Pilot Products

Sporty's Aeronautical Information Manual

Did you know that the FAA publishes its Aeronautical Information Manual twice a year? While other providers often give you the option of receiving change notices to their AIM publications, when you buy an AIM from Sporty's, the company sends you the most recent version, then sends you a fresh, new copy when one becomes available-essentially giving you a year's subscription to the book instead of a one-time deal. Price: $26.95. For more information: 800/776-7897 or 513/735-9000; www.sportys.com

CheckMate Mountain Flying Quick Reference Card

Flying in the mountains requires planning, caution, and a thorough knowledge of your airplane's limitations-as well as your own. CheckMate's Mountain Flying Quick Reference Card can help you to properly plan and execute your mountain flights, in conjunction with qualified instruction. The heavy-duty laminated card includes briefs on weather, density altitude, true airspeed, night flying, weight and balance, survival planning, aeronautical decisionmaking, wind shear/downdrafts, and alternates. While the advice is concise, it serves as a syllabus for a good mountain checkout (with the exception of oxygen use, which is not covered). On the flip side, the checklists review important points about each phase of flight, from before takeoff to before landing. The cards come in three sizes: standard (6.5 by 9 inches); compact (5 by 7 inches); and pocket (6.25 by 3.25 inches).

Price: $15 standard; $12 compact; $9 pocket. For more information: 800/359-3741; www.checkmateaviation.com

Datalink update

Datalink weather systems send Nexrad radar image-typically one to five minutes old-along with textual airport weather information such as METARs and TAFs to multifunction displays, GPS receivers, and/or portable devices in the cockpit. Information is sent to the airplane via two basic methods of datalink: satellite delivery and ground-to-air communication. Several companies are currently producing answers to the datalink question, and others are close to market. Although it may take a while for datalink to land in a cockpit near you, many pilots are interested in this rapidly developing technology. Here's what each company has in store.

XM Satellite Radio does more than entertain you in the car: A Huntsville, Alabama, company called WxWorx uses XM Radio to broadcast weather anywhere in the continental United States that can be picked up by mobile receivers and displayed on your portable computer for a start-up cost (including receiver, antenna, and software) of either $660 or $860. Garmin also uses XM's datalink on its new G1000 integrated avionics system, and Heads Up has it on its XM audio/data receiver that can be used with various display systems including electronic flight bags. A subscription service for weather called the Aviator Package costs $49.99 per month plus a one-time activation fee of $75.

-Alton K. Marsh

For more information: www.wxworx.com; 256/426-2944

WSI InFlight AV100 for portable devices debuted several months ago; the installed version, the AV200, plays on the Garmin AT MX20 MFD as well as on the similar L3 Avionics i-linc MFD. The system taps into a continuous stream of data broadcast by satellite. The data is updated automatically on a five-minute cycle, and the entire data set is downloaded, enabling you to view weather in any part of the lower 48 states from your current position. WSI InFlight delivers METARs, TAFs, sigmets, and airmets, as well as echo tops and the high-resolution Nowrad radar mosaic-which combines 2-km-resolution radar data from stations around the United States, passes them through quality control, and generates a composite graphic from the more accurate data, according to WSI.

Price: $4,995 for the AV200 hardware; $599 for unlimited annual use or $19.95 a day plus $299 a year. For more information: 800/872-2359; www.wsi.com

Honeywell Bendix/King's integrated hazard avoidance system (IHAS) merges navigation, weather, terrain, and traffic information in a single display unit. The company offers three such units: a VFR-only box called the KMD 250, an IFR-certified unit called the KMD 550, and a high-end IFR unit with an interface for airborne weather radar called the KMD 850. With the addition of Bendix/King's $5,730 ($3,690 when paired with the KMD 250) KDR 510 datalink receiver, aircraft can display METARs, TAFs, pireps, sigmets, and airmets. Nexrad ground-based weather radar imagery with 4-km resolution is available, as are animated Nexrad imagery and graphically depicted METARs, sigmets, and airmets.

Soon to come is Nexrad imagery with precipitation cell echo-top information. The KDR 510 scans a ground-based network of transmitters to gather data, and the pilot can view the requested products on the display screens with just a few keystrokes. The information is always broadcast in the background, waiting for the pilot to make a request.

-Thomas A. Horne

Price: Wingman service graphics cost $49.90 a month; the first three months are free, as are text weather. For more information: 877/712-2386 or 913/712-2613; www.bendixking.com

Echo Flight supplies Nexrad graphics and graphical and textual METARs via Orbcomm's satellite network, downloaded to its proprietary portable hardware, called Flight Cheetah. The Flight Cheetah hardware has evolved from a tablet-sized screen and separate keyboard to a unit that can be installed on a panel or yoke mount. Available in several versions, the latest is the FL 250, which features a bright, 5.7-inch diagonal display, WAAS-enabled GPS, datalink receiver, and portable hard drive. Echo Flight delivers weather data in a constant stream, and also offers in-flight e-mail and position reporting service in addition to weather.

Price: Several plans available starting at $9.95 a month plus $1 for each message, with unlimited service for $55 a month; Flight Level 250 hardware/software package is $5,295, with the Flight Level 270 for $5,695. For more information: 888/948-9657; www.echoflight.com

Avidyne chose a different approach with its datalink weather solution, available in the FlightMax EX500 MFD or in the FlightMax Entegra integrated flight deck. Avidyne's "narrowcasting" receiver requests information from a radius (50 to 400 nm) along the current route, at a time interval set by the pilot (every 6 to 60 minutes). The result is a swath of data up to 800 nm around and along the route. Nexrad images are overlaid on the primary map page along with graphical TFRs, airmets, and sigmets while textual weather information such as METARs is listed with each reporting airport on the Trip page. The system uses Orbcomm's satellite network, and Avidyne utilizes its own network operations center to distill and send the data.

Price: $8,995 for EX500; datalink service costs $99 for registration, then 9 cents per message unit. The DC50 is available for $495 when purchased with the EX500. For more information: 800/284-3963; www.avidyne.com

An option for pilots who like portability (and their personal digital assistants) is Control Vision's AnywhereWx, part of its AnywhereMap moving map software for PDAs. AnywhereWx uses either an AirCell in-flight telephone or a satellite telephone linking it to Orbcomm's GlobalStar satellite network. The system delivers METARs, Nexrad images, and cloud cover imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-8 satellite from Meteorlogix (formerly DTN). These graphics are displayed on the primary map page, overlaid on the base map showing the aircraft's current position and route. Data delivery is obtained through request/reply, and typical downloads take a minute or less to complete.

Price: $2,145 includes Compaq iPaq 5550, AnywhereWx software, GlobalStar tri-mode satellite phone, Garmin GPS 35 GPS and antenna, yoke mount, and bag; datalink service through GlobalStar begins at $25 monthly plus $1.29 a minute; AnywhereWx service is $72 annually. For more information: 620/231-6647; www.controlvision.com