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| Tech Analysis | back to top |  | ||
These clever little gadgets are why you can buy an impressive portable EFIS for under a grand. In his incisive biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson explained Jobs' genius as having a knack for knowing what consumers wanted to buy before they realized they wanted it. But that's no less true of any emerging new product line -- marketing is the chicken to the egg of sales. That's definitely the case for a new class of products that have appeared during the past 18 months -- the portable ADS-B receiver, lately coupled with AHRS units that turn an iPad or tablet into a better than fair EFIS. Raising the ante yet again comes Levil Technology with a new portable product that accepts pitot/static input yielding a full-blown, if uncertified, ADAHRS and air data box. It's called the iLevil AW and we'll be trying it soon. What's going on here? Was the world demanding these gizmos or did the march of technology simply solve a problem that didn't exist? The answer is a bit of both, but more the latter than the former. A couple of technologies came together, just as pilots were snapping up tablet computers like candy and app writers were on a tear with sophisticated new products. Concurrently, the FAA more or less did what it promised: it built the ADS-B ground network to the point of broad functionality. All of sudden, things came together. Click here to read the full article. More... |
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| From the Pages of IFR Refresher Magazine | back to top | | ||
Operational guidelines followed by professionals would not have allowed a circling approach into the weather, terrain and lighting conditions this pilot attempted. Flying under Part 91 gives us an incredible amount of aviation freedom. Yet, it is this relative freedom from heavy regulation which is largely responsible for General Aviation's safety record, a safety record which seemingly can't be improved beyond a certain point, and frankly a record which is not all that great. No, flying little airplanes is not as safe as flying the airlines. Nor is it as safe as Part 91 corporate flight departments, or Part 135 charter operators, or even the military. However, as little airplane pilots, we can stack the deck in our favor. We do have a choice. We can either use Part 91, to its full legal limits, as our personal operations manual, or we can learn from our safer brethren and voluntarily curtail some of our Part 91 freedom in trade for a safer flight experience. Click here to read the full article. More... |
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| The Top Reporter on Our Crack Staff ... Is You! | back to top | | ||
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| Names Behind the News | back to top | | ||
AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource. The AVwebFlash team is:
Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? Your advertising can reach over 225,000 loyal AVwebFlash, AVwebBiz, and AVweb home page readers every week. Over 80% of our readers are active pilots and aircraft owners. That's why our advertisers grow with us, year after year. For ad rates and scheduling, click here or contact Tom Bliss, via e-mail or via telephone [(480) 525-7481]. Click here to send a letter to the editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.) Comments or questions about the news should be sent here. If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your phone or handheld device), there's also a text-only version of AVwebFlash. For complete instructions on making the switch, click here. Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. More... |
