Garmin Still King Overall, But the Av8orace is Impressive

Weve put most of the current portable GPS offerings through the ringer with an eye to how they support instrument flying. Some are compact and capable, like the basic AV8OR from Honeywell or Anywhere Travel Companion (ATC) from Control Vision. Some are so big they are more like portable MFDs: Trueflights FL 210 or most of the EFBs that run on tablets fall into this group. In the end, we liked the aera and 296 through 496 Garmins the best, with a possible exception for the Honeywell AV8OR Ace.

Key Takeaways:

• Garmin's aera and 296-496 portable GPS units are generally preferred for instrument flying due to their ease of use, intuitive data integration, and reliable performance, despite the higher cost of data updates.
• The Honeywell AV8OR Ace is a powerful IFR alternative, offering features like en route chart and NACO approach plate display, along with significantly cheaper data updates, although its interface is considered less intuitive than Garmin's.
• Other portable GPS devices, such as those from Control Vision, offer powerful software and affordable updates but may have a steeper learning curve or less capable hardware compared to the leading Garmin and Honeywell units.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

See a mistake? Contact us.