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SkyNext: Pilot Must-Haves

Breitling's Aerospace Evo Cirrus Aircraft watch and uAvionix ADS-B products for your wish list.

Breitling Aerospace Evo Cirrus Aircraft Watch

Breitling teamed up with Cirrus Aircraft on a limited-edition aviator’s timepiece. The Aerospace Evo Cirrus Aircraft watch highlights the one component that helped catapult Cirrus into the number one position of light-aircraft manufacturers: the BRS parachute. A parachute symbol adorns the case back as well as the base of the minute hand. In addition, the hour hand has three slots signifying Cirrus’ SR20, SR22 and SR22T piston models. The watch face itself is embellished with the outline of a piston Cirrus as well as the company’s logo. Serialized to No. 220, the $4,930 watch offers Breitling’s renowned quality and aviation features, such as a second time zone, an NVG-display-compatible backlighting system, a countdown timer and a minute repeater.

uAvionix ADS-B products
The tiny uAvionix products were originally designed for drones, but now the pingBuddy ADS-B In unit can send traffic and weather reports to a tablet in the cockpit. uAvionix

uAvionix ADS-B Products

How would you like it if you could get traffic and subscription-free weather data sent to the cockpit through a unit smaller and much lighter than a Tic Tac box? The possibility is here with Palo Alto, California-based uAvionix’s teeny-­tiny pingBuddy ADS-B In unit, which measures 2.4 inches long, including the antenna, 1.4 inches wide, and less than half an inch thick. PingBuddy weighs in at a mind-blowing 12 grams.

It can receive ADS-B, ADS-R and TIS-B traffic information over the 1090 MHz and 978 MHz frequencies, as well as FIS-B and TIS-B targets transmitted via a ground station.

PingBuddy receives power from a micro-USB cable, which can be plugged into a cigarette lighter port or a portable power source. A 10,000 mAh power source will run the unit for more than 24 hours, uAvionix says.

The unit connects to a tablet or smartphone via Wi-Fi. Most aviation apps capable of processing GDL 90 data are compatible with pingBuddy, including ForeFlight, FltPlan Go, FlyQ EFB, iFly GPS, Navigator and WingX Pro.

PingBuddy does not have an internal GPS, so you’ll need to use the tablet itself, if capable, or another source for GPS information. The cost for ­pingBuddy is $149.

Originally targeting the exponentially expanding drone market, uAvionix is now working its way into general aviation cockpits. The ATT-20B SkyEcho, which has WAAS GPS and ADS-B In and Out capabilities in a package that weighs only 50 grams, is approved in the U.K. for use in a variety of aircraft weighing below 12,500 pounds. UAvionix is working on solutions for the U.S. market too. While the company’s manned ADS-B products are not yet certified, they meet all of the FAA TSO requirements, uAvionix says.

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