Ownership

Insurance can be one of the most expensive elements in the fixedcost of owning an aircraft. It can be, but it doesn’t always have to be. Before we go further into the cost issues, I should caution that the least expensiveisn’t always the best choice. Aircraft insurance is not heavily regulated, except in ageneral way. […]

Why do pilots pay more for life insurance? Why? Ever sit down and study an Insurance Mortality Table? Probably not. Well,unfortunately for pilots, the folks who set and approve insurance rates (they’re calledactuaries and underwriters) rarely pilot aircraft. If they did, they’d understand that pilots in general are pretty good risks. They’dunderstand that pilots as […]

Characteristics 8800Silver 8800Gold 9900 9900A 9900B Mounting style Panel Panel Remote Remote Remote Display Integral Integral 3 ATI 3 ATI 3 ATI Display type VF VF LED LED LED Upgradable To Gold 8800 to 9900 A/B To 9900 B Yes Top & bottom antenna Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Antenna type L-band L-band L-band L-band […]

Amid-air collision can, as they say, ruin your day. While we all know that we should spendlots of time and effort looking outside for other aircraft, the increasing computerizationof our cockpits – GPSs, FMSs, digital engine analyzers, and other bleeding-edge cockpitgadgetry – is demanding ever more of our time inside. A United Airlines check pilot […]

If you walk out across just about any aviation ramp, you’ll notice few noticeablechanges in the aircraft in the last decade or two. If you open a cowl or two, you alsonotice the powerplants haven’t changed much, either. But look at a few radio stacks andyou’ll see a dramatic progress. In the last couple 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 […]

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 […]

Picture yourself at the skinny end of a funnel. You have to decide how much of what went in the fat end gets tocome out the skinny end, and in what order. Now imagine that airplanesare what went in the other end. All kinds of airplanes. From cabinclass twins to tiny single-seat experimentals. Controllers havenightmares […]

Bose Corporation of Framingham, MA, inventors ofnoise reduction headset technology that set the industry standard,today announced the introduction of a revolutionary new headsetwith holes. That’s right, holes. Called the Headset X, it incorporates”Tri Port Technology” which includes three holes ineach ear cup. These holes seem at first to be an illogical approachto designing headsets for […]