These days, STC approvals for jets are neither inexpensive nor easy to come by, but after a relatively short certification effort, Avidyne has new approvals under its belt for the Atlas navigation system. The Atlas system is unique because it provides a sizable—and relatively inexpensive—one-shot upgrade for old jets and turboprops that haven’t seen avionics […]
For the majority of us, earbuds have become a way of life. So why not try earbud aviation headsets? That’s what we did with three of the latest models from Bose, Clarity Aloft and Faro Aviation. While all of them succeed in providing a certain amount of freedom compared to over-the-ear models, they won’t work […]
In an age of expanding battery technology, modern flashlights have generally moved away from alkaline power in favor of lithium cells. So why take a step back in time and choose a classic AA-powered model for the cockpit? Leading the list is convenience, efficiency and battery availability when you might need replacements in a pinch. […]
Not all traffic interfaces are to the same standard. Some display software is limited in the way it tracks threat targets, and that can sometimes lead to a false sense of security. That may have been the case with ForeFlight’s early-gen traffic interface. But in its version 13 update, ForeFlight changed the functionality of its […]
No longer are there good excuses for not having oxygen in the cabin. Smaller-capacity oxygen tanks are relatively simple and inexpensive, and if you fly something where you’re counting every pound loaded in, composite tanks are featherweights. But there’s a capacity/endurance tradeoff. Two latest aviation-focused small-bottle O2 interfaces come from Aithre and Aerox. We rounded […]
Old pilots tend to be a deaf bunch,” as one AME so bluntly called it. He would know. For me, the tough reality is sinking in that I too may someday join the ranks of the hearing impaired—wrong in expecting that growing old would take longer. So when reader and hearing-aid candidate Thomas Folk reached […]
The Icom and Sporty’s portable radios are worthy for use as primary radios, but add up the labor and parts needed to install an external antenna system t, Garmin’s GTR 200B PMA. The non-certified GTR 200B trickles down from Garmin’s higher-priced GTR 225 radio, which has a TSO, but the $1839 PMA’d version of the […]
When we last rounded up portable comm transceivers, we found a favorite with Icom’s A25C. In fact we liked it so much we bought one and tossed it in the long-term test pool to see how it would stand up—and we’re not gentle. Shortly thereafter, Sporty’s came out with its PJ2 transceiver. We liked it […]
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 […]
