Gear

Pilots can be tough to shop for, but if you’re looking for an aviation gift for that special aviator, you’ve come to the right place. Our gift guide will take you from practical to decadent, from classic to unusual. So whether you’re looking for an easy-to-grab stocking stuffer or a knock-your-socks-off once-in-lifetime surprise, we’ve got […]

(December 2011) Airguide Publications recently upgraded its Flight Guide app, aiming toward making it a real competitor against better-known charting and airport information systems for the iPad. Larry Garcia, who owns Airguide Publications with his wife, Cindy, claims the app became the first to display real-time traffic using Zaon’s PCAS XRX portable collision avoidance system, […]

After flying an instrument approach under IFR conditions earlier this year using Rockwell Collins’ new HGS-3500 head-up display, I wasn’t surprised to learn the company has received a Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award. Rockwell Collins was named first runner up in the Transport category for introducing synthetic vision to its head-up guidance system — […]

It apparently isn’t enough for Boeing to be building the airplanes that the next generation of airline pilots will be flying. The airliner maker now plans to train the pilots who fly those airplanes as well. At least it seems that way. In truth, Boeing has been offering training for years, through its Boeing Flight […]

German manufacturer Beyerdynamic recently introduced the HS 800 Digital aviation headset. A modern-looking headset with a carbon-fiberlike design, the HS 800 definitely has the look. I recently took it for a test flight to see how it performs in the cockpit. The HS 800 Digital is nice and light, only 0.72 pounds (without the cable […]

None of the pilots I’ve talked to were surprised by Garmin’s decision to discontinue production of its ubiquitous GNS 530W and GNS 430W all-in-one GPS/navcoms (production of the 530 ends this month and the 430 sometime next year). Really, who could be? These hugely successful units have been in production for well over a decade. […]

The release by Apple of a new operating system for the iPad, iOS 5, has raised concerns among aviation app providers that pilots’ iPads might lose charts or even entire applications without the user’s knowledge. The issue has to do with Apple’s decision to let the new operating system delete files at its discretion if […]

Jeppesen has joined the Lindbergh Foundation’s Aviation Green Alliance as a founding member. The group’s aim is to tackle environmental challenges facing the aviation industry, including emissions, noise and operational efficiency. “Jeppesen fully supports the collaborative effort led by the Lindbergh Foundation Aviation Green Alliance to develop solutions for addressing environmental challenges facing the aviation […]

(October 2011) If you’ve ever wished you could create a flight plan on your iPad and then somehow automatically beam it to the avionics in your airplane, you’re in luck. Aspen Avionics has introduced a Wi-Fi-based technology called Connected Panel that will let pilots do just that — and a whole lot more. The first […]

One iPad app we’ve written about in brief and liked in abundance is Hilton Software’s WingX Pro, designed by eponymous software maven Hilton Goldstein. Like its competitors, WingX Pro is a nav/charting/planning/database/safety utility app that seemingly does all things for all pilots for the slim price of $100 a year. New to the app is […]