Datalink weather potential is intriguing. Avi- ûdyne EX5000 automatically fetches weather ûalong the flightplan route and displays it rel- ûative to planned route.

The world of general aviation is full of surprises and mysteries, none more baffling than why so many companies want to get into the business of aircraft datalink. Don’t get us wrong, we think it’s a terrific idea and we hope it takes off. Having NEXRAD radar images available at the touch of a key is an undeniable safety enhancer.

But at last count, there were at least 10 proposed providers of this service, each of which purports to be better than the other guy’s offering. We won’t be surprised to see another datalink product or service emerging before the end of the year. …