Airport Pilot Shop

Lightspeed Sierra - New Aviation Headset

2010-07-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

I finally had my chance to try out the new Lightspeed Sierra. I'm impressed. It's a good quality headset that is less expensive than the popular Lightspeed Zulu. I created a video review of the product to introduce you to the features of this headset. I also compare it to the Lightspeed Zulu in case you are considering buying one soon.

Lightspeed Sierra Video Review

Airport Pilot Shop is a leading source for all of your pilot supply needs.

Please call me if you have any questions about these or other products.
Thanks
David Rochin
www.AirportPilotShop.com
239-263-9121
239-648-4017

Introducing the Garmin Portable Aera GPS

2009-11-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

Garmin Aera 500 Series GPS
New Touchscreen GPS

Wow, Garmin has done it again. This time though they released a series of units that will fit anyone's budget. The Garmin Aera 500, 510, 550 and 560 are small, lightweight aviation GPSs with a Touchscreen Interface. If you have ever used one of Garmin's Nuvi Automotive GPSs then you will be familiar with this new interface. The buttons that were common on Garmin's older aviation GPSs are now gone and replaced by a very easy to use touchscreen display that provides easy access to all of the features you have come to rely on with Garmin GPS.

Garmin released the Aera Series to replace 4 older models of GPS.
The most closely related older models are the

$ 799 Garmin Aera 500 Similar to GPSMAP 296
$1299 Garmin Aera 510 Similar to GPSMAP 396
$1499 Garmin Aera 550 Similar to GPSMAP 495
$1999 Garmin Aera 560 Similar to GPSMAP 496

Here is a chart to help differentiate the different models and help identify which unit will be best for your particular needs.

The Moving Map on the Garmin Aera 510 and Aera 560 will show current weather. A subscription is required though.
Please Click here to view the subscription
options for receiving XM Weather.

IFR Maps - The Garmin Aera GPSs will display Victor Airways. The moving map will display much of the information that is normally on your Low Altitude Charts. This feature is available on the Garmin GPSMAP 695 and 696 but not on Garmin's older GPSs. This is a feature upgrade for owners of either the GPSMAP 196, 296, 396, 495, or 496

AOPA Airport Directory - The Garmin Aera 550 and 560's Airport information screen has the capability of displaying all of the information avialable in the AOPA Airport Directory.

The Garmin Aera 550 and 560 will display your position on the taxiways at over 650 of the larger airports.

Terrain (Birdseye and Profile View) - All of the Garmin Aera 500 Series GPS will show terrain warnings. The Aera 500 and 510 utilize a lower resolution 30 arcsecond database. The Aera 550 and 560 utilize a higher resolution (11 times higher) 9 arcsecond database

Automotive Mode - The Garmin Aera 500 Series of GPS all have the capability of operating much like a Garmin Nuvi Automotive GPS. It contains all of the road information preloaded for the entire country (United States).

Enhanced Automotive Features - The Garmin Aera 550 and 560 have a feature called lane assist that gives extra information for ensuring you are in the correct lane to follow the GPSs instructions. They also have the ability to receive NAVTEQ Traffic information (extra equiment necessary)

Brightline Bags

2009-06-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

Brightline Bags

Last year we received a new bag in our store. There are so many flight bags on the market that I didn't think customers would notice this well designed bag. I was wrong, customers did notice and they started buying. The bag has been a great seller ever since.

It is a very well thought out design that incorporates pockets and compartments that provide a storage space for just about everything you need to carry with you to the aircraft. I prefer to only carry the absolute minimum amount of supplies to the aircraft. I leave all books and heavy items behind. The Brightline Bag provides storage space for your headset, a couple of charts, keys, fuel strainer, leatherman, and more. Check out this video which give a very thorough demonstration of the features of the Brightline Bag. Then go to www.AirportPilotShop.com to order one.

Some recent customer reviews said:
Absolute Superior !
Review: This is a great bag... accomodates everything, including my Bose Headset and my Garmin GPSMAP396. I have pockets left over !

The Answer, Total great package
Review: By far the best Flight Bag available. It is better than I expected. The design of the storage spaces with color coded zippers keeps you from fumbling. I saw reviews before I bought it that the zippers were cheap. I disagree strongly, very study because of modern technology. The size is smaller than expected which is a big plus because there is room for everything but takes up less space in the airplane. Private Pilot

Great product well thought out.
Review: This product delivers what it said it would. It is the 3rd bag I've owned. Had I known if it was available I would have bought it first. It's compact, yet well organized allowing finding something easy. I can't believe how much you can put in it. I wouldn't alter the bag to fit my plotter, but someone should create a rotating plotter to fit the bag. It would be nice if the shoulder strap be design to fasten to back of the opposite seat, to keep it secure and in easy reach of the pilot. That would leave the rear seat more open for passengers.

Great flightbag
Review: The BrightLine bag is pretty much exactly what you would expect from the video; it pretty much has space for everything that you need while flying, and keeps all of the usual gear very well organized. Construction is excellent - I expect the bag to last 10 years or more, although I have only flown about 10 hours with it since I got it. The one downside is the strap, which is a bit chincy.

