Weather information includes animated Nexrad radar loops; graphical and textual METARs and TAFs; airmets, sigmets, and pireps; temporary flight restrictions; winds aloft; satellite and infrared imagery; and lightning data. Graphical presentations of current conditions are standard--depicted by colored icons determined by whether the conditions are VFR, marginal VFR, IFR, or low IFR. Wind data is given in standard barbs overlaid on the map. Some phones do not support all of the features; specifics are given on the site.
You access the weather information by selecting an airport and making a request to the Pilot My-Cast server. A separate request is required for each download. Though this doesn't take long (a few seconds in every case, as long as the signal is reasonable), it can get a little tedious if you need to access several kinds of data. So piecing together a detailed briefing takes time. But getting an update--say, to determine the current location of a line of storms along your route, or the current conditions at your destination--takes little time. Once you select an airport you can save it to a favorites list for future reference.
Then you select the type of report you wish to receive and make another request. Depending on the service you have, and your phone, you can automatically set the phone to request data without asking "are you sure?" prior to making the request--but with some phones, such as the one we used for testing, it prompts you with a question at every request. Again, a little tedious, but if you're quick with your thumb on the "accept" key, you won't notice it much.
A route feature allows you to enter a simple flight plan, with fuel burn, true airspeed, and altitude, and the flight calc function takes the current winds aloft for that route and determines your heading, groundspeed, time en route, and fuel burn. In order to make the flight calc estimate your route times, you need to enter an altitude that corresponds with a winds-aloft altitude for which you have already downloaded data (i.e., 3,000 feet or 6,000 feet). This is good for ballparking your flight calculations but obviously doesn't provide precise information--fair enough, since winds-aloft forecasts are simply forecasts and not real-time data.
Service availability varies with your cell phone provider and handset. Using the AT Wireless network, I found several airports along the southeastern coast of the United States at which we weren't able to get a signal--and therefore had no access to weather data. But at about half of these airports, a signal was available on my personal cell phone, on the Sprint network.
Until we have cell towers in every tree, bush, and hay bale across the country, coverage simply won't be 100 percent. But for a cost-effective weather service with robust information, Pilot My-Cast is a worthwhile addition to your bag of tricks.
Price: $12.95 monthly (in addition to any service fees from your cellular provider) or $129.95 annually. For more information: www.digitalcyclone.com
That Bug Stuff
The bug months are hard on airplanes--and you can't help but feel that all the bugs on your leading edges are thick enough to slow down your cruise speeds! That Bug Stuff is a specially formulated aircraft cleaner designed to get rid of bugs and other grime from airplane surfaces without removing wax or harming the finish.
We tested the cleaner on several airplanes and found the liquid to be effective at removing bugs.
Price: $14.95. For more information: www.thatbugstuff.com
Takeoffs and Landings
If you've been searching for a copy of Leighton Collins' first book, Takeoffs and Landings, look no further. Aviation Supplies and Academics is reprinting the book, calling it a comprehensive analysis and insight into the factors involved with each takeoff and landing: trim, control feel, flaring, correcting imperfections, airplane design characteristics, atmospheric conditions, pilot skill, airport design, and where the pilot's hands and eyes are at each phase. Collins founded Air Facts magazine and contributed a chapter to Wolfgang Langewiesche's Stick and Rudder. This edition includes an opening note by Collins' son, aviation writer Richard L. Collins, and new photography by Tom Lippert.
Price: $19.95. For more information: 800/426-8338; www.asa2fly.com
Sporty's So You Want to Fly Seaplanes? DVD
Travel to Jack Brown's Seaplane Base (made famous by the number of seaplane pilots that Brown's has produced over the years) for a complete look at what seaplane flying is all about. In the DVD So You Want to Fly Seaplanes? instructors Jon Brown and John Rennie give real-world tips on flying off the water. Among them are how to taxi and park on the water, and a special focus on takeoffs and landings.
Price: $29.95. For more information: 800/776-7897 or 513/735-9000; www.sportys.com
Mountain Flying Bible Revised
Sparky Imeson published the first version of his book on flying in the high country back in 1970, and in the intervening 35 years, the tome has grown from 170 pages to more than 500--along with Imeson's experience in the backcountry. And Imeson's lessons extend beyond the mountains to encompass practically every flight.
Imeson organizes the book in order of the things that a novice (or advanced) pilot needs to know prior to venturing into mountains. After an introduction, which outlines the important overall concepts, the book is broken into five parts. First, he discusses knowing your airplane and planning the flight in detail, with attention to fuel, weather, and navigation. Then, he outlines procedures for takeoffs in Part 2, en route operations in Part 3, arrivals in Part 4, and landings in Part 5. Throughout the book, Imeson pulls out rules of thumb, warnings, notes, and memory items with icons for easy reference. If you read only these items, you would take away some gems that you would use again and again in your flying.
But within the text lies much more. For example, Imeson notes that in planning a cross-country flight into the mountains, a novice pilot should take into consideration the fact that low-level navigating via pilotage, using sectionals and drainage charts, takes as much energy as a day in the clouds navigating by VORs--and that breaking up the trip into shorter chunks provides time for the pilot to regroup and recharge. This advice is good for long cross-country flights over the flatlands as well: When attempting a flight into unfamiliar territory, you will fatigue faster than you would flying over a route you know well.
The softcover book is mostly in black and white, with some full-color photos in the section on Idaho backcountry airstrips. These pictures, of landings at famous strips such as Solider Bar, Cabin Creek, and Wilson Bar, offer a taste of where an advanced mountain flying course can take you. But as Imeson says, it is wise--if not a prerequisite--prior to flying into the mountains to take dual flight instruction from a CFI experienced in mountain flying techniques.
Price: $36.95. For more information: 307/733-3516; www.mountainflying.com
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