Handheld GPS units are useful in a number of ways. For a pilot who rents aircraft, having your own GPS can be invaluable because it keeps navigation constant in the cockpit--no matter which airplane you rent. You can load flight plans at home and then fly them in the airplane. And you will always have a back-up navigation system that you understand in depth, in case unfamiliar avionics are installed in the airplane and you need a safety net while you learn their nuances.
Electronic flight bags take the concept of a handheld GPS a few steps further. An EFB consists of a personal computer (a laptop, tablet PC, or a PDA--personal digital assistant), a GPS antenna, and relevant software. So in addition to having a moving-map presentation on the computer's display (the rough equivalent of the main navigation display on a GPS), EFBs can run robust software that you choose to help you with flight planning, looking up sectional and instrument charts, and other tasks. The newest EFBs also incorporate software and hardware plug-ins that generate an electronic flight information system (EFIS) or attitude-indicator-style display, with some going so far as to incorporate synthetic vision (real-time terrain and obstruction depiction).
There are a variety of rock-solid units to choose from; we'll focus here on the newest versions of some of our favorites--and a new EFB worth watching.
Garmin GPSMap 396
The GPSMap 396, the latest handheld GPS from Garmin, taps into XM WX Satellite Weather's datalink weather products. A $49.99 per month subscription--and a one-time $75 activation fee--gets you XM WX's Aviator service package, which lets you call up a whole raft of weather products, many of which you can superimpose on the unit's navigation map view. Most impressive is the Nexrad Doppler weather radar imagery. You can easily see if precipitation will be a factor by comparing your flight-planned course line with the Nexrad returns--similar to the radar depictions that you see on The Weather Channel.
XM WX's products include Nexrad radar, echo tops, satellite mosaic, lightning (datalinked from the nation's lightning detection network), winds aloft (for altitudes from 3,000 feet to the flight levels), freezing levels, airmets, sigmets, surface analysis charts, METARs, TAFs, precipitation types (at the surface), plus county warnings and symbolic depictions of plain-English forecasts for various cities. Also included are temporary flight restrictions and severe weather storm tracks.
The 396 can also provide traffic information service (TIS) representations of nearby traffic, using standardized TCAS (traffic collision avoidance system) symbology. To use this feature your aircraft must provide inputs from a Mode S transponder, such as Garmin's GTX 330.
Yet another aviation feature is terrain information. Much like its predecessor unit--the Garmin 296--the 396's terrain page uses colors to warn pilots of vertical proximity to terrain or obstacles. Areas in red indicate terrain within 100 feet of your altitude; yellow means terrain is between 100 and 1,000 feet away. Obstacles taller than 200 feet above ground level (agl) appear along with their mean sea level (msl) altitudes.
Other aviation features are also in the 396, such as flight plan and special-use airspace information, as well as Garmin's "panel page"--a view that duplicates the venerable six-pack of flight instruments.
Price: $2,695. Contact: 913/397-8200; www.garmin.com
More details on Garmin's GPSMap 396 can be found in our full-length review on AOPA Online.
Lowrance AirMap 2000c with terrain
The Lowrance AirMap 2000c was already WAAS-capable (Wide Area Augmentation System) when we reviewed it in May 2005, but now it goes one step further by adding terrain awareness functions to its sharp 5-inch-diagonal screen.
A new two-map display on the color screen shows topographical terrain on the top half, and a new terrain and airspace profile view on the lower half. This new view displays airspace parameters, towers and other obstructions, terrain features, and a projected flight path to help you determine if any of these items pose a threat or concern for your flight.
The standard Navigation page offers three display choices. The first is a navigation panel with a horizontal situation indicator (HSI) using GPS-derived data and a simulated flight director with yellow bars and an orange chevron. An HSI map screen replaces the flight director presentation with a map on the bottom half of the screen. The aviation map selection gives a full-screen map with the lat/long displayed along the bottom.
On the Map page, you have a choice of a map panel (which includes GPS-derived displays of groundspeed, altitude, and heading), a full map (with data blocks at the bottom), a compass overlay (at the top of the screen), a two-map display, and a digital data display (which shows seven data blocks plus a latitude and longitude readout).
The 2000C operates from a DC power adapter or from four AA batteries (standard alkaline, rechargeable alkaline, or NiMh). The new terrain features are available to upgrade existing AirMap 2000 units, as well as being installed as an option in new units.
Price: $999 plus $100 for terrain. For more information: 800/324-0044; www.lowrance.com
Control Vision's AnywhereMap and 100LL.com
Control Vision, creator of the AnywhereMap moving map system, has launched a Web site to help pilots find the best fuel stops. 100LL.com also features airport diagrams and other flight-planning information.
FBO information and links, including the most recently updated fuel prices, are featured on the site. A date and time of the update is provided for quick reference. Also, a comparison-inducing list of nearby airports with fuel prices helps pilots quickly determine their options. Weather information--with quick icons for ceiling and visibility--and listings of airport amenities further aid the pilot in decision making. Links to make reservations at nearby hotels streamline the overnight lodging process once on the ground.
Users can upload fuel pricing data into the hardware running AnywhereMap (PDA or tablet computer) and access it en route for $30 per year. Use of the data via Internet is free to all users. Also new for the AnywhereMap program--Taxi-Express airport diagrams, which allow the pilot to view the aircraft's position on an airport chart while taxiing. An update is available to current subscribers free as part of their subscription.
Price: free; downloads are $30 annually. Contact: www.100LL.com; www.controlvision.com
Mercury Computer Systems VistaNav
A new entry into the electronic flight bag market comes from Mercury Computer Systems, VistaNav. The first EFB on the market with synthetic vision (which projects an image of upcoming terrain and obstruction features onto an electronic attitude indicator), VistaNav offers EFIS and moving-map presentations along with flight planning compatibility with Jeppesen's FliteStar flight-planning software. The combination gives the pilot a backup navigation system that provides a clear picture of the aircraft's position and attitude--and relation to surrounding terrain--regardless of the flight conditions.
The system includes a tablet PC by Motion Computing with a 5-inch by 8-inch display, an integrated navigation unit (INU), a satellite weather receiver, and a yoke mount. The INU houses a GPS receiver (for navigation information), three-dimensional solid-state gyros (for aircraft attitude information), and a Bluetooth wireless interface (to communicate with the tablet PC, obviating the need for a cable interface and reducing cockpit clutter). A single power cord from the INU plugs into the DC power outlet on most light aircraft.
Price: $4,290; with WxWorx receiver, $4,940. For more information: 866/627-6951; www.mc.com
Related Articles
