Free In-Cockpit iPad Weather: We Fly Stratus

Isabel Goyer

Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 09:55 PM ET

Verified

** The new Stratus ADS-B free-weather receiver**

Key Takeaways:

Stratus is a new $799 wireless ADS-B receiver for iPad that provides free in-cockpit weather and accurate GPS, offering a cost-effective and safety-enhancing alternative to subscription services.
It features an 8-hour battery life, reliable ADS-B weather reception (including NexRad, METARs, and TFRs) at typical cruising altitudes, and seamlessly integrates with the ForeFlight Mobile app.
The article highly recommends Stratus for its elegance, value, and ForeFlight integration, positioning it as a superior solution despite some bandwidth limitations compared to subscription-based XM weather.

See a mistake? Contact us.

When Appareo, Sporty’s and ForeFlight launched Stratus, an all-new free-weather ADS-B receiver for the iPad at Sun ‘n Fun, we couldn’t wait to review it.

As it turned out, we didn’t have long to wait. Yesterday, I flew Stratus with ForeFlight co-founder Tyson Weihs to evaluate the unit so we could answer the question we’ve been hearing from our readers since the day Stratus was announced: “Should I buy it?” At $799, Stratus is not a small investment, but if it works as advertised, it would pay for itself in around a year and a half, not to mention the obvious safety benefits of having weather in the cockpit.