Cockpit Accessories

Since tablets, smartphones and portable ADS-B units are integral to our flying, USB charging devices have become necessary inflight accessories. You could carry along a portable USB power supply, but if youre like us, you might forget to recharge it-if you can remember where you left it. Both Guardian Avionics and True Blue Power (from Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics) have the most complete line of panel-mounted USB power supplies engineered specifically for installation in aircraft.

However skilled (or not) general aviation pilots are, they have proven consistently good at one thing: losing control of airplanes and digging smoking craters in the verdant earth. The reasons arent necessarily understood but the solution is becoming increasingly laser focused on providing autopilots that wont let you crash, but will nudge and prod and do everything short of seizing control of the aircraft. Except now, theyre even doing that.The latest comes from Daher in the companys new TBM 930 cabin-class speed merchant.

Admit it. Despite your protestations to the contrary, youve lusted in your heart for an old airplane. It may be a classic such as a postwar Piper J-3 Cub-well use EAAs classic definition of aircraft built from September 1, 1945, through the end of 1955-an antique such as a Beech 18 or one of the many Wacos, or-yes, you know you want it-a warbird. Believe it or not, ownership of a classic, antique or warbird (CAW) isn’t as esoteric or unreachable as you may think.

None of the lights needed battery replacement, but since our use was spread out among several lights, we didnt expect to. We continued to like the S&Ws intuitive and simple buttons, plus the ability to conserve power by shutting down LEDs (three dual-mode LEDs and 10 single-mode LEDs). For a AAA-powered light, we think the $39.95 price (with holster) is a solid buy. Worth mentioning is the model used in our January 2011 review recently suffered a broken switch.

The widespread availability, and use, of inexpensive pulse oximeters opened the eyes of many in the aviation community to what the aeromedical folks have been telling us for years: The FARs on oxygen give a false sense of security to pilots. Pilots who are in full compliance with the regs are often oxygen-deprived to a level that adversely affects their ability to operate the airplane. The good news is that there are a number of reasonably priced, high-quality portable oxygen systems to help protect yourself against hypoxia and make your flights safer and more comfortable.

These days, we strut to the airfield armed with a tablet computer loaded with electronic charts, plus a handful of other small gadgets that might get lost in the bottom of a large flight bag. The solution? Downsize the bag, and there are plenty of aviation-specific solutions for doing so. Partly for my own amusement, but mostly with your budget money in mind, I collected several totes that wont hog valuable cabin space, but are smartly designed to tame the clutter of modern gadgetry. Heres the summary.

When action cams became popular for aviation five years ago, mounting them inside or outside the cockpit was a challenge unmet. Not anymore. The sports cam aftermarket has devised dozens of ways to mount cameras just about anywhere. We gathered up a gaggle of these mounts and put them to the test. While some are better than others, we found there’s a competent mount for every purpose.

Irvine, California-based Masimo is the leading manufacturer of hospital pulse oximeters and the MightySat trickles down from high-end clinical instruments. Using patented technology it calls Signal Extraction Technology (SET), the MightySat fingertip device uses five parallel signal processing engines that Masimo says results in more accurate readings. This helps counteract undesirable sampling conditions pilots face in the cockpit-including hand movements (shaking and vibration) and low blood flow (low perfusion) when the fingers are cold.

With roughly three years until the ADS-B mandate hits, a new breed of multifunction transponders is making equipage easier than ever. But with a market flooded with choices (including lesser equipped first-generation models), the buying decision can be overwhelming. Moreover, tablet app compatibility and cockpit wireless networking add to the delirium. In this article, we answer your call for an overview of ADS-B-compliant transponders and tips for selecting the right one for your mission and avionics suite.

If its every pilots sacred duty to upload aviation videos to YouTube to offset a criminal surplus of cat coverage, Garmin and GoPro are ready to deal. Just as we go to press this month, both companies have introduced new action cameras suitable for in-cockpit shooting and outside shots of aircraft in flight. The good news? Usability is up and prices are down and the accessory market is soon to go into frenzied overdrive on the off chance that you cant find just the right gadget for the shot you want.

On paper, Faro Aviations $689 flagship G3 ANR headset hits all of the required high points to go the distance. Its lightweight, loaded with features and has a good warranty. We flew with the G3 Carbon for a few months to see how it compared with the rest of the models in our long-term evaluation pool of ANR models. Heres a summary.

For those who worry about the legalities, the FAA has recently relaxed restrictions on semi-permanent cockpit mounts for tablets, even products that require a sizable panel hole, wiring or plumbing for cooling. These are generally considered minor modifications and although they require logbook entries, they may not require further documentation.