In February, Aviation Consumer editor Larry Anglisano asked that I use Garmin’s new inReach Mini 2 for a few months and write up my experience with the unit. I live in rural North Idaho and am often out of reach of cellphone service at backcountry airports, remote lakes and on hikes. When I’m flying in […]
When we reviewed the Stealth 2 ANR headset (January 2020 Aviation Consumer), we found that it had acceptable audio quality, good Bluetooth connectivity, was eyeglasses friendly and had moderate clamping pressures. Considering the $449 price (the set is sold through Sporty’s), we think those rankings make it a good solution for students and passengers—stash it […]
Electronic logbooks eliminate the challenge of squeezing handwritten text into small boxes with limited space. They’re tough to lose and destroy, plus they can automatically do the logging for you, with digital graphics as a bonus. It’s true that paper pilot logbooks are inexpensive and for the average pilot, the books can last a lifetime. […]
It’s been a lean year for new product introductions, and many manufacturers struggled to deliver items in their existing lineup let alone release new ones. Still, we found a half-dozen good products worthy of the Aviation Consumer prestigious Gear of the Year award. At the top of the list is Aithre—a relatively new company that […]
One of many products serving hard duty in our long-term evaluation pool are the Jet Shades removal window shades. Fitted in a big turboprop and also in a small Diamond, the first-gen Jet Shades have performed we’ll so far—substantially cooling the cabin—but we wish for an easier installation and better fit. Plus we’re finding that […]
Three weeks ago, I started checking out an owner in his new-to-him Bellanca Scout, a 180-HP, constant-speed prop tailwheel utility airplane of the sort I’ve flown on and off for 40 years. However, the first takeoff was a revelation—it performed far better than any 180-HP Scout I’d ever flown. Asking about it, the owner told […]
Cross-armed, foot tapping, scowling aviators have been demanding electronic ignition for production aircraft engines ever since it became apparent in the automobile world that it increased power and engine efficiency and made starting easier. Plus, they don’t like having to yank magnetos for inspection, repair or replacement every 500 hours of engine operation—something not necessary […]
The Piper Navajo is a workhorse in the world of piston twins, and Mike Jones Aircraft in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has a rather thorough refurb program called the Lock & Key Navajo.
As aviation learned from the automotive world, airbags that deploy within milliseconds of the beginning of an impact event and keep the occupant from slamming into the panel have saved countless lives. The initial challenge for the aircraft world was where to store the airbags and how to deploy them. I looked at records and […]
Panel and cabin charging ports are popular accessories for keeping tablets, smartphones and other gadgets juiced up during flight. But charging cables can get in the way, especially when they’re mounted on the instrument panel. True Blue Power—a division of Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics—has a solution with the $698 TWC15 series Qi wireless charging stations. […]
In the spring of 2015, contributor Ken Newman installed an Air Graphics custom vinyl appearance kit on his second-gen Cirrus for a field report in the May 2015 Aviation Consumer. While we liked the quality of the kit, we didn’t know how the kit would hold up over time. While less expensive and easier than […]
While flight tracking systems (FTS) have historically been integral to air carrier and corporate flight ops, New Zealand-based Spidertracks gained traction in the GA market in 2010 with its model S3 portable satellite tracking unit. The Spidertracks is a simple concept. Utilizing aviation-grade hardware, combined with low bandwidth data connections and data delivered over satellite, […]
