This Year's Gadget Crop Was Amazing

Final Compilations by ANN Editor-In-Chief/Gadget Hound, Jim Campbell

When it comes to the people, planes and products of the aviation business, ANN firmly believes there is no such thing as an embarrassment of riches. 2009, as usual, saw a spate of new products, programs and 'gadgets' designed to separate a pilot from his flying dollar... fortunately, the vast majority of them are quite worthy of foregoing the occasional $500 hamburger or two.

In fact, for 2009 (even more so than last year) we really had to struggle with the list in order to pare it down to a manageable assembly and if we hadn't, we'd have easily had to increase the size of our annual 'Best Of' list to several dozen, or so, to accommodate them all.

From established products that continue to impress, to new and exciting developments across the range of general aviation... here, to our eyes, are some of the most worthy 'gadgets', products and programs of 2009.

As previously noted; we've spent considerable time checking out the state of IFR-oriented educational materials over the past year... both for our own interests as well as for a solid look into the current state of the art as far as teaching one of aviation's most complex subjects. It pains me to admit that I earned my IFR ticket and my CFII DECADES AGO (ouch, damn it, OUCH!)... and in the interim, much has changed and keeps changing... both in terms of the equipment, its capabilities and the system we work within... the workload has never been more complex and the capabilities never so impressive... but I have to admit that its getting harder and harder to keep up... especially with the other job I have... namely keeping ANN on the straight and narrow. As I looked over the materials available, two tomes kept my attention and impressed me with each consult... this is one of them:

Max Trescott's GPS and WAAS Instrument Flying Handbook

Many of the books currently available haven't kept up with the times (with the exception of Rod Machado's outstanding works on the topic) and we're pleased to see our good friend and trusted contributor, Max Trescott, take the matter on, as well.

Max tells ANN that he feels that most current works treat GPS as a subtopic and don’t tell the reader everything you need to know about using GPS -- and we quite agree. Max’s new GPS and WAAS Instrument Flying Handbook recognizes GPS is at the center of modern cockpits and not just add-on equipment. Designed for VFR and IFR pilots, the book tells you what you need to know to safely operate modern GPS systems, including step-by-step instructions for the Bendix/King KLN 94, Garmin GNS 430, 430W, 480, 530, 530W and G900X, G1000 and Perspective glass cockpits.

The book is exhaustive, well-organized and reads well... and it's one of those books that once read will become familiar again and again as it is consulted throughout one's flying career. It is, simply put, an indispensable tool for today's IFR pilot and if you don't have it, you're nuts.

The book is soft cover, 272 pages, (with 40 in color), illustrated with more than 275 computer screen shots and photographs, and possesses a glossary and index. Max is also author of the Max Trescott’s G1000 Glass Cockpit Handbook and of G1000 and WAAS CD-ROM courses. Max Trescott’s GPS and WAAS Instrument Flying Handbook has a suggested list price of $39.95.

FMI: www.bookmasters.com/marktplc/10346.htm, www.glasscockpitbooks.com