Keeping all your portable devices charged in the cockpit isn’t easy. Our favorite option for the last few years has been a sleek white battery brick from Flight Gear, and now an updated version is available. The Flight Gear Battery Pack is 20% smaller than the preceding generation and still just half an inch thick, but it packs 20,000 mAh of power. There’s even a new organizer case.
While the Track Logs page in ForeFlight is a great way to get an overview of your flight, for detailed post-flight analysis we like to use CoudAhoy. This powerful app (available for iPad and in your web browser) adds some helpful tools and even automatic scoring. Here’s an example from a recent training flight.
Canada is an easy flight for many pilots in the United States (especially now that most Covid restrictions have been lifted), and summer is the perfect time to visit. Fortunately, there are a number of iPad apps that make it easier than ever to plan and fly your flight to Canada. Here’s a review of the options.
Datalink weather has the potential to make your flying safer and more comfortable – but only if you know how to use it properly. Join Air Facts editor John Zimmerman for an in-depth look at ADS-B, SiriusXM, and how to use them in flight. Topics include 5 key weather rules, the differences between ADS-B and SiriusXM, and real world weather flying scenarios.
The growing popularity of portable electronic devices means a growing stash of charging cables, cigarette lighter plugs, and battery packs. Before long, the bottom of your flight bag can look like a giant bowl of spaghetti. A new roll-up organizer is a simple but surprisingly helpful tool to combat this disorganization.
ForeFlight is one of aviation’s biggest success stories, growing from a hobby to an industry-leading business in less than a decade. Tyson Weihs was there at the beginning, and in this episode of Sporty’s Pilot’s Discretion podcast, he shares some early memories and some lessons learned about aviation and business. He also explains how he uses ForeFlight both for pre-flight planning and for in-flight navigation, plus tips for using datalink weather to stay safe.
An original iPad, which came out in 2010, can be purchased on eBay for under $50—a great deal, right? Not so fast. Most aviation apps have specific requirements that eliminate some older tablets from consideration, so before you buy that used iPad, read on.
Charging cables used to be simple: buy one with a Lightning connector and plug it into your iPad. But since the early days of tablets, things have become much more complicated. We’ve recently been flying with some new cables that finally solve this problem, and add some helpful features as well.
Now there’s a new top dog in the portable weather receiver market, with the introduction of Sentry Plus. While slightly larger than the original Sentry, it’s still a compact and lightweight device that easily mounts on a side window via a suction cup. In addition to popular features like datalink weather and traffic, Sentry Plus includes some thoughtful upgrades and performance enhancements. Here’s a look at some of the new features.
A portable satellite communicator is ideal for updating friends and family when your ETA changes or for tracking flights in remote areas. Now there’s a new player in this market. ACR Electronics, a well-known manufacturer of personal locator beacons, has launched the Bivy Stick.
There are thousands of weather apps for the general public, from free to quite expensive. These are great for deciding whether you need a jacket tomorrow, but when it comes to aviation weather—looking at thunderstorms, ice, turbulence, visibility and so much more—these apps just aren’t enough. So we’ll focus on apps that offer more for pilots, both free and paid.
A good pilot should know how to “aviate, navigate, and communicate,” no matter what airplane they are flying. For anyone flying with an electronic flight bag, there isn’t a simple phrase to remember but there are still some essential skills to master. Are you proficient at all five of these?
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