The Airmap 500 is the ideal size for yoke mounting. Screen display is high-density gray-scale monochrome.

by Larry Anglisano

While Garmin has dominated the portable GPS market with innovative products for the past decade, its current sole serious competition—Lowrance Avionics—is hardly a one-hit wonder. Lowrance’s presence in the portable aviation market dates back to the mid-1990s and its first aviation product, the AirMap, gave Garmin a run for the money in 1996 and spurred the Garmin 195 in response.

Lowrance has maintained a presence in the aviation, marine and recreational GPS market and its newest aviation product, the Airmap 500 portable, offers buyers some utility in all three segments. In keeping with past tradition, the Airmap 500 comes complete with everything you’ll need without having to purchase any…