There are some products that are so pervasive and ubiquitous within a community that you almost can’t picture a situation without them. Graphic designers and Macbooks. Hipsters and rolled up sleeves on a buttoned down shirt. Pilots and David Clark headsets. But just because something is common doesn’t mean that it’s the best idea.
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There used to be a question about whether Android or Apple iOS based devices were the best to buy when looking for an Electronic Flight Bag or EFB. For the moment that debate seems to have been settled with the iPad clearly winning, but Android tablets are still a less expensive and attractive alternative to the increasingly expensive Apple devices. So the question then: if you go Android, are you missing anything?
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For my 30th birthday my amazing wife bought me an afternoon in the Concorde flight simulator at the Brooklands museum just outside London. Being based in Austin, Texas however meant that we needed to book a trip to London. My wife already had enough miles to meet her status goals for the year on American, and after doing the math we figured that a round trip in economy would be enough to get me to crack that dollar spend requirement as well.
One of the more popular posts on this blog is “What’s In My Flight Bag,” a post from a couple years ago where I discussed what I was currently carrying in my bag when I rented an airplane. Since then things have changed a bit, and I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit the topic.
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There used to be a pretty big contingent in the flying community that thought flying with an iPad or electronic flight bag was a recipe for disaster. These days that opinion seems to have flipped on its head — an iPad is pretty much required equipment for every flight. The trick is finding a way to keep that iPad stationary and visible during flight. One of the best things I’ve found is MyGoFlight’s iPad Sport Case
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A job at the airlines can be intimidating. Jet aircraft are complicated beasts and there’s a ton of training that comes with the position. Thankfully, for those who are thinking of going down that career path but want to dip their toe in the lake before diving in headfirst (or for those, like me, who have resigned themselves to the fact that airlines will never be an option but want to have a weekend long experience) the ATOP or Airline Training Orientation Program is a great option to get the feeling of what jet training at the airlines is really like.
These days there are simulators for almost anything you could want to try your hand at flying. 737 and A320 simulators are a dime a dozen, with some simulators dedicated entirely to armchair pilots especially in Dubai and France for example. But there’s only one functioning Concorde simulator left in the world, and the museum has developed an entire program around giving people the opportunity to fly it alongside retired British Airways pilots.
For a long time pilots prided themselves on needing little more than a paper chart and a whiz wheel to get across the ocean, but the benefits of modern electronic flight bags are just way too big for any pilot to ignore. But with all that processing power comes a proportional need to keep the devices charged and powered during flight. MyCharge thinks they have a solution for that issue.
Its one of the very first entries in Part 91 of the FAR, so important for every single flight that by the time my checkride came around I could recite it from memory. 91.103 requires pilots to complete the vital performance calculations for their aircraft and the specific conditions of the day to ensure that they can take off and land safely. There have been some apps to make this process easier but generally they feel clunky and complex. The folks at Gyronimo have come out with an iPad app which aims to not only make the process easier but also much more informative.
A couple days ago I reviewed the QT Halo aviation headset, which is currently the top recommendation from aviators I know when it comes to in-ear headsets. That said it doesn’t exist in a vacuum — there are competitors for the crown. One of the prime candidates to unseat the QT Halos comes from a company called Clarity Aloft, and their consumer level offering is the “Classic” headset. While MSRP is about twice the price as the QT Halo it does have one very important advantage . . .