scratch pad for writing down clearances or other important notes.

The Garmin aera 795 has the same features and functionality as the aera 796 minus the XM satellite weather. The 795 is available in three versions: Americas, Atlantic and Pacific.

Both the aera 796 and 795 will be available to the public sometime in mid-October, 2011. If you know you’re going to want one of these units when they arrive, it’s strongly recommended that you pre-order your unit in the store or at www.BanyanPilotShop.net.

If you cannot make it into Banyan Pilot Shop to play with these units for yourself, check out these online videos:

Garmin aera 796 in-flight video and iPad comparison

Cobham now offers a smaller, lightweight and more affordable PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). The ACR ResQLink PLB activates easily with a simple deploy antenna and press “ON” button. It is water proof and comes with an optional flotation pouch. It has two handy self-test options for internal electronics and GPS functionality and it is small enough to fit in your pocket or backpack.

Before heading out on your next flight to the Islands, stop by Pilot Shop and get yours today.

Did you ever wonder how we named the pilot shop Hangar63 (Banyan’s Aviation Store) or wonder why our on-line store is TropicAero.com instead of BanyanPilotShop.com?

Here’s why:

In 1979, Banyan started by providing FBO services and maintenance.  At that time, the Banyan aviation complex consisted of several t-hangars with owners who enjoyed doing their own maintenance.  They would visit Banyan’s maintenance department and ask for wire, oil, spark plugs, and nuts and bolts.  Since Banyan has always believed in providing excellent customer service, these customers were always graciously helped, even though tracking down parts for walk-in customers took time away from Banyan maintenance jobs.

We realized that we needed a little shop away from the maintenance department where we could accommodate the do-it-yourselfers and provide parts and research special orders for our customers.  As a result, in 1989 The Parts Mart was started.

Customers continually asked for more and more pilot supplies, such as maps and accessories and so we began to carry additional items.  Our product offerings grew and eventually we changed our name to Banyan Parts Mart & Pilot Shop to reflect our increased product lines.

In 2007, the Banyan Pilot Shop relocated next door to the new Banyan FBO.  With the plans to make the store a unique aviation experience, it was felt that being called a Pilot Shop was too limiting.  So Hangar63 (Banyan’s Aviation Store) was the answer.  This name change was done to appeal to a larger market segment.  Passengers waiting for flights might not want to visit a pilot shop, but an aviation store with a larger variety of products would appeal to many people, not just pilots.

Also to add to our capabilities, in July 2007, Banyan acquired TropicAero.com.  With this addition, we could now offer a mail-order catalog and on-line store to our customers.

August 2011, Hangar63 (Banyan’s Aviation Store) will be renamed to Banyan Pilot Shop and TropicAero.com will be renamed to www.Banyanpilotshop.net.

This is being done to take advantage of the strength of the Banyan brand.   Customer feedback tells us that having 3 different names and logos (Banyan, Hangar63 and TropicAero.com) is confusing.  They also tell us that the Banyan name is well known and that we should use it to promote both the retail and on-line store.

This makes sense for so many reasons.  First, when people call Hangar63, they immediate ask if they have the Pilot Shop.  Second, advertising will be much easier now that we have our retail store and on-line store named the same.  Third, we’ve felt in our heart that although our store is amazing and offers so much, that in fact it is what it is and that is a Pilot Shop.

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