During the course of a typical year, we see and use dozens of aviation products. Call us jaded, but were hard to please and if a product comes up short, we don’t mind telling you as much. In fact, thats our job. But its also our job to call attention to what we think are the very best products we see and, frankly, there arent many of them in a market defined by intense competition. Yet every year, we see a handful of products that we think are exceptional in design, execution or value. Or all three. Herewith are our findings for the 2005/2006 editorial year. Product of the Year:
Garmin GPSmap 396
A couple of years ago, that kind of weather prescience would not have been possible in anything, never mind a Tomahawk. But the brilliantly designed and conceived Garmin GPSmap 396 makes it not only possible, but affordable for owners of the most modest airplanes.
In our view, that means that the GPSmap 396 easily meets the design brief for an exceptional product: breakthrough capability, ease of operation and an affordable price. Users of the XM-Radio-based WxWorx, which the GPSmap 396 displays, consistently tell us it all but takes convective weather off the table as a flight planning worry. You can make the go/no-go decision before even getting out of your car at the hangar. Further, like its predecessors from Garmin, the GPSmap 396 has a GPS-driven flight instrument page that we have proven is quite capable of serving as a gyro back-up in the event of a vacuum failure.
The GPSmap 396 has been selling we’ll for Garmin for about a year. And now were told that a follow-up product is planned. At least one new portable aviation GPS product will appear at EAA AirVenture 2006. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, contact Garmin at www.garmin.com/. Prices were recently reduced on the GSPmap 396.
Airplane of the Year:
Diamond DA42 Twinstar
There have been two exceptions to this: SMAs four-cylinder aerodiesel, which has had trouble gaining ground, and Diamond Aircrafts Thielert aerodiesels, which havent. Diamond adopted Theilerts line of aerodiesels to produce the DA40 TDI and the DA42 Twin Star. The latter remains one of the most innovative and intriguing airplanes in light aircraft history. It has decent cruise speed, a comfortable cabin and exceptional economy. If the future of GA lies in more efficient airplanes and powerplants, Diamond is leading the way. (www.diamondair.com/)
Best Lighting Innovation:
Hid Landing Lights
High-intensity discharge or HID lighting is a welcome change. Its daylight bright and the tubes last almost forever, with little maintenance required. Thanks to RMD, Precise Flight and Knots2U, this technology is becoming more affordable. LoPresti Speed Merchants deserves credit for pioneering it, but other companies have brought the prices down to more affordable levels, which we see as good for everyone.
Besides reducing maintenance hassles and costs, HID lighting is a safety-of-flight upgrade and the more owners who can afford it, the better. Contact www.preciseflight.com/, www.knots2u.com/ and www.rmdaircraft.com/.
Best Deal In Active Traffic:
Avidyne TAS600
The TAS600 is the great gap filler between the well-regarded but expensive Skywatch system and glareshield-mounted portables that are inexpensive but lack impressive performance.