August 2012
Real-time, in-flight weather is not a new concept. Sirius XM and WSI have been providing it to pilots for years.
ADS-B, the key element in the United States government’s plan for the NextGen air traffic control system, has been in a long and slow development process. The service, which provides weather, traffic—and ultimately will provide clearances and other ATC communications—is now becoming available as the FAA pushes toward its full implementation
by 2020.
ELECTRONIC WEATHER
The first element of NextGen to become available has been the weather products. But in order for pilots to take advantage of this service, they need
an ADS-B receiver and a way to display the data.
Most readers would agree that the Apple iPad has emerged as the dominant choice for in-cockpit informational display. Gulfstream is certifying the iPad as an EFB on its new G650 ultra-high speed business jet; Jeppesen is aggressively pushing its chart service toward electronic formats; and companies like ForeFlight have developed apps for the iPad that are both easy to use and extremely cost-effective.
A few months ago, I did my first coast-to-coast flight using only an iPad for charts. The technology is amazing. In the confines of a General Aviation cockpit, it is wonderful to have all that material at your fingertips.
ForeFlight continues to expand its product with the introduction of in-flight weather. It has teamed up with a company called Appareo that has developed a self-contained ADS-B weather receiver—Stratus—and displays the product on
the ForeFlight app on an iPad.
THE PILOT’S IMPRESSIONS
I ordered my Stratus receiver before they were available and as soon as I got it, I jumped in my plane and flew from Palm Beach, Fla. to Columbia, S.C., then to Sarasota, Fla., and back to Palm Beach. I happened to pick the weekend of the first tropical storm of the season, which was spinning off the South Carolina coast, so I got a chance to test the product in real weather and compare the information against my panel-mounted XM weather receiver.
First, let me clarify an important point. The Stratus/ForeFlight combination worked flawlessly. In fact, the battery in the Stratus outlasted the battery in the iPad. The Stratus device has one button: on and off. It’s simple to use, and the box connects to the iPad via 8011 wireless network. No wires, no plugs. In fact, you can connect several iPads at the same time.
GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME
In my opinion, the weather product that ADS-B provides is okay, not great—though I’m sure it will get better with time. The ADS-B radar is different in presentation from the XM product, but very good. It updated every five to six minutes, and I had absolutely no reception problems any time I was airborne.
I could not receive ADS-B on the ground at Palm Beach or Columbia, but I appeared to be receiving it on the ground at Sarasota.
If I have a complaint, it is in the METARs and TAFs, some of which ran as long as 105 minutes between updates. Also, you cannot access satellite imagery for clouds on this system—at least, not right now. The TFRs displayed, as did the pireps, though they were few and far between on the day I did this trip.
The Stratus receiver also contains a GPS receiver, so it will give you in-flight GPS ability to about three-foot accuracy. Displaying the chart—in my case, the low IFR chart—with the weather overlaid on it, with your position displayed in real time, is state-of-the-art air navigation.
A few years ago, we were paying tens of thousands of dollars for this capability. Now, for the price of an iPad and $799 for a Stratus receiver, you can have it, too.
ForeFlight and Appareo teamed up with Sporty’s Pilot Shop as the sole distributor. Hats off to Hal Shevers, Sporty’s founder/CEO, for having the foresight to get involved with bringing this product to market.
This technology is where aviation is going. Jeppesen has just cancelled its Q Service chart updates, a product I have received since its inception in the 1980s. The paperless cockpit is no longer science fiction… it’s just science.
Michael Leighton is a 7,200-plus-hour, three-time Master CFII MEI-ATP, as well as an A&P mechanic and former FAA Accident Prevention Counselor. He operates an aircraft management, maintenance and Part 135 air charter company in South Florida. You can find him online at web.mac.com/mkleighton. Send questions or comments to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
RESOURCES >>>>>
Appareo Systems, LLC
appareo.com
Apple Inc.’s iPad
apple.com/ipad
ForeFlight LLC
foreflight.com
Sporty’s Pilot Shop
sportys.com/stratus
