Accessories

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.

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.

The FAA turned a regulatory corner last year when it gave the green light to replace spinning attitude gyros (and vacuum systems) with TSOd standalone solid-state electronic attitude instruments. It wasnt long before Dynon-partnering with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)-announced an AML-STC to retrofit its experimental D10A EFIS into lower-end Part 23 aircraft. As expected, Garmin competitively and swiftly earned a more extensive AML-STC for its experimental G5 EFIS just a few months later.

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.

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.

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.

Among the minimum equipment required for VFR and IFR flying, FAR 91.205 still lists the magnetic direction indicator as a must-have item. Dont confuse this with the gyroscopic (or equivalent) directional indicator. Thats required for IFR, in addition to a compass. Given the primitive nature of a magnetic compass, owners are often shocked at the impressive invoices it can generate when it fails. And compasses do fail. Ever have one that leaked its fluid down the front of the instrument panel?

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.

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.

One of the major announcements from AirVenture 2016 was ForeFlights version 8. At least it was major in the eyes of the company. ForeFlight CEO Tyson Weihs told us it might be our biggest release since 2011. That year marked ForeFlights first release designed specifically for the iPad, which one could argue changed GA cockpit information forever. ForeFlight 8 didnt actually release until late August, but weve logged time with a preview version since this summer and only half agree with Weihs. The new version lays the groundwork for huge changes. However, we doubt the day-to-day use of the app will change for most pilots. Not yet anyway. Check out the sidebar on page 19 for more on that. For whats actually new in the app, read on.