avionics

Garmin has made changes to both the Android and iOS versions of its Pilot app, providing new features to tablets and smartphone users. Garmin’s version 9.1 for iOS products now offers a feature called OpenStreetMaps, providing detailed maps to help pilots verify their location whether on the ground or in flight. In addition to streets, […]

The ticking clock toward the FAA’s ADS-B Out compliance date hasn’t slowed one iota. Come January 1, 2020, aircraft that today require a Mode C transponder, but do not by that date have ADS-B Out installed are no longer legal to fly in that same airspace. The avionics industry is of course bracing for a […]

ViaSat will soon launch its ViaSat-2 service, allowing large cabin bizjets to provide even higher connection speeds to users in flight. The service is an upgrade to ViaSat’s already capable system, which provides Ku- and Ka-band satellite coverage. The company has been demonstrating its capabilities at its booth at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention and […]

There are people who claim their cell phone works everywhere, even while cruising along at 10,000 feet in their Baron, or PC-12. Experts will tell you of course that while there’s always the chance an airborne phone might grab a scrap or two of cell service in flight, it’s never reliable enough to regularly send […]

Active sidestick operations make so much sense to most pilots that talk of anything else seems a waste of time. Sidesticks are a mainstay in business aircraft like the newest Falcons, recent Embraer jets and Airbus aircraft. The Cirrus fleet of single engine piston aircraft even sports a sidestick of sorts. There’s a difference though […]

Safe Flight Instrument Corporation has begun testing its digital angle of attack indicator using a Viking 400 Twin turboprop as the testbed. The AoA provides pilots with increased awareness of the margin above stall, as well as trend information approaching a stall, both important elements as an aircraft slows during final approach. The system also […]

GPS, datalink weather and autopilots have dramatically changed how pilots fly, but you wouldn’t know it visiting some flight schools these days. Many student pilots will learn more about VORs and telephone weather briefings than the tools they will actually use after flight training. True, the recently updated FAA Knowledge Test questions and the new […]

Today is the final day to enter a contest designed to stimulate pilots to create awesome artwork in the sky. Not skywriting, but rather Lightspeed Aviation’s Wild Blue Doodle competition that calls for flying precise enough to create a piece of art aloft when tracked with Cloud Ahoy. So, why mention a contest that closes […]

Gogo has become well known to business travelers for its in-flight Internet service available on a long list of airlines. But Gogo is also taking a bite into the business jet market with its connectivity service products. The company recently achieved Supplemental Type Certification and Parts Manufacturer Approval for its AVANCE L5, formerly known as […]

With slightly more than a year’s worth of work from start to finish, Blackhawk Modifications said Friday that its efforts to earn approval for their XP67A engine upgrade STC were approved by the FAA. The XP67A STC focuses on improvements to the Beechcraft King Air 350. The Blackhawk STC begins by exchanging the stock Pratt […]