July 2005- When I recently changed aeronautical directions by selling my light twin and moving into a two-seat sport airplane, I knew that I needed to also change my entire outlook on what sort of onboard navigation gear I’d add.
The airplane arrived at my hangar with a bare minimum of electronics—one communications transceiver, one transponder with altitude encoder, and one small handheld GPS mounted on the glareshield.
I knew that I could use a little more, but what? And at what cost, both in dollars and panel space?
Since the mission statement for my new airplane was for basically only VFR flying (but with onboard IFR-capable gyros, just in case some rain, fog or dark of night crept into our en route plans), I certainly couldn’t justify the sort of equipment that I used to haul around.
On top of that, not even a fraction of my previous FAA-approved gear would fit into the instrument panel, neither in height, width nor depth. So I began to search around in rather unfamiliar territory—VFR GPS equipment—to find out what was out there that might be just right for me.
Right up front, I knew that I would need to give up some things if I wanted others, and vice-versa. Here was the shopping list criteria that I began my ferreting with: some sort of bright-screen GPS display that contained a good aeronautical database; and a good terrain and obstructions database.
Since my new airplane had no autopilot, I needed big, easy-to-use buttons, and since there was quite a limited number of locations where the unit might be mounted in the cockpit, I absolutely needed a moderately large display screen so I could see it clearly and work it without much fuss.
My criteria so far had already eliminated a good number of the existing portable/VFR aviation units from contention for one reason or another, but my next requirement blew the few remaining ones right out of the water: the need to have access to in-flight satellite weather.
My problem was that I had been spoiled by having onboard datalink weather from Bendix/King in my light twin, and I knew firsthand how important it was to be able to access current METARs, TAFs, NEXRAD images and a host of other goodies while en route.
Since my experiences with the Bendix/King array of hardware/software had been so positive (I had an 850 MFD screen coupled to its Wingman Services VHF datalink network), I was initially inclined that way.
Giving it some thought, I realized the Bendix/King system wouldn’t work nearly as well in my new type of airplane, what with its mission profile of flying low and slow as opposed to the light twin that usually flew relatively high and fast.
The VHF datalink network worked fine as long as cruise altitudes were 5,000 feet or higher, but that wasn’t where my new airplane was going to log the lion’s share of its hours. I needed satellite reception, so that I could be firmly tuned into the datalink network regardless of my cruise altitude or the size/location of the airport I was taxiing out at.
One thing the Bendix/King datalink experience had shown me was that the “broadcast” type of datalink service was far superior to the “reply/request” type that some of the satellite interfaces had gone with. With a “broadcast” type system, once the unit is turned on and receiving, just about any weather-related product the pilot could want was very quickly inside the box and then instantly available—there was no need to wait for uploads and downloads.
More importantly, getting the data onboard was a completely passive operation from the pilot’s point of view, requiring absolutely nothing from the pilot until it was time to look at some piece of weather.
As I began searching advertisements and Internet sites, I quickly learned that nothing out there met my requirements – until I stumbled onto the True Flight web site. Accessed at aviationsafety.com (or accessible via telephone at 866-443-3342) this small company in Boulder, Colo. was marketing a hardware/software combination that seemed to have everything on my wish list available, and, better yet, put together in a tidy and quite affordable package.
Using Windows-based software, True Flight had initially developed some rather neat GPS software that could be put into any standard Windows-type laptop. After that, they developed “Flight Cheetah” hardware packages that provided an even better portable-GPS inflight platform than pilots could get from an office supply store laptop.
In the hardware category, True Flight offers several different product packages depending on your personal requirements. The one I eventually settled on was the Flight Cheetah FL250. Created as two separate units, the display portion was a 5-inch by 7.5-inch by 2-inch monitor (5.7-inch diagonal screen size).
As the literature states, “…the ultra-bright display can vividly show a range of 64 million colors. The uniquely designed filter prevents the screen from washing out, even in direct sunlight. The screen can be used in either portrait or landscape mode to offer a large variety of placement options in your aircraft.”
