AircraftOwner Online

In this month's Pilot, What's Your Story?, Ev Lake shared his dismay with the encroaching obsolescence of his instruments and the cost to the average aviator:
 
    "I have a concern about the future of aviation for those of us that use an older aircraft that may have a selling price of about $60,000.00 or less. Some of us feel a strong pressure to replace our ‘entry level avionics’ with very capable expensive avionics. The pressure comes from the decommissioning of many VOR and NDB navaids as more GPS based approaches are added. The loss of the VOR and NDB approaches makes it more difficult to justify a used Skyhawk, Warrior, etc. for a small business and/ or personal travel. But, it is difficult to justify spending $12,000.00 or more to install a WAAS capable GPS receiver in an older aircraft. (NextGen will likely be even more difficult to justify.)
    Certainly this pressure to use expensive equipment must drive the cost for training upwards. A $250,000.00 glass cockpit aircraft must be more expensive for private pilot certificate training than a $60,000.00 ‘steam gage’ aircraft. That cost is bound to discourage many potential students from even taking an introductory ride."
 
Pilots: what are your feelings about this? Do you share Ev's concerns?
Sound off below.

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There are things that are simply nice to have in the cockpit and then there are things that can save your life. At some point, we all make a decision as to whether or not we believe the cost is worth the risk. In this case I am thinking specifically about electronic traffic avoidance equipment.  

When GPS first came out for GA aircraft it was very expensive and not that many people purchased it, at least not for VFR navigation. Now, as prices have declined significantly most pilots consider it an indispensible element for navigation. Sure we keep maps with us. In fact, I not only keep maps but plot my location on the map as I fly along with the GPS.  Traffic avoidance systems are following the same price/performance trajectory and we should all take note. It could save your life.  

This came to my attention again as I was reading copy of Plane & Pilot magazine and noticed an ad for a new AvMap traffic avoidance product. There was an image of a portable device and bullet points outlining impressive capabilities. However, when I went to their Web site, I could not find anything about it.  

I called the company and they said they ran the ad because of the upcoming LSA show in Sebring, Florida. They also said they had the device on display at the AOPA Expo. I am embarrassed to admit that I missed it. Unfortunately they have not officially announced it and could tell me little more – other than it will be affordable.  That’s what I really wanted to hear!  

These devices are great to have. Many of the new ones will interface with portable displays, showing traffic around you with varying degrees of distance and accuracy. I have flown with several of these units and consider them an important component of cockpit resource management. Don’t get me wrong; traffic avoidance devices supplement your personal eyeball vigilance for which there is no substitute. But they can save your life.   

I am so pleased to see more manufactures joining the market and I am happy that prices are coming down. Hopefully, like the GPS, traffic avoidance hardware will become as common in the cockpits of GA aircraft as GPS is now.  While most of us have few problems when we are flying, of all the things that can go wrong, a mid-air collision is seldom survivable.  

This year, take a good look at traffic avoidance options and see if they are yet in your risk/reward zone.

Have you checked out the new Garmin Aera yet?

I was just wondering what Garmin was going to come up with next and here it is. The QVTA wide-format 4.3 inch screen is crisp and relatively easy to use, even with my five thumbs. The screen offers a menu-driven tap-and-drag interface.

The Aera's Sectional chart-style shaded mapping, terrain and aviation databases with a color terrain advisory feature and pop-up alerts when possible obstructions or the ground is coming at you.

The 550 and 560 have chards and taxi diagrams for more than 950 airports. This is Garmin’s most comprehensive GA product yet. I have a 496 that’s made my flying easier and safer and was well worth the investment. The new Aera is an improvement over an already remarkable product line. We just posted a video on the new Aera in the AircraftOwner Videos section ( http://www.aircraftowner.com/members/profile/1/video/440 ).
Check it out!