GPSs

’Tis the season to splurge on your aviator friends and family members. This year’s guide features gear and gadgets from Garmin, Bose, Breitling and much more. Scroll through for some fun gift ideas that can be found at your favorite aviation shops, such as Sporty’s, Aircraft Spruce and Pilot Mall. Hover over to see product […]

A few years back, my parents bought a beautiful tiled wood stove for their home. The first year, they bought a light truckload of wood. But Dad found buying wood to be a pricey way to feed the stove. Being retired with spare time on his hands and the desire for physical work, he decided […]

If you are ever flying over terrain that is not near populated areas, DeLorme’s inReach Explorer is a piece of equipment that has the potential to save your life. This portable unit is connected to the Iridium satellite network, which means you can connect with emergency personnel, friends and family wherever you are in the […]

A new search and rescue (SAR) program called Enhanced Special Reporting Service (eSRS) is being tested in Alaska. The program uses GPS tracking devices in an effort to reduce SAR response times. Pilots on a VFR flight plan using GPS tracking devices such as SPOT and Spidertracks can participate in the program and additional devices […]

__In this age of iPads and Androids and apps, is a dedicated portable device still relevant? That’s the question that some might be asking with the unveiling by Garmin of its latest flagship portable, the Garmin 796, which at this writing was top-secret. I have in my hands the only model not located behind lock […]

The introduction of Garmin’s new GTN touch-screen navigators, the GTN 650 and the large GTN 750, is remarkable in itself, but the fact that we’ve almost come to expect such works of seeming magic in our cockpits made me think back to the original precursor of the GTN products, the GNS 430, which I met […]

We fly Garmin’s new panel-mount touch-screen navigators. Here’s why one flight will make you want one. Or two.

(April 2011) SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION in 1998, Garmin’s remarkable GNS 430 navigator and its larger GNS 530 companion have become the de facto standard in aftermarket aircraft avionics. And no wonder: In the various iterations, the multifunction panel-mount units serve as a moving map, a navigation receiver, a communications transceiver, a GPS (and, later, WAAS) […]

Geo-referenced approach plates and a new, larger screen are the big advances for Bendix-King’s new AV8OR Ace portable navigator. Building on the success of the original AV8OR, the Ace incorporates all its features, including available weather and traffic, but with an expanded seven-inch version of the touch-screen display. That makes it easier to read the […]

If you’re here at EAA AirVenture, chances are you’ve been tempted by some cutting edge device you’ve seen in the display booths. There’s also a good chance you’ve expanded the budget envelope and you’re bringing one of them home with you. Normally, you’d open the box, lay out all the accessories in their plastic bags […]