Utility. It’s all about utility. That’s why we buy any airplane when we don’t do it purely for fun. We want to go places, we want to go fast and we want to go when we want to go. We buy speed. We work our whatsis off to get an instrument rating and pay tens […]
The STC list for Dynon’s HDX Certified avionics has been slowly growing and now includes the Piper PA-34 Seneca series twins. Other than the HDX’s expansion into twin applications, what’s significant is the autopilot that’s embedded within the HDX suite. Like other twins, the majority of aging Piper Senecas have aging autopilots—mainly Piper/Century systems that […]
The majority of us need USB chargers in the cabin and the ones that plug into the lighter or accessory socket are a roll of the dice. Many users report that cheap ones work just fine, but others say they induce so much noise into the audio system they’re virtually useless. In some cases it […]
In the last decade as inexpensive, accurate pulse oximeters came on the market and pilots put them into widespread use, they provided firsthand evidence to confirm what medical professionals had been saying for more than 50 years: The Federal Aviation Regulation concerning supplementary oxygen use in flight—91.211—is hopelessly inadequate to protect pilots and passengers from […]
Garmin has saturated the market with a long list of sports watches and the latest platform to serve double duty as a smart/ aviator watch is the D2 Air. Priced at $499, we think the Air is a welcome addition to the D2 series watch line. It has a lower profile and straightforward feature set, […]
We pilots must be nuts. We willingly strap ourselves into frangible vehicles with cabins smaller than occupied by a heinous criminal in solitary confinement and then climb to altitudes where our brains are deprived of oxygen to the extent performance of the tasks essential to a safe return to the planet is put at risk. […]
Not everyone has a fancy Bluetooth-equipped audio control panel, and believe it or not there are still a lot of pilots (and passengers) flying with passive headsets from an age where wireless connectivity was a dream. Enter the $159 Faro Stealth AudioLink. Sporty’s (the exclusive distributor of the AudioLink) worked closely with headset maker Faro […]
If a high-priced ELT system doesn’t get you rescued maybe a signaling strobe light will, and that’s just one purpose of the Bush Pilot SOS flashlight from pilot supplier Flight Outfitters. If you’re like us, the last thing you might need is another flashlight, but the Bush Pilot SOS got our attention. It’s more than […]
Enjoying huge success with the Stratus portable ADS-B receivers, Appareo joins the crowded app market with Insight EFB for Apple iOS. While Insight provides a lot of the flight management functionality pilots expect from a modern EFB, it adds some unique features, including real-time radio encryption. I spent some time with Insight working through its […]
With insurance premiums skyrocketing—especially for pilots of complex, retractable-gear airplanes—the last thing you need is a gear-up landing because you were distracted. Aftermarket audio and visual alert systems can help, while some can even monitor the status of cabin and baggage doors and other systems. While there are retrofit systems that focus entirely on monitoring […]
Garmin’s launch of the new aera 760 portable navigator couldn’t have come at a worse time. Historically, Sun ‘n Fun and AirVenture have been the ideal backdrop for new Garmin gadget intros, but with both shows canceled, the company can’t generate the usual airshow buzz to get the marketing momentum going. But does the tablet-saturated […]
In the IFR On a Budget article in the May 2020 Aviation Consumer we favored Garmin’s GI 275 flight instruments for their drop-in physical installation, stepping-stone upgrade potential and liberal third-party interfacing. Since running that article, we found ourselves shopping for a budget EFIS upgrade for one of our test beds—a 1966 Cessna 182J. Our […]
