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, wireless, battery-powered ADS-B receiver for iPad, offering free in-cockpit weather and accurate GPS, developed by Appareo, Sporty's, and ForeFlight.
It provides up to 8 hours of battery life and reliable reception for various weather products (like NexRad, METARs, TAFs, TFRs), which are seamlessly integrated into the ForeFlight Mobile app.
The article strongly recommends the $799 Stratus as a highly effective and elegant solution, superior to other ADS-B options and a more practical alternative to subscription-based XM weather despite XM's slightly better radar.

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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.