What's New -- Products and Services

This month, AVweb's survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you a small EFIS system, charts on MFDs, backcountry flying on DVD and more.

If you know of a new product or service other AVweb readers should hear about, please send us a note.

WxServer Adds Satellite Images

WxServer, the weather service accessible by internet-enabled cell phones, has added a new graphics package to their service.

Using your cell phone, you can request a satellite image centered on almost any airport in North or South America, Europe, Africa or the Middle East, in addition to regional satellite images for the U.S., Canada and Europe. WxServer has also added the capability to determine the alphabetic designator of any airport by searching by airport name, by state, and -- for airports outside the US -- by country.

These new features add to the previous weather functions of WxServer including radar maps (U.S. national, regional and state radar maps, as well as radar maps centered on most U.S. airports), METARs, TAFs, airport information (like radio freqencies, FBO contact information, car/taxi rental, etc.) and more.

Full-service subscriptions are as low as $5/month, although there are special deals for CFIs, and a 10-day free trial is available to see if you like it. Details are available at the WxServer Web Site

SureCheck TS Micro Collision Avoidance System

Next month, SureCheck Avionics will release TS Micro, the latest in personal collision avoidance avionics. According to the manufacturer, the TS Micro will be the least expensive and smallest unit on the market, at a retail price of $289.

TS Micro is an all-digital system that monitors traffic threats with a 10-segment range display, which indicates any transponder-equipped aircraft within three to five miles. TS Micro eliminates false alerts inherent to other analog alert systems and operates with coast-to-coast U.S. coverage, as well as within most other countries.

At only 1.1" (28mm) high, 2.4" (61mm) wide, and 3.7" (94mm) long, TS Micro is the first business card-sized unit, and should provide up to 8 hours of battery life from two Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. The complete kit includes four batteries and a quick charger.

According to SureCheck President Zane Hovey,."TS Micro utilizes the same complex algorithms and extensive digital signal filtering criteria found in the more feature-filled VRX unit, -- which displays range and altitude -- but in a much more compact, basic, hand-held unit."

Units can be pre-ordered directly from SureCheck Aviation until the September 1 release date for $40 off the retail price,or $249.Visit the SureCheck Web site for product and pre-ordering information.

Flying in Red Rock Country DVD

Back country flying in the western U.S. is the best way to see this gorgeous terrain. Out There...Flying! and James Clark Films has just released the first DVD in a series on back country flying.

This DVD is all about traveling through Utah's Red Rock Country, landing at runways located in deep river canyons ringed by 1,000' sheer cliffs, and cruising over beautiful natural monuments.

The DVD is available for about $30 from the Out There ... Flying Web site.

Blue Mountain Avionics EFIS/Lite

Want to upgrade to a glass cockpit (like AVweb's Michael Maya Charles wrote about last Monday) but don't want to put out the full price of a new, advanced-technology aircraft?

Blue Mountain Avionics has come out with the third generation of its Electronic Flight Instrument System called EFIS/Lite G3. Contained in a standard, 3-1/8" package, the EFIS/Lite can be used in homebuilt/experimental aircraft as a primary flight instrument.

With a click of a button, you can change the display from an attitude direction indicator (with attitude indicator, airspeed and altitude tapes, and heading) to a moving map (using its internal GPS), to an HSI (that can interface with a Nav radio). Or, buy two, and leave one displaying attitude while the other displays the map or HSI.

EFIS/Lite G3 is all electronic and has its own inertial and magnetic subsystem, computer and display electronics. All you need to do is connect the EFIS/Lite to the aircraft's pitot and static lines, install the included GPS antenna and magnetometer, and add power (it can handle anything between 9 and 32 volts). It even has a flight data recorder!

The Blue Mountain Avionics EFIS/Lite is available for $2,795, and is currently undergoing FAA certification. For more information visit Blue Mountain Avionic's Web site.

Avidyne Adds Charts and Satellite Weather to FlightMax

Avidyne has announced upgrades for its FlightMax line of multifunction displays that include display of Jeppesen electronic charts and XM WX satellite weather.

The new CMax Approach Charts allow FlightMax users to view approach charts and airport diagrams along with their aircraft's position and flight plan. At startup, the departure airport chart is automatically displayed, which is especially valuable when taxiing at unfamiliar fields. The destination airport diagram and the list of available approaches are automatically loaded at the time your flight plan is entered, and the pilot can easily select and view any approach chart for any airport in the database.

XM WX Satellite Weather service gives pilots graphical information about weather conditions across the U.S., including full-color, high-resolution NEXRAD radar overlaid on the EX500's moving map; graphical and plain-English textual METARs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs and TFRs; and lightning strikes from the National Lightning Detection Network. According to Avidyne, XM provides full continental U.S. coverage with no gaps or altitude restrictions.

Details about upgrading your FlightMax system to include CMax and XM WX are available at the Avidyne Web site.