Part two of the package is the guts of the system itself, the computer. A 10-inch by 6-inch by 1.5-inch box with a built-in CD tray, it is—to again quote their literature —“unlike most portable systems with cables in the cockpit. True Flight has combined the computer and all optional modules in one neat package for placement in the aft of the aircraft. This means that there is only one single cable leading to the display module location in the cockpit. Removal of the computer itself from the aircraft is as simple as unplugging the power and antenna cables…”
True Flight offers several different optional add-ons, but the one that I was absolutely keen on was the WxWorx Data Link. It is a small 5.5-inch by 5.5-inch by 1-inch receiver that can be mounted anywhere in the cockpit. Mine is under the rear seat, on top of the True Flight computer box.
After plugging in its antenna and power source (just like the computer, it will accept any voltage between 12 and 28), it is ready to send a steady stream of XM Radio satellite weather data straight into the True Flight box. In my installation, I have the display screen mounted to one of the optional portable screen holders at the right edge of the aircraft’s instrument panel at what has turned out to be a perfect viewing and operating angle.
Everything on the remote computer box is operated from the display screen controls, so there is no need to ever deal with the box itself except when it’s time to update the database. This is done by inserting a CD into the computer tray. Any updates are accomplished in just the same fashion as you would do an update to your home computer—put the CD in, hit the ‘enter’ button a few times, then just wait a few minutes for all the new data to dump into the system.
Quoting the literature again, “True Flight takes in-flight navigation well beyond standard GPS moving map functionality by seamlessly integrating Data Link Weather, Approach overlay, Digital charting, glass cockpit, terrain alerting and LandSat Imagery.
“More than five years in the making, TrueMap is the most comprehensive and advanced moving map software in the industry.”
From my own experience, I can tell you that my True Flight gear has worked darn well and that I’m quite pleased with it—more details later, but first the disclaimer. True Flight is a small company and, as such, there are some minor gaps in the things they are doing.
For example, the User Guide that comes with the product is quite good with helping you get the unit installed and operating (lots of clear photographs of exactly what to plug into where), but somewhat incomplete in its operational instructions.
Going through the book carefully when the unit first arrived, I found that some of the User Guide sections generated more questions for me than answers (as Robert Kalberer, the owner of True Flight has said to me, they do need to do more with the User Guide, they just haven’t had time to get to it—the dilemma of a small company with a small staff).
Fortunately, more in-depth information is available if you call the toll-free customer support line and talk to the folks who know. An invaluable training aid was the AC-powered adapter that came with the unit, and the “Demo” mode that the unit could be put into.
When the box first arrived, I assembled the unit at home on my side porch, put the GPS and WxWorx antennas outside, then plugged into house power. For the next two days I fiddled with the unit as I began to learn its keystrokes, and also began to customize the navigation and weather overlays that I wanted to have available when I used the system in flight.
The bottom line is that I have been very pleased with the products from True Flight and, although there had been some small teething problems initially (which were dealt with very quickly by the company), it has become an invaluable addition to my new airplane’s bag of tricks.
Rob Kalberer of True Flight has promised that the product will continue to evolve and improve, just as it has for the past five years. From what I’ve seen so far, that’s precisely the path that they are well established on.
If you are in the market for a VFR GPS with loads of capabilities—including Data Link satellite weather—the True Flight product line is worth a good look at. As an example of what the financial commitment would be, the Flight Cheetah FL250 hardware/software sells for $2,995; the WxWorx Data Link hardware package was an additional $595.
Monthly subscription service for the WxWorx package ranges from $30 to $50, and getting an annual subscription to the True Flight CDs (updates to the database every 56 days—which include airports, 12,000-plus digital approach charts, arrivals, departures, airport diagrams, airspace, frequency changes, navaids, to name just some of what is included) is $199.
Next month: actual flight experiences with the True Flight GPS and the WxWorx Data Link.
Editor-at-large Thomas Block has flown nearly 30,000 hours since his first hour of dual in 1959. In addition to his 36-year career as a US Airways pilot, he has been an aviation magazine writer since 1969, and a best-selling novelist. He owns an L-19 Birddog, which he contends is a straight cross between a Piper Super Cub and a high-wing Cessna taildragger. Send questions or comments to editor@piperflyer.org.