Nothing but the best !!!
Review: I enjoy this flight bag. It has a place for everything and just the right size. My flight instructor also really likes it; so much so that I've promised him one if and when I obtain my certification. Now he's really pushing me!

The best flight bag on the planet!!
Review: This bag solves ALL of my flight bag issues. I don't have to dig around for anything, and what I need is always where I can get at it instantly - glasses, video camera, pens, charts, electronic tech gadget ---- I love this bag. The second half of the bag remains at home for local flights because the main bag is plenty sufficient. I go back and forth between a Luscombe 8F and a Sedan 11A. The bag makes this a lot easier by having room for all of the essentials but requiring little space to stow within reach. I can't find a thing wrong with this bag.

Click Here to Purchase One Now!

Updating your Garmin Aviation GPS using fly.garmin.com

2009-03-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

I have found that the process of setting up a fly.garmin.com account to update your aviation GPS can be a bit confusing for a novice computer user. So I created this video to walk you through the process of setting up an account. It even goes on to show you how to update your aviation database and flitecharts database on your GPSMAP 696.

GPSMAP 696 - Demonstration Video

2008-12-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

See the GPSMAP 696 in Action. In this Demo you will get a general introduction to the buttons and software of the Garmin GPSMAP 696. Then you will load Fort Myers International Airport (KRSW) as your destination and load the ILS 6 Approach. Finally you will see how to access the approach plates for the ILS.

Available for Purchase at www.AirportPilotShop.com/696

MORE FREE VIDEOS AVAILABLE AT http://www.123pilot.com/

Garmin GPSMAP 696 Online Video Manual

2008-11-29T05:12:00.000-08:00

Online Video Manual for the Garmin GPSMAP 696

I have started posting my online video manual for the Garmin GPSMAP 696. It requires free registration at http://www.123pilot.com/ to view the entire manual. I have posted a sample of the online manual here to see what it is all about. This short video shows the operation of the Direct to Button. Please email me with comments.
Thanks
Dave
info@123pilot.com

Garmin GPSMAP 696 Online Video Manual - Direct Button

Garmin Press Release: Garmin GPSMAP 695 & GPSMAP 696

2008-10-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

OLATHE, Kan. - (Business Wire) Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, announced today the GPSMAP® 695 and GPSMAP 696, a new series of portable aviation navigation devices. As Garmin’s new flagship portable aviation product, the GPSMAP 696 incorporates the popular aviation features of the GPSMAP 496 while also adding new capabilities such as airways, electronic charts and expanded weather. In addition, the GPSMAP 696’s information is displayed on a screen that is three times larger than the GPSMAP 496. The GPSMAP 696 will be on display and available for purchase at the Aircraft Owner and Pilot’s Association (AOPA) Expo in San Jose, California, November 6-8, 2008.

“The GPSMAP 696 gives pilots exactly what they have been looking for, a GPS with a large screen, electronic charts and real-time weather,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “It’s our most feature rich, easy-to-use aviation portable, and is ideal for those wanting to minimize flipping through paper charts while in the cockpit.”

The GPSMAP 696 is an all new, tablet-style device with a large, 7-inch portrait screen that makes it possible to view an entire approach plate on the display. The high-resolution, sunlight-readable screen uses Garmin’s latest technology to ensure that pilots will be able to read the vibrant display day or night. The bezel that frames the bright screen has multiple keys on the bottom and right sides. The soft keys at the bottom of the display control the most commonly used features of the current page, such as turning the weather display on/off. The dedicated keys on the display’s right side have specific functions such as nearest, direct to, flight plan, zoom in/out and menu. Also on the display’s right side is a rotary knob/joystick, similar to the G1000’s joystick, that lets pilots enter airport identifiers, pan the map, or scroll to page and sub-page groups.

Thanks to the GPSMAP 696’s IFR map mode, Part 91 pilots may be tempted to leave their IFR enroute paper charts at home. This mode displays a map similar to a standard enroute chart that has important features like victor airways, jet routes, minimum enroute altitude (MEA) and leg distance. The 696’s IFR map mode also offers more situational awareness than traditional charts because it subtlety displays major visual reference points like rivers, state boundaries, highways and railroad tracks from Garmin’s built-in basemap.

The GPSMAP 696 also includes Garmin FliteCharts, an electronic version of the National Aeronautical Chart Office (NACO) U.S. Terminal Procedures Publication. With FliteCharts, pilots can quickly find and view all NACO departure procedures (DP), standard terminal arrival routes (STARs), approach charts and airport diagrams. If the current approach is known, the GPSMAP 696 automatically selects the correct chart based on the flight plan. FliteCharts are available every 28-days and will not be available on the 696 if they are not updated regularly. The GPSMAP 696 may be used in lieu of paper approach charts when used in accordance with AC 90-78.

