Avionics

Daher-Socata brought the newest model of its popular TBM 850 turboprop to Sun ‘n Fun last week. The 2013 Elite version features integrated electronic solid-state standby instruments by L-3 Avionics, the Trilogy ESI-2000, to replace the previous electro-mechanical instrument version. The unit has an internal battery and a 4-by-3-inch active matrix liquid crystal display. Interior […]

MyGoFlight, which sells cases, mounts, bags and other accessories for iPads, is offering a “Mastering the iPad” seminar at Sun ‘n Fun 2013. The company says the seminars will help pilots choose the best apps for their needs and identify strategies for optimizing use of the tablets in both preflight and in-flight scenarios. Specific topics […]

Garmin has added new features to its Garmin Pilot app, enabling track-up,faster rendering, SafeTaxi, cloud-based information storage and chart annotations, the company announced Thursday. Garmin says the new feature set includes customization, with adjustable label sizes, visibility range, and map color, and pilots can now also annotate charts. Subscribers to Garmin’s SafeTaxi will see airport […]

Twenty seven years after the fact, Dick Rutan says he’s somewhat astonished that he and Jeana Yeager made it around the world in the Burt Rutan-designed Voyager, given the rudimentary avionics of the day and the fact that the airplane had so little surplus load factor that moderate turbulence would have torn it apart. As […]

Not every air traffic control tower slated for shutdown will stop operating at once, according to an FAA list posted online by AOPA on Monday. The first group of 24 towers will close on April 7, another 46 on April 21, and 79 on May 5. The Lakeland, Fla., tower will remain open until April […]

Although sales of avionics for certified aircraft have been in the doldrums, Garmin International seems to be bullish on the experimental and light sport markets, introducing this week no fewer than seven new products for that segment, all with sophisticated capability and eye-opening low prices. Garmin’s flagship product, the G3X EFIS, will get a new […]

Popular aviation charts vendor Air Chart Systems has sent a notice to its subscribers that it’s ceasing publication of the spiral-bound paper atlases that were its signature product for more than 50 years. In a note attached to the March 7 electronic update of en route charts and approach plates, the company suggests it’s out […]

Four individuals have been selected for their contributions to flight instruction, maintenance, avionics and safety, to be recognized at AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 by FAA Administrator Michael Huerta as part of the General Aviation Awards Program. The awards program is a cooperative effort between the FAA and supporting organizations. It is designed to “highlight the important […]

Whether it’s a calamity of wrong button pushes or a subtle input failure to a glass panel, understanding the interface is key to safety. As an avionics guy, I’m often asked if I would rather deal with total avionics failure in an all-glass or round-gauge aircraft. My preference is all-glass because total failure is pretty […]

Consumer technologies that use GPS to track aircraft in flight are adding features all the time, and this week one of the more popular vendors, Spidertracks, of New Zealand, announced new capabilities in its latest device, the Spider S5. The new unit retains the small footprint of the earlier models, but adds integrated Bluetooth communications […]