Entries by John Zimmerman

Big Google Earth update makes 3D airport flyovers easy

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Google Earth has been around for over 15 years, and in that time it has changed many people’s perception of our planet with its worldwide satellite images. More practically for pilots, the website and app can be useful for planning a flight to an unfamiliar airport. This week brought a major update for the iOS app with some helpful new features for pilots.

ForeFlight and Garmin introduce new weather receivers

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EAA Airventure Oshkosh is the aviation event of the summer, and it usually brings a number of product introductions. This year is proving to be no exception, with new airplanes, new engines, and new avionics all being announced over the last week. Two of the giants in the world of aviation apps and accessories, ForeFlight and Garmin, joined the fray this week. Here’s a look at what’s new and what it all means.

How to safely contain a tablet fire

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Many airlines and corporate flight departments require pilots to carry fire containment systems on all flights. After all, in a pressurized airplane at 37,000 feet, you can’t exactly throw the tablet out the window. Fortunately, there’s a new option that is both portable and far less expensive than traditional systems.

Dual continues to update its line of ADS-B receivers

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For the last two years, Appareo’s Stratus 2S and Garmin’s GDL 39 3D have dominated the market for portable ADS-B receivers, but Dual Electronics has carved out a successful niche as well. Their strategy has been to offer affordable receivers that work with a wide variety of apps, making them our top picks for pilots flying with Aerovie, FltPlan Go, WingX, and FlyQ.

The best USB charging accessory for pilots?

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For pilots using a tablet as their primary chart reference, keeping an iPad charged isn’t just a convenience – it’s a safety of flight issue. Fortunately, there are a whole host of solutions that can keep your battery topped off; unfortunately, many were developed for cars and not airplanes. Now there’s a new option that is made for aviation but inexpensive.

Flying with the inReach satellite messenger and an iPad

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For some pilots, being disconnected is one of the joys of a pilot certificate, as you get to escape earthly annoyances; for others it is a major drawback. While high speed internet isn’t available for light airplanes, Garmin’s new inReach products offer an affordable option for staying connected in the air. We tested the inReach Explorer+ on 10 different flights recently, and found a lot to like.

Using the SXAR1 to listen to SiriusXM Radio

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The SXAR1 receiver has been a popular accessory for pilots flying with ForeFlight over the last year, providing high quality in-flight weather with coast-to-coast coverage from SiriusXM’s satellites. While the weather is the most important feature, many pilots have also come to enjoy a little music during long flights. That option came to ForeFlight earlier this year, and it’s a surprisingly nice upgrade.

Flight testing ForeFlight’s new performance models

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One of the biggest upgrades in ForeFlight version 9.1 (released earlier this month) is the availability of highly detailed performance profiles. These pre-loaded aircraft data sets allow the app to calculate extremely accurate numbers for time en route and fuel burn, which is a critical feature for high performance and turbine airplanes. Just how accurate are these profiles? We tested it out on a long trip recently – here’s what we found.

Video review: iPad kneeboards

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Mounts and kneeboards are the two most popular ways to secure an iPad in the cockpit. The options for kneeboards in particular have expanded in recent years, which can make the buying decision a little complicated. In this Product PIREP video, we take four of the most popular iPad kneeboards up for a test flight in a Cessna 172. See the different models in action, and learn what their unique advantages are.