Every day avionics get smarter and smaller (and occasionally cheaper). This year’s Oshkosh revealed three devices that push that envelope and might save lives in IMC.
Alternative attitudes
Even though glass panels dominate the pages of aviation magazines and seem almost required to get flight training students in the door of a flight school, there are plenty of pilots and aircraft trolling the skies with conventional instruments. Retrofitting electronic flight information systems (EFIS) often exceeds the hull value of the aircraft. Even adding a simple electronic attitude indicator ends up being over $5000 in investment.
Key Takeaways:
- The article highlights three innovative avionics devices from Oshkosh designed to significantly enhance flight safety, particularly in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) or during engine failure.
- Dynon's Pocket Panel offers an affordable, all-in-one backup Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS), while Sagetech's ADS-B with Vision provides portable ADS-B, AHRS, and synthetic vision via an iPad.
- Vertical Power's Runway Seeker, a more advanced system, provides intelligent 3D glide guidance to a runway for engine-out emergencies, showcasing the potential of future "smart" avionics.
- These innovations represent a trend towards highly capable, often affordable, non-certified avionics that can bring advanced safety features and glass cockpit functionality to a wider range of aircraft and pilots at a fraction of traditional costs.
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