Flight Dept 1.qxp_Finance 22/02/2022 12:02 Page 1
FLIGHT DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT
Three Cockpit Gadgets Pilots Want
What’s at the top of your wish list when it comes to upgrading the flight deck of your private jet? Andre Fodor shares his top three cockpit enhancements…
T
he world of cockpit upgrades and retrofits is a fascinating one, opening up a plethora of possibilities for enhanced operations in aircraft, whether large or small. With so many options, it’s easy to develop a long list of gadgets you’d like to have installed in the jet - but what’s really worth having right now? Having never planned to own an airplane, a fellow corporate pilot and close friend approached me with the idea of resurrecting a 1962 Beechcraft Musketeer that had been parked in a hangar for the past seven years. Nicely preserved, it needs a new engine and a full avionics upgrade. The latter not only requires mandated upgrades (such as ADS-B Out), but we 68 Vol 26 Issue 3 2022 AVBUYER MAGAZINE
have also generated a long wish list of items that extends far beyond our pockets. But then, it’s well known that aviators love toys! Visiting avionics websites and vendors to learn about what technologies are available to retrofit in older aircraft proved to be eye-opening. Flying the latest, most-modern jets, I had become disconnected from the thriving upgrade and modifications market that breathes new life and capabilities into older airplanes, extending their operational lives. Also illuminating was the fact some of these retrofits offered greater functionality than the modern cockpits coming fresh off the OEMs’ assembly lines. www.AVBUYER.com
