iPad pilot’s wish list — Christmas 2014

With Christmas right around the corner, many pilots are hoping to find a new iPad accessory under the tree with their name on it. To help, we've assembled this list of the most popular iPad gifts for 2014.

Backup power options for iPad

The iPad has proven very reliable over the past 4 years, but you should still consider "what-if" scenarios when it comes to the potential for a dead battery in flight. Here are 5 backup power solutions to make sure you always have extra power available in the airplane.

New MyGoFlight screen protectors and mounts

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Since the iPad was first announced over four years ago, dozens of companies have offered screen protectors to prevent scratches and minimize glare. Some of these work pretty well; most are junk. Now there's a new entrant.

New iPad yoke mounts available from RAM

RAM Mounts have consistently been our top pick for iPad mounting solutions, and the yoke mount has always been one of the best selling versions. RAM recently introduced a new version that we think is a nice upgrade.

Pilot report: flying the new Iridium Go satellite hotspot

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We've been flying with Iridium's new Go! satellite hotspot for a few months in everything from jets to taildraggers, and we've learned a lot about this unique product. It's no broadband in the cockpit, but it does offer some very useful functions that aren't available anywhere else.

Flying with Stratus in an ADS-B Out airplane

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To get the full benefits of the traffic capabilities when flying with ForeFlight and Stratus you must be equipped with an ADS-B out transponder. We recently went flying in an ADS-B out airplane to show what this looks likes and the additional traffic info available in ForeFlight.

Bad Elf introduces new Pro+ model

The Bad Elf Pro GPS has been one of the most popular iPad accessories in aviation for a few years now, especially with turbine operators. The company recently introduced the new Pro+ model, which is the most full-featured GPS we've seen for the iPad.

Pilot report: flying the new SiriusXM weather receiver

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At Oshkosh this summer, SiriusXM introduced a new portable weather receiver for the iPad, the SXAR1. The product is now shipping, and we've had a chance to fly with it on a few longer trips. Here are some of our reactions.

Tips for using Garmin Pilot with the VIRB camera

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The Garmin VIRB is quickly becoming the preferred video camera among pilots, with its long battery life, color screen and built-in GPS. But one of the other nice features is its integration with Garmin's popular Pilot app, which allows you to control every feature of the VIRB remotely.

New SiriusXM wireless weather receiver for iPad

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While ADS-B is a great subscription-free source for datalink weather for iPad, some pilots depend on the additional features and utility of a satellite-based weather feed. A new wireless receiver from SiriusXM was just announced and makes it easier than ever to receive and display this data on your iPad.

Iridium Go enables in-flight messaging, phone calls

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Many pilots can't stand to be disconnected from their smartphones and tablets for longer than a few minutes. But the new Iridium GO! portable satellite hotspot goes some way towards fixing this problem.

Garmin Connext links iPad with panel-mount avionics

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Everyone wants to connect their iPad to their panel-mount avionics. This week, Garmin announced a way to do exactly that. Here's what's new, and what it means.