Free weather right on your iPad with a bonus of WAAS GPS position. But it’s not the slam-dunk against XM weather the marketing hype makes it out to be.
Stratus for ipad ADS-B
ADS-B weather for the iPad has been around for a while, but this is the first year pilots get some real choices. Baron released its Mobile Link with XM weather for the iPad. SkyRadar, which puts ADS-B weather into WingX on the iPad, just released a new device. FreeFlight Systems is promising an in-panel, complete ADS-B solution (traffic and weather) that will wirelessly send data to the iPad.
Key Takeaways:
- The Stratus is a highly portable ADS-B receiver that seamlessly integrates subscription-free weather data and WAAS GPS into ForeFlight on the iPad, offering great value for VFR pilots.
- Its primary limitation is the requirement to be airborne to receive weather data, which hinders pre-flight planning capabilities available with ground-based alternatives like XM Weather.
- While a strong option, Stratus's ADS-B weather provides lower resolution NEXRAD and lacks some advanced features (like lightning data or animation) and ground availability compared to XM Weather, making the latter potentially more suitable for serious IFR flying despite its monthly fees.
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