Stratus 3 Works With Many Electronic Flight Bag Apps Using GDL 90 Protocol

Appareo has released a new addition to its Stratus family of pilot-friendly affordable avionics. Stratus 3 is the latest model in the line of industry-leading ADS-B receivers first introduced in 2012. The company will exhibit Stratus 3 as part of its full line of Stratus products this week at AirVenture.

Stratus 3 is the fourth generation of a receiver that has proven to be the ultimate accessory for pilots who use flight apps -- offering subscription-free weather, dual band ADS-B traffic, built-in AHRS, WAAS GPS, a flight data recorder, and the patented weather replay feature that allows pilots to turn off the screen on their tablet without missing important weather information.

The company is announcing Stratus 3 with an introductory price of $699, and including an industry-leading 2-year warranty to reinforce its commitment to designing and manufacturing the most reliable portable receiver on the market.

“With Stratus 3, we set out to add more features without increasing the price,” says Appareo Aviation president Kris Garberg. “We also wanted to respond to the trend of openness in the industry. With the Open ADS-B Mode in Stratus 3, we are affirming our commitment to offering a no-compromise ADS-B portable receiver to more pilots than ever, without sacrificing performance.”

Since the first Stratus receiver was introduced, one of the hallmarks of the product has been the close integration with ForeFlight Mobile. Engineers at Appareo and ForeFlight have collaborated on the development of each Stratus receiver, with the intention of delivering an ADS-B solution that is seamlessly integrated for optimal performance and ease of use. With Stratus 3, Appareo continues working closely with ForeFlight to maintain the high performance standards that pilots have come to expect. However, something unique to Stratus 3 is that it’s equipped with Open ADS-B Mode, enabling it work with any electronic flight bag (EFB) app using GDL 90 protocol. The company has begun integration testing with some of the most well-known apps, including WingX, FltPlan Go, FlyQ, and iFly GPS.

In addition to now working with many well-known flight apps, Stratus 3 also delivers new features of Auto Shut Off and Smart WiFi. With Auto Shut Off, Stratus will power down if it’s moving at less than 5 knots or has less than a 3D GPS lock, ultimately saving battery life when someone forgets to shut it off. With Smart WiFi, Stratus 3 allows pilots to use 3G/4G LTE internet on an iPad/iPhone while connected to Stratus 3. This means pilots no longer have to “forget this network” every time they want to connect to cellular service while also connected to Stratus 3.

Stratus 3 is enabled to receive the new ADS-B weather products that are coming soon from the FAA, which will include echo tops, lightning, icing forecast, turbulence forecast, Center Weather Advisories, and G-AIRMETs. Previous models of Stratus receivers will also be able to receive the new FIS-B products.

Appareo is offering a trade-in program to Stratus 2S customers who are interested in upgrading to Stratus 3. Details can be found on the company’s website.

(Image provided with Appaero news release)

FMI: appareo.com/stratus