Six Gadgets that Make Flying Easier

We look at products that can reduce pilot stress in the air and on the ramp.

Friday, January 28, 2022 at 05:52 PM ET

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New gadgets, while perhaps more modest than past innovations, can still make life easier for pilots in the cockpit. [Courtesy: Sporty's Pilot Shop]

Key Takeaways:

While major aviation advancements have become incremental, modern accessories offer significant improvements in efficiency, comfort, and workload reduction for private pilots.
These gadgets enhance various aspects of flying, including streamlining flight planning, providing vital in-flight data, and ensuring communication reliability.
Key examples of beneficial accessories include aviation smartwatches, handheld transceivers, head-up displays, digital flight computers, portable tool kits, and simple chart clips for cockpit organization.

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Certain developments in aviation–including all-metal aircraft construction, jet power, and GPS navigation–have been game-changers for efficiency and comfort in air travel. Today, the advances tend to be incremental and relatively modest. However, there are still many accessories that can make flying easier for private pilots, often by helping with flight planning or reducing their workload while aloft.

New gadgets and improved versions of older ones arrive on the market regularly, and even for those who tend to shy away from new things, many of these products are worth a look. In some cases, you might wonder how you got by without them.