Delphi’s SkyFi receiver is the most popular XM receiver. It sells for about $129, plus accessories.

by Tom Gresham

Somewhere around the 200-hour mark, most pilots pass the point where it’s enough to just be in the air and they start thinking about creature comforts. High on the option list is in-flight entertainment in the form of music.

Clearly, scratchy AM radio beaming Rush or the farm report through the ADF (remember them?) won’t do. While FM stations have better fidelity and selection, a Bonanza driver on a cross-country trip must re-tune constantly as stations come into and move out of reception range. Tape, CD and even MP3 players have been used and remain popular (okay, maybe not cassette players) but the killer app in in-flight entertainment has…