Moving-map displays are all the rage, and it seems we get a new one across our desks about once a month. Some of these come in the form of stand- alone maps/receivers, like the group tested last month (" Black Box Basics: Mapping With the Stars," April Pilot). Still others are based on existing laptop or palmtop computers.
And then there's the Zycom Aeroplan GPS. In a package measuring 5.5 x 3.5 x 1.5 inches, the Aeroplan includes a host of features in addition to the moving map. The computer, housed in a lightweight plastic case, includes a 5 x 1.5-inch backlighted liquid-crystal display with 320 x 64 pixel resolution. Zycom also has marked the alphanumeric keypad with function titles for quick reference; on-screen menus supplement the key codes. The computer started life as a custom-made device for retrieving DUAT weather briefings.
One of the main advantages of palmtop-based maps over handhelds is that data entry is carried out in the full keypad. There is no hunting for characters in some sub-menu; if you want to go to O'Hare, you just push K- O-R-D, and be done with it. The Aeroplan uses this scheme to good effect.
Zycom's unit also makes a reasonable go of it in the map department, considering the hardware limitations. A wide, shallow screen is not the ideal platform for an aircraft moving map, because the point is to see more of what's in front than items behind or to the side. As such, the Aeroplan uses only the center 60 percent of the display for the map, with a ring to give you distance perspective; the ring's edge coincides with the range chosen by the "zoom" buttons.
Currently, the Aeroplan is set up with ranges of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, and 512 nautical miles. We would like to see more screen ranges, particularly in the middle scales. Additional ranges would be most helpful in complex airspace and when the unit is showing Class B and C airspace. (Right now, Zycom has just about finished programming all the Class B segments in the United States and will complete all the C boundaries soon. In each, segment altitudes are depicted.)
At the edges of the moving map, the Aeroplan shows a course deviation indicator, the destination airport or next waypoint on the flight plan, an appropriate frequency (VOR, CTAF, or unicom), distance and bearing to the waypoint, ground track and speed, estimated time enroute, and altitude.
A handy feature of the Aeroplan is a direct gateway to a map- declutter menu. Thus, with a few keystrokes, you can remove airports, navaids, special-use airspace, and the like from the screen. This helps mitigate the shortcomings of the hardware. Also, by using the up- and down-arrow keys, you can shift the aircraft location on the map, allowing a better view ahead or astern.
For the most part, working the Aeroplan proves intuitive. A notable exception is the flight-planning function, which is unduly fussy and poorly documented. Most of the time, we settled for punching in the destination with the direct-to key, which functions as you like it. A prompt comes up for the identifier, which you enter, and then the Aeroplan shows the airport or navaid information stored in the database. You must confirm the choice with a push of the Enter key. Don't, and it will assume you chose incorrectly and go back to the map mode. This can be tiresome when you're busy flying the airplane.
Zycom's Aeroplan will also download and display DUAT weather briefings, although the internal modem is only 1,200 baud, which can make for lengthy online sessions. It's set up to take the DUAT information and create radar weather graphics, but the results are disappointing. Zycom does make excellent use of the internal modem in offering online database and system-level updates.
Aeroplan GPS units come in several flavors, from a basic moving- map setup to ones including the GPS sensors (you have a choice of internal or external receivers) and a telecommunications modem. Prices start at $1,099 for the basic unit, which has no modem and needs to be fed position information from a loran or GPS. Then there's the version with a GPS sensor for $1,299, and the full-featured model with a modem and the GPS for $1,699. Other permutations are available at extra cost, including special high-resolution maps for aerial photography and agricultural purposes. Zycom is also working on several other interface options, for autopilots and air-data/engine-parameter sensors.
We tried the Aeroplan both with the external Rockwell five-channel NavCor V sensor and driven by a Trimble Flightmate Pro handheld GPS. Either setup performed well, although the Aeroplan did not gain altitude information from the Trimble.
All things considered, we would like to see a bit more polish on the Zycom product. We are not, for example, enamored of the membrane keys, which frequently take more than one jab to get the job done. Frankly, the Aeroplan works well enough but lacks the all-of-a-piece feel you get with some other palmtop-based products.
Zycom, Inc., 18 Loblolly Lane, Wayland, Massachusetts 01778; 800/955-6466 or 508/358-5052. — Marc E. Cook
Easy way to owner maintenance
Exactly what maintenance can an aircraft owner do? Are owners allowed to make entries in the maintenance logbooks?
The new video Beating the High Cost of Aircraft Maintenance answers these and other questions in an entertaining and well-organized presentation that could, as it promises, save money at annual inspection time. The tape also suggests you buy any needed parts directly yourself, rather than having the local FBO order them. That may not work everywhere, because many maintenance shops refuse to take responsibility for owner- purchased parts.
The video, which is $24.95, promises to pay for itself after your next aircraft inspection.
