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.

ANN had the chance to really put some great gear to the test this year... some of it in the process of updating our much beloved Cirrus G3 Turbo. Over the course of that upgrade, we ran the gauntlet on seeking and eventually acquiring those things that we ultimately hoped would allow us to build the Perfect ANN Transport System. Based on good advice and solid research, our choices have all proven to be good ones... but a few have simply turned out to be amazing. A Case in Point... the best we've seen this year, as a matter of fact --

ANN Gadget Of The Year -- SolidFX FX10

Paper is dead... paper is passe... paper is so yesterday. So say those working on a number of intriguing but not always proven electronic charting solutions. Its a tough process -- combining the needs of pilots who have to work in some tough visual environments that are not always as friendly to such electronic solutions as one might think.

While a number of interesting products have come to the market in recent months, one struck us as being the best we've seen so far... though with the price tag to prove it.

The SolidFX FX10 is based on iRex Digital Reader 1000S, can be used for reading e-books, newspapers and .pdf files, in addition to Jeppesen electronic charts.

The full complement of Jeppesen electronic chart coverages, including a complete worldwide coverage, is available. All Jeppesen electronic chart subscriptions are updated every two weeks and updates can be downloaded from the Internet using the Jeppesen Software Update Manager (JSUM).

Jeppesen’s vector graphic electronic charts give pilots quick and easy access to approaches, standard instrument departures, standard terminal arrival routes and airport diagrams. Textual information is available using Jeppesen’s Text Viewer software and Jeppesen enroute charts are provided in their proven paper form for effective viewing of large areas.

Our use of the FX10 was a pretty impressive experience. While there is no lack of electronic chart readers out there, this is the first that has combined the proper combination of ease of use, legibility, and useful features (not the least of which was the ability to simply jot things down on the display... like clearances, that could be recalled at will). Screen redraws, by the way, are pretty speedy, too. Not cheap by any means, the $1595 FX10 none-the-less presents a solid value for the serious IFR pilot who wants a truly readable chart reader... whether as a primary source or a backup to the displays on their avionics. SolidFX has done an admirable job of making the FX10 usable, readable and USEFUL. Finally; if you are already a Jeppview customer, the annual chart service is really affordable (only $55!!!)... but about $700 a year (for the US), if not.  Highly recommended.

FMI: www.solidfx.com, www.jeppesen.com