In each issue of Plane & Pilot magazine, we share pilot gear that we feel you would love to have.
The round-up in our May 2021 issue includes a phone case for pilots, portable oxygen tanks, a flight cam, and more! Click through the gallery below to view all of the items.
Itâs spring! The season ofâ¦dead batteries.
If youâve ever pulled your plane out of the hangar for the first flight of the season and turned the key only to hear that click, click, click sound, you know how deflating that feeling can be. It can also be dangerous. This time every year, you can count on at least a few stories of impromptu hand-propping incidents gone bad. Fortunately, injuries are usually limited to the pilotâs ego, and weâve all seen the videos of empty airplanes chasing their pilots around the ramp until they slam into a hangar or another airplaneâor two.
Jumper cables are inconvenient at best because it can be difficult to position a car in a safe spot, if you can get the car onto the ramp at all. But what if you didnât need the car?
The Aerovoltz Co-Pilot Battery Jump Pack is a compact solution for juicing up a discharged battery. With 1,000 amps of lithium power, it can self-motivate up to a six-cylinder aircraft engine and, for automotive use, up to a big V-8 if you leave your Escaladeâs dome light on for a week or two in the airport parking lot. It also works for boats and motorcycles. The compact Co-Pilot Jump Pack comes with a USB cable, so you can keep the charge up by plugging it in once in a while. A âfuel meterâ will let you know when it needs attention. It also comes with a built-in LED flashlight with an SOS strobe light and three fast-charging ports for handheld navigators, tablets, laptops and phones. It can even charge some smartphones wirelessly.
Priced at $118.75 each (you might want a second one for your car). Available at aircraftspruce.com.
Tired of annoying âwagon wheelâ frozen prop effects in your otherwise cool aviation videos? NFlightcam created a fix with this simple filter for the GoPro HERO9 camera. It compensates for what is technically called ârolling shutter effect.â GoPro camera sensors respond to the amount of light passing through the lens. Under most conditions, the sensor outspeeds propeller rpms, which causes those unsightly lines and distortion. Easily attached to the camera front, the filter âfoolsâ the sensor by limiting the amount of light passing through the lens and keeping the shutter speed slower than the prop. As long as you donât shoot directly into the sun, NFlightcam says, the prop distortion will not appear in 90% of VFR conditions (and face it: video of the inside of a cloud is about as exciting as a closeup of the steam rising from your pasta pot). Jet pilots need not apply.
Priced at $54.95. Learn more at Sportys.com
Hypoxia has claimed many lives in multiple heart-wrenching accidents we know about, and potentially many more unexplained tragedies. Who knows how many pilots lost their performance edge and crashed, even on flights as low as 5,000 feetâespecially after dark, as low oxygen levels can seriously compromise night vision. Portable oxygen systems and onboard installed units have gone a long way toward making flying safer, but they are not affordable or practical for many.
Each 10-liter Boost Oxygen canister, with a built-in connected mask, provides up to 200 breaths, any one of which could be a lifesaver. Used in conjunction with a portable pulse oximeter, a Boost Oxygen canister helps pilots maintain their peak personal performance when it matters most.
Priced at $13.99; 12-pack for $159.99. Available at mypilot.com.
Now you can turn your phone into the multifunction control display unit (MCDU) of an airlinerâor at least what looks like one. At airportag.com, you can choose a smartphone case with the display printed in high resolution on its back. You can even customize the âmessageâ displayed on the screen (we request you keep it clean, please).
The knobs look like the 3D real thing and represent the control input keyboard of either an Airbus or a Boeing, your choice. On the practical side, the made-in-America product protects your phone from the usual risk of accidental every day âturbulence.â Pilot friends will be amused. Non-pilot friends will wonder what the heck kind of a phone you have.
Priced at $34.95. Available at airportag.com.
