If you fly one of the vast majority of general aviation aircraft, you can legally operate over any of the waters in and around the U.S. without any sort of flotation device aboard. The requirement to carry survival equipment for operations over water more than 50 miles from land set out in FAR 91.509 only applies to airplanes weighing over 12,500 pounds and turbojets. We bugsmasher operators don’t have to carry so much as a set of water wings.
If youre looking for Bluetooth connectivity for entertainment and tablet app interface, you don’t have to spend big on a major audio system upgrade. Consider that a full-up GMA350c audio panel interface could easily top $5000 for an average installation. Thats a hefty price to pay for Bluetooth connectivity. As an alternative, you might try connecting your devices through a Bluetooth headset, including the updated Bose A20. While the enhanced A20 isn’t a new model (it was introduced five years ago), the set now gets the Bluetooth capability the market expects-including wireless music streaming. The only way to listen to music with the previous version was to plug it in via stereo patch cable. Unchanged is the A20s 12-ounce top end, including its fit, finish, ANR audio performance and comfort. New to the A20 is a redesigned control module, which requires swapping the interface cord (also called the downcable.) The downcable also has a new microphone in favor of an improved and more adjustable one, which can be attached to either earcup.
The idea of the push-pull twin makes such fundamental sense that it has been applied to aircraft designs in one form or another for nearly 100 years and in literally dozens of models youve never even heard of. Back in 2005, Adam Aircraft tried the idea again with the A500 push-pull piston twin. Like many before it, it failed more by market reality than by a fundamental flaw in the idea.
The concept of a wireless cockpit-pushing flight plan data from a tablet app to certified avionics, to name one capability-is supposed to curtail the task of programming a panel GPS. I think Garmins Flight Stream Connect wireless network, via its Pilot tablet app, succeeds in doing that, but doesnt eliminate all of the workload, which is a good thing. That was my impression after Garmins Jessica Koss demonstrated the Flight Stream and ADS-B interface as we flew in the company Cirrus in the Northeast airspace, pictured to the right.
From left to right, above: The D2 Bravo watch has an electronic HSI display, which is based on GPS track data. Its an awkward way to navigate, in our estimation, but whatever works for backup, right? Perhaps more useful is the display of textual METAR data, which is sent to the watch from Garmins Pilot tablet app. The waypoint page is useful for quickly identifying navigation data to nearest waypoints. Finally, the Bravo offers some of the same athletic functions as the Forerunner sports watch, but the Forerunner is better packaged for extreme sports.
Before full-size tablet computers made their way to the cockpit, the Adventure Pilot iFly 700 GPS navigator earned respect as a capable big-screen chart reader. As a bonus, the iFly tablet could serve double-duty as a portable GPS. But there was one problem: Garmin. It dominated the market by rolling out model after model of portable navigators, including the aera series and eventually, the GPS696, which is still in the lineup today.
I always enjoy reading Aviation Consumer, and it was nice to see the article on survival kits in your February 2015 issue. I wont pick the article apart and go into what should have been included, but it would be nice to see future articles on survival kits for different geographical regions, such as the tropics, the desert and so forth because each area has its own challenges.
While Avidynes IFD540 plug-and-play GPS navigator is opening the flood gates for removed Garmin GNS530W systems, don’t look for steal deals. Private sellers and reputable retailers-which we define as established avionics shops with Garmin and Avidyne dealerships-sell the units for $8000-$9000, on average. This price should include a mounting rack, connector kit, connector backplate and GPS antenna. It likely wont include a navigational indicator, the preferred standalone choice being Garmins GI106A. Its a high-quality OBS resolver-style indicator equipped with integral nav source mode annunciation. Add $2500, on average, to the project for a new one, although there are some on the used market for a bit less. The King KI209A indicator will work, too. The KI209A is often paired with the BendixKing KX155A/KLN-series GPS package found in early 2000-vintage Cessnas and in some later Piper models. Most analog and electronic HSI systems will work, too. Use caution, however, with Sandel SN3308 EHSI displays that have older software. Budget $2000 to have it upgraded so it can display the WAAS GPS glideslope signal from a GNS530W/430W.
As much as we like the ForeFlight Mobil app for iPad, weve been waiting for more advanced features that make better use of the iPads processing horsepower. The short list included synthetic vision and a better HSI presentation. Thats just what ForeFlight has done with the latest version 6.6 upgrade. It includes intelligent, next-gen synthetic vision that we think betters aging certified displays.
With increasing disenchantment with Apples market dominance and high-cost accessories, some pilots have been asking the $500 question: Is Samsungs mid-sized Galaxy Tab S 8.4 good enough to ditch the iPad once and for all? In evaluating new navigation apps for Android we were impressed with the Galaxy tablet, and the more we used it in a variety of cockpits, the more we preferred it over the original iPad mini.
The chassis dimensions speak for themselves. The Galaxy Tab S, right, is slightly longer, narrower and thinner than the iPad mini 3, left. That makes the iPad slightly better for viewing approach plates, in our view. Notice the fewer main menu icons on the Galaxy thats running Garmins Pilot mobile app? Thats because Garmins Android version of the app doesnt support synthetic vision, terrain/obstacle alerting and static maps. It wont display traffic alerts, but it will display ADS-B traffic targets. Also missing is chart annotation capability-thats where you can scribble notes and draw on a georeferenced approach chart.
I just read with much interest your review of the Beech 35 series in the November 2014 issue of Aviation Consumer. My family and I owned an A35 for 10 years (thats it in the lower photo), having sold it for upgrade to an A36. I tend to agree with most of your points, with a few exceptions and critical points you left out.
