Cockpit Accessories

We’re told that somewhere there’s an Israeli air tactics manual that contains the line, “Speed is life.” Good thinking for fighter pilots, but down here in the more mundane world of GA, it’s probably more appropriate to say, “Angle of attack is life.” AoA sensors in GA airplanes are as rare as $4 avgas, so we use airspeed as a proxy to get the right angle for approach and landing. One problem with airspeed is that most of us only know the right airspeed for gross weight at sea level on a standard day. If we’re light, we tend to come in fast and curse the floating landing that ensues. The other end of the problem is getting too slow, or pulling the plane into a high-g-loading stall far above the wings-level stalling speed. The result when at low altitude can be grisly.

There’s nothing wrong with a paper logbook. It’s simple, cheap and satisfying to use. But digital logbooks automatically back up, total your time for insurance, an 8710 or duty limits, and, if it’s on a mobile device, are always with you. We were shocked how many options there were for logging via an app, either as a standalone solution or paired with desktop versions. Luckily, a few solutions distinguished themselves from the pack. LogTen Pro exists both as an iOS logbook and a desktop program for the Mac. What we found impressive was that the iOS apps are almost as burly as the desktop version—better in some ways. The two obviously can synchronize, but it’s not necessary, especially with the big-screen interface of an iPad.

Several years ago at Oshkosh, we saw a unit called the Angel that was designed to add Bluetooth connectivity to a headset, complete with a full telephone keypad and music inputs. The product looked promising, but we never got one to test before the company vanished into the great aviation business abyss. The Angel was licensed and improved upon by the well-respected Headsets, Inc., of Amarillo, Texas, (who also acquired and now sells the DRE line of headsets). The reborn device is called the Lynx. It’s available as a $449 device to add Bluetooth and other features to your current headset, or for $599 you can get it mated up to the DRE 6001 ANR headset as a complete unit. Considering the DRE 6001 is normally $476 on its own, that has the makings of a pretty good deal.

Last month we dug into moving-map apps for the Android platform, but sometimes you just want a quick check of local weather on your phone to see if it’s worth a trip to the airport—or if it’s time to push the “no-go” button on your plans and go have a beer. We think the bare minimum for this would be METARs and TAFs—ideally presented graphically on a map with text details available—local NEXRAD and PIREPs. Armed with this ideal, we forayed into the Android Market and came up empty handed. That’s not saying there’s nothing out there. Here are our front-runners, so you don’t have to gamble your five dollars on which one does what.

Last month we dug into moving-map apps for the Android platform, but sometimes you just want a quick check of local weather on your phone to see if it’s worth a trip to the airport—or if it’s time to push the “no-go” button on your plans and go have a beer. We think the bare minimum for this would be METARs and TAFs—ideally presented graphically on a map with text details available—local NEXRAD and PIREPs. Armed with this ideal, we forayed into the Android Market and came up empty handed. That’s not saying there’s nothing out there. Here are our front-runners, so you don’t have to gamble your five dollars on which one does what.

An icon in the experimental market, Dynon Avionics has built a reputation for offering cutting-equipment that’s easy to install and widely compatible. Dynon’s value-based pricing is practically a smack in the face of the certificated world, where twice the price gets you half the capability. Skyview represents a fully integrated cockpit suite whose nearest equal is something at the G1000 level. Retrofits are fair game in nearly any LSA and experimental, and it’s a top seller for new LSA purchases.

In spring, I had a new Garmin GTN750 installed in my 1983 Mooney 201 and was amazed by the unit’s performance. The only thing missing was fuel management capability and as a result, I had the fuel flow option added to the existing EDM-700 and wired into the GTN. Since this was my first exposure to fuel flow monitoring, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of reliability and accuracy. And what I experienced in the field blew me away. I was expecting a reporting accuracy rate of perhaps 96 percent, but was pleasantly surprised to find the accuracy greater than 99 percent. At each fill-up, I compare the fuel loaded onboard with what the unit stated as actually having been used and the numbers are always within a few ounces.

I read your synopsis on our data in the cockpit; how discouraging. (See Aviation Consumer, December 2011.) May I ask a question and make a comment? First, I think I vaguely remember reading some time ago that a portion of the aviation fuel tax had been set aside and saved up to fund the NextGen system, and that these funds were diverted to other uses not even within aviation. Am I correct or mistaken on this, or did something similar to this happen?

While almost every sci-fi epic has us navigating our way around the galaxy by voice command, the reality of controlling computers by voice has been a bit less impressive. It’s not that it can’t be done, it’s that there are inevitably errors. When your iPhone turns “Call Bonnie Smith Home” into “Calling Ronnie Schmidt Home” before you stamp the “end call” button, that’s not such a big deal. Having your GPS misunderstand where you want to go would be something else entirely.

Touchscreen may be the top buzzword in avionics, but synthetic vision (SV) is right behind. Many pilots don’t know why they want synthetic vision, or even fully understand exactly what it is, yet the gee-whiz factor alone has made SV systems the most sought after upgrade we’ve seen in a while. Whether synthetic vision is worth the non-trivial expense depends on your mission and your ability to absorb a lot of overlapping data on small screen.

Now that the iPad has become the consumer electronics version of The Borg, powered along by hundreds of aviation apps, have we seen the last of the dedicated GPS portables? As we went to press this month, Garmin answered that with a new product called the aera 796. It was due to be rolled out at AOPA’s Summit event in Hartford, Connecticut.The aera 796 builds on some of the 696’s capabilities, sells in the same premium price range and, in our view, is clearly meant to blunt the onslaught of iPad apps that now do things you didn’t even realize you wanted, much less needed.

Leave it to German engineers to create solutions that add a layer of complexity. Case in point are new digital-process ANR headsets from audiophile manufacturers Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic, the S1 and the HS-800, respectively. Whether the bottom-line experience for the wearer is better or just different than top-notch analog headsets like the Bose A20 or Lightspeed Zulu is arguable. But in both cases the digital experience is impressive. They also comes bundled with a wealth of features that earn it elbowroom in the top tier.