features_old

“ELT” stands forEmergency Locator Transmitter. It’s the little “blackbox” (actually, most are orange) mounted in the tailcone and connected to a flexiblewhip antenna. The purpose of the ELT is to transmit a distress signal if the aircraftimpacts something with high “G” force. This little jewel is probably the leastappreciated and the most priceless piece of […]

Our shop,Avionics West, sells handheld avionics andheadsets over the Internet on AVweb. Our satisfaction guarantee policy has alwaysbeen straightforward: if you don’t like the product, return it within 30 days and we willsell you a different item or refund your purchase price, whichever you prefer, noquestions asked. Recently, an AVweb member asked me if this […]

Nowadays, everyone wants a moving map along with their GPS. Up until now, you’ve hadthree options: Why doesn’t someone come out with a good, high-resolution, easy-to-read moving mapintegrated into a panel-mounted GPS? I’m happy to tell you that II Morrow has done exactlythat with their new GX55. As if that wasn’t enough, II Morrow went […]

Without doubt, GPS has been the greatest advance in aviation navigation since the invention of railroad tracks. It operates in just about any weather, uses a small antenna, and doesn’t necessarily have to be panel-mounted. In fact, some of the portable GPSs have more features than the panel mounts (because they aren’t hamstrung by the […]

By “portable” we commonly mean anything which is easily carried, but the FAA adds some things to that definition. According to the FARs, “portable equipment” cannot be permanently attached to the aircraft. Let me give you a few specific examples. If you have one of the new portable GPS units, you can use an external […]

Almost daily I receive calls and questions about avionics master switches. Do I need one? What type should I use? Most of these questions come from owners of aircraft that didn’t have a master switch when originally built, and wonder whether one should be installed now. Prior to about 1970, few aircraft had an avionics […]

  A RealAudio feed of this entire interview is also available online, in your choice of high-fidelity (16 KHz) and lower-fidelity (6.5 KHz) versions. (Use the lower-fidelity feed for slow Internet connections.) NOTE: To listen to the audio feed, you’ll need RealPlayer 5.0 or 6.0 software, which you can download free from the RealNetworks web […]

Fun, fun and more fun! That’s what you willexperience when you visit Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the number oneresort vacation destination in the world! Disney World has it all, from impeccablymanicured resorts, exquisite dining facilities and world-class shopping, to the latestrecreational activities, imaginative theme parks and exciting nightclubs.

The real measure of value of anyconsumer product is the price it sells for. Aircraft are no different. The buyer andseller must agree on a price before a sale can take place, and often the seller has hissights set on the high side while the buyer is looking at the low side. If no agreementcan […]

I don’t know for sure if this is intended to be a funny story or a plea for advice, butafter two days of internalizing it, I do know for sure that I must put this down on paper. I am one of three family members that are as a group the owners of two FBO’s […]