As with several other Garmin portable devices, the GPSMAP 696 has a receiver for XM radio and XM WX Satellite Weather (U.S. customers only) that gives next generation radar (NEXRAD), aviation routine weather reports (METARs), terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAFs), temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), lightning, winds aloft, turbulence forecasts, and several other important weather products. The 696 is also Garmin’s first portable device with PIREPs and icing forecast information. The weather data may be laid directly over the unit’s navigation and topographic map databases. Weather and radio information is delivered to the 696 via Garmin’s new GXM™ 40 smart antenna, which is included with the GPSMAP 696. XM WX subscription data is available from XM WX Satellite Weather.

Other popular features found on the GPSMAP 696 include Smart Airspace, SafeTaxi and AOPA Airport Directory data. During flight, Garmin’s Smart Airspace automatically highlights airspace close to the pilot’s current altitude and de-emphasizes airspace away from the current altitude, which ultimately aids in situational awareness. Thanks to SafeTaxi, taxiing at unfamiliar airports is also easier because the GPSMAP 696 includes geo-referenced diagrams of over 850 U.S. airports that identify runways, taxiways and hangars, as well as the aircraft’s exact location on the field. The AOPA Airport Directory data is an electronic version of AOPA’s popular U.S. pilot guide that includes information for over 5,300 public-use airports and more than 7,000 FBOs, such as pilot services, ground transportation, lodging, restaurants, and local attractions. In addition, Garmin’s electronic version of the AOPA Airport Directory highlights airports where pilots can save on fuel by using self-service fueling locations.

Pilots can keep track of and renew the databases on their GPSMAP 696 through fly.Garmin.com, a website that helps pilots manage Garmin database information and dramatically simplifies the process of updating and purchasing aviation databases. Fly.Garmin.com monitors the device’s terrain, FliteCharts, SafeTaxi, AOPA airport directory and obstacle database. After logging onto fly.Garmin.com, the home page gives a quick synopsis of the owner’s registered products and whether or not the databases are current. If a database needs to be updated, users can purchase one-time downloads or annual subscriptions directly from the site and install the database in three easy steps. Fly.Garmin.com eliminates the hassle of “unlock codes.”

North American customers that do not require XM radio and XM WX Satellite Weather, may be interested in the GPSMAP 695 Americas that has identical features to the GPSMAP 696 except that it does not include the GXM 40 smart antenna and may not be upgraded to add XM datalink capability in the future. Garmin also offers a GPSMAP 695 Atlantic and GPSMAP 695 Pacific version for customers in Europe and Australasia, respectively. The GPSMAP 695 Atlantic is pre-loaded with VFR reporting points (VRPs), private airports, and obstacles. The GPSMAP 695 Atlantic and Pacific do not include XM capability, AOPA Airport Directory, FliteCharts or SafeTaxi diagrams.

The GPSMAP 695 and 696 are available immediately for an expected street price of $2,695 and $3,295, respectively. The GPSMAP 696 package includes a yoke mount, GXM 40 smart antenna, cigarette-lighter adapter, AC adapter cable, USB-to-PC interface cable, low-profile remote GPS antenna, unit cover, free Jeppesen update certificate, owner’s manual and quick-reference guide.

XM WX Satellite Weather data and audio is provided by XM Satellite Radio. Please see http://www.xmradio.com/weather/aviation.html for pricing and other details.

About Garmin International Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin, GPSMAP, SafeTaxi, and FliteCharts are registered trademarks, and GXM is a trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. All statements regarding the company’s future product introductions are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2007, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 000-31983). A copy of Garmin’s Form 10-K can be downloaded at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Garmin International Inc.Jessica Myers, 913-397-8200media.relations@garmin.com

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Airspace Review from 123Pilot.com

2008-10-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

This is a preview of a FREE Airspace Review done by 123Pilot.com

The full video was split into two parts, each 7.5 minutes long. Not bad. It quickly goes through all of the major airspace points such as lateral and vertical dimensions, Visibility, Cloud Clearance and Sectional identification. The video to be pretty informative for a 15 minute long video.

Check out the video at www.123Pilot.com
and let me know what you think.

FREE AVIATION VIDEOS AVAILABLE AT

www.123Pilot.com

Lightspeed Zulu Headset Review

2007-09-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
I just posted my first video review to youtube. I received a Lightspeed Zulu headset last week and had a chance to fly with it on Saturday. I really liked the headset. It was comfortable, and quiet. The ANR works as good as any other headset on the market. So I decided to do a comprehensive video review of the headset since Lightspeed is sending the headset to so few dealers. You probably won't be able to find it in your local Pilot Shop.
I am one of the few dealers that has some on order. So check out the review and email me your comments.
dave@airportpilotshop.com

www.airportpilotshop.com

What I liked about the headset the most:

It is very comfortable, the earcups fit around your ear and it doesn't squeeze like a vice.
The "FRC" (Front Row Center) feature makes audio sound really good.
I like having the option to select Comm Priority On/Off. With this feature turned on, the headset will lower the Music audio volume by 80% when ATC or intercom transmissions come through the headset. I like this when I need to be talking to ATC. But when I am not talking to ATC, I still like to be on their frequency in case of emergency, but I don't want the music interupted.

If you have any questions or would like to place an order,
please call me at 888-648-4018.
Thanks
David M Rochin