Gear

There’s an old joke about a down-and-out guy during the Depression hawking apples for $500 each. His response to the obvious question: “Yeah, but I only have to sell ONE.” Well, in the midst of the 21st century Great Recession, people lined up last weekend to buy Apple iPads at around that price, and this […]

Our crew began to assemble in the lobby of the Barcelona hotel. Outside on the street, pilots and flight attendants from the arriving flight collected their bags from behind the jitney bus that had driven them from the airport. They shuffled into the hotel. One of the arriving flight attendants murmured something about the electronic […]

Garmin took the stage at the Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, last week to announce a new engine information system and integrated autopilot interface for its G3X glass cockpit suite. The G3X is strictly for experimental and Light Sport aircraft, and the EIS will be available next month via a free software download. Sensor […]

Enhanced vision technology firm Max-Viz announced its EVS-1500 is now in service on a Cessna Citation S550 (Citation II) operated by Robertson Racing. In addition, Max-Viz announced an STC approval in association with One Sky Aviation to install EVS-1500 systems on Eurocopter AS-350s and EC-130s.

On Dec. 30, 2009, Horizon Air Flight 2014 — a Bombardier Q400 twin turboprop — arrived at Seattle-Tacoma Airport using avionics with Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) enabled. It marked the first revenue-generating flight in the country to use the technology, which is seen as a less expensive, more accurate and more dependable alternative to […]

Collins’ New Pro Line Fusion avionics system that will debut in the Bombardier Global Express has all the features you would expect in a top-of-the-line flat-glass avionics system. The displays are huge; the synthetic vision view of the terrain ahead of the airplane is sharp and detailed; and there are innovative formats to display weather […]

Garmin received its holiday gift from the FAA a little early. On Dec. 9, the agency granted an approved model list supplemental type certificate (AML-STC) for the company’s TAS and TCAS I traffic systems, which include the GTS 800 ($9,995), GTS 820 ($19,995) and GTS 850 ($24,995). The list of approved aircraft includes 580 separate […]

I believe all of us would declare Cessna’s new 162 SkyCatcher light sport airplane (LSA) to be a success if it flew about as well as the legendary 150/152 series of two-seat trainers. I’m happy to say the 162 flies as well as, and in some respects better than, the 150/152 and also has a […]

Piper has completed certification allowing it to offer the Garmin G1000 avionics suite on its Mirage and Matrix aircraft models. The G1000 was previously available on the Piper Meridian. With the new certification, the G1000 panel is now available on all three Piper PA-46 versions. Both the Mirage and Matrix are piston-powered — the Mirage […]

At the AOPA Summit in Tampa, Avidyne announced some new products and enhancements to its DFC90 and DFC100 autopilot systems. New to the market is the latest EX600 multifunction display, priced starting at less than $10,000. Designed for aircraft without an MFD or those that need an upgrade, the EX600 includes new map-panning keys and […]