Avionics

Mapmaker DeLorme’s inReach messenger/tracker uses the Iridium satellite network to send position reports and text messages from almost anywhere on earth. The handheld device can send pre-determined text messages with an up-to-date position included. Pairing it via Bluetooth with an iPhone or Android device allows for custom text messages or short emails. It can also […]

In addition to being the summer of the portable ADS-B receiver, it seems to be the summer of portable and backup EFIS. Sagetech develops avionics for military drones, but made a debut appearance at Oshkosh with their Clarity portable ADS-B receivers including built-in AHRS (digital gyros). The Clarity SV systems cost about $1000. When paired […]

Garmin has joined the portable ADS-B parade with their GDL 39. The receiver sits on the glareshield, receives both free weather and ADS-B traffic targets, and displays the data in Garmin’s Pilot App for the iPad or on the aera 796 portable navigator. It’s about the size of a sardine can, which makes it bigger […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Consumer, Feb. 2005. In a perfect avionics upgrade, it’s out with all of the old and in with the new. For some owners at the top of the economic food chain, this is the case every five years, sometimes sooner. For the rest of us, avionics upgrades are few […]

User Fees There will be the usual complainers sounding off, but in the end, the costs incurred for keeping the system running will make it necessary to impose user fees (NewsWire, Jul. 28). The non-flying taxpayer will not want to pay all the costs. Get ready for it.Fred Engel Low-Priced LSA $95,000 for an LSA […]

As we head off to Oshkosh this week, the Garmin GPSMAP 396 appears likely to be the hottest product at the show. As you’ve probably heard, it combines GPS navigation, datalink weather and XM audio all in the same size package as the popular GPSMAP 296. Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, recently evaluated the product […]

Odyssey Aviation Publications Thirty-some-odd years ago when I started flying, general aviation had barely reached the age of DME, and RNAV was just beginning to allow some of us to fly straight lines between points. Today, DME is still useful in many applications; but for the most part the avionics we considered mainstream through the […]

The Auxiliary, or Aux, pages on GPS units are like those boxes stored up in the attics. “I know there’s some cool stuff in there. I really should dig through it one of these days.” It’s usually not until we’ve leveled off with two hours of cruise ahead and have decided all the navigation and […]

Editor’s Note: This article is reprinted from Cessna OwnerMagazine by permission from Cessna Owner Organization — 888-MYCessna. I took a trip to Mexico a few months ago — and I did not take my do-it-yourself Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) with me. Thereby hangs a tale …To review, an EFB is a portable computer running software […]

NOTE: This article originally appeared in the Cessna Pilots Association Magazine, and is reprinted here by permission. I tend to fly fairly long distances in my airplane, and have done so for decades. Since I acquired my Cessna T310R in 1987, I’ve probably averaged around three transcontinental trips a year. I figure if you’re going […]