So You Want To Be A Pilot

Becoming a certified pilot is a challenging but rewarding process. Once you get your pilot license you will probably want to spend as much time in the air as possible. The freedom and excitement of soaring high above everything else does wonders for the mind and soul. But before you climb above the clouds you will want to make sure you have a few air plane and pilot accessories to fly with.

A quality GPS system is highly important for direction and location when you are flying. You can find a Garmin aera 500 Portable Aviation GPS for around $699. It has a fingertip navigation, and touch screen capabilities as well we the ability to smoothly transition from a motoring GPS to a flying GPS. The lithium-ion battery it runs on will last up to 5 hours and it can log up to the 30 most recent flights. You can go a little higher end on a GPS system like the Garmin aera 796 Aviation, but it will run you up to $2,749.

Depending on the type of flying you plan on doing you may be reaching high altitudes which can be risky to your breathing and other health functions. Carrying a small oximeter can help you monitor your vitals so you don’t risk getting sick, or passing out. The Oxi-Go Pro Pulse Oximeter is a lightweight affordable meter to monitor your blood oxygen saturation and heart rate during your high altitude flights. It is easy to read with high resolution OLED displays and has six different display modes for reading, along with almost a dozen brightness settings to make sure you can easily see it as you fly through any environment.

Skygeek Headsets are also important for maintaining contact and communication with other pilots, or traffic controllers and ground crew operators. The Sennheiser HMEC 250 headset is affordable and popular and can be found for less than $500. The Sennheiser is ideal for general flying atmospheres and is equipped with NoiseGard 2.0 noise reduction technology. Its features include amazing transmission quality for communication clarity, good passive attenuation, talk-through function allowing for direct communication within the cockpit, and a unique collapsible design for saving space.

For under $70 pilots can purchase an ASA CX-2 Pathfinder to help them calculate true airspeed, ground speed, Mach number, altitudes, fuel, headings and courses, and so much more. The Pathfinder is an electronic flight computer with a library of 34 functions giving pilots access to 40 aviation calculations, including weight and balance. This includes calculating time/speed/distance, winds, headwind/crosswind component, and gliding information. It has a large LCD screen that is easy to read and fast display prompts for easy use.

Becoming an aviator for recreation, or a profession can really be a lot of fun. But you have to be prepared for virtually any flight and in-air flying situation. With gadgets and accessories like these you may not be able to predict every possible situation, but you can be able to be prepared and survive it.