Bogert Aviation, Route 1, Box 1676, Prosser, Washington 99350; 800/627-8088 or 509/786-4004. — Alton K. Marsh
Camera mount turns 172 into workhorse
Ever wonder how ABC Wide World of Sports gets those air-to-water super- closeups of speed boats screaming over the surface, how Hollywood captures such dramatic aerial footage for movies, or how the Goodyear blimp can provide such stable video from way up yonder? It's all done with gyrostabilized camera mounts operating on the same principle as the gyros in your heading indicator or artificial horizon. In fact, many of the low- light air-to-air photographs of airplanes in AOPA Pilot are taken from a camera mounted to a small hand-held gyro that damps out vibrations and turbulence.
The large external camera mounts used by Hollywood and the television networks cost tens of thousands of dollars and, until recently, were mostly designed to be used on blimps and helicopters. But early this year, the Wescam division of Istec, the company that makes most of those mounts, received a supplemental type certificate to put those external mounts on a Cessna 172. Wescam believes that the 172's vastly lower operating costs and greater availability compared to blimps and helicopters will open up new markets for the stabilized systems.
Wescam plans to rent the expensive gyrostabilized mounts and associated camera gear on a daily basis for all except the most prolific users. A 172 owner who has identified a market for aerial photography, particularly video, need only buy the STC paperwork and installation kit and then rent the camera equipment as needed. An aluminum beam attaches to the aft seat track and then passes through an opening cut in the baggage door supplied as part of the kit. The gyro-stabilized pod that encloses the camera then hangs from the beam. Wiring runs from the camera and gyros through the beam to a power supply and video recorder placed on the aft seat. A small video monitor and controller is placed in the right front seat. From there, an operator controls the camera, which can be turned 360 degrees and tilted down 105 degrees and up 15 degrees. The external hardware weighs 65 pounds. The complete system weighs 138 pounds.
When not in use as a camera platform, the 172 can be returned to regular service in about an hour, according to Wescam, by removing the mount and reinstalling the stock baggage door. Pilots who have flown the 172 with the mount installed report virtually no change in handling.
With a STOL kit installed, a 172 can slow to a speed that rivals those of a helicopter or blimp, Wescam notes. The lower operating costs of the airplane will make the system particularly attractive to law enforcement officials and television stations, as well as smaller advertising agencies and real estate developers.
The STC and mounting hardware for the 172 costs about $8,650. Wescam can deliver a turnkey camera and pod package overnight. The system for a 172 includes a 14-inch pod gyrostabilized around two axis, which contains a Sony video camera and a 300mm lens. The daily rental charge for the system is $795 plus shipping, which is billed at cost. Those who might use the system extensively may purchase the complete camera and gyro pod package for $185,000, plus the STC package.
Wescam, 3 Defoe Court, Rockville, Maryland 20850; 301/762-8617, or 1810 Highway 6 North, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L9J 1H2; 800/668-4355. — Thomas B. Haines
Briefly Noted
Stowing oxygen bottles in aircraft not factory-equipped with the systems can be a cumbersome ordeal indeed. A new portable system from Aerox takes advantage of the consoles found on Piper PA-32s and PA-34s to stow the tank. With the lid closed, the system virtually disappears, yet is easily accessible through oxygen ports placed in the base of the console. Aerox installs the system in customer-supplied consoles. The 33-cubic-foot bottle can supply one user for 70 hours at 10,000 feet, six users for six hours at 15,000 feet, or four users for 12 hours at 15,000 feet. Included are cannulas and flow meters. Masks for use above 18,000 feet are available. The price is $2,250 for a six-person system, $2,150 for four. Installation at the factory costs about 60 percent of the purchase price. Aerox Aviation Oxygen Systems, 125 Masarik Avenue, Stratford, Connecticut 06497; 800/237-6902 (in Connecticut, 800/972-0033). — TBH
Those of us who learned to fly a decade or more ago and maybe even some more recently trained pilots were forced to use large, clunky, and cumbersome plotters to plan cross-country flights. My 1970s-era plotter long ago turned yellow and broke. With the advent of loran and GPS, direct-to has become a way of life, but one still has the occasional need for a plotter, as do today's students. Two new plotters offer ease of use and promise a much longer life than the old set. KwikPlot from MLO Aviator Products is a 4 x 9.5-inch clear plotter with both nautical and statute mile scales for sectionals and WACs. The price is $8.95; $6.95 for AOPA members. A smaller alternative is the Pocket Plotter from Global Aviation Products. It is a 7 x 2.75-inch white plastic card that carries sectional mileage scales on the back. WAC and terminal area chart scales are computed by doubling or halving the reading. The price is $6.99. Both are far easier to use than the old style. The KwikPlot offers a more exacting scale, but the Pocket Plotter's white surface seems easier to read in a cockpit. KwikPlot is available from MLO Aviator Products, 2491 San Ramon Valley Boulevard, Suite 1-351, San Ramon, California 94583; 510/355-1550. For the Pocket Plotter, contact Global Aviation Products, Post Office Box 25533, Salt Lake City, Utah 84125-0533; 800/972-9670. — TBH
Unless otherwise stated, products listed herein have not been evaluated by AOPA Pilot editors. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors. However, members unable to get satisfaction regarding products listed should advise AOPA. To submit products for evaluation, contact: New Products Editor, AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701; telephone 301/695-2350.
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