Inexpensive Scout brings weather, traffic into cockpit

“Every aircraft—whether manned or unmanned—is inherently safer with ADS-B,” said Christian Ramsey, uAvionix president. “The ability to see and avoid weather and other traffic should be something that all airspace users can take advantage of. Our partnership with ForeFlight on Scout is a significant moment in the availability of this safety technology to pilots everywhere.”

“We are excited to bring Scout to market in collaboration with uAvionix,” said Tyson Weihs, ForeFlight co-founder and CEO. “We want every pilot flying with the benefits of ADS-B In. The combination of an ADS-B In solution with ForeFlight makes flying safer and, we believe, has led to a meaningful reduction in weather-related incidents and accidents. We are delighted to now offer—for those pilots and operators on a limited budget—a low-cost option that will increase the number of pilots who can fly with this essential safety-enhancing capability. In-flight weather and traffic delivers better situational awareness and leads to better decision making.”

When paired with a tablet computer displaying the ForeFlight app, Scout shows in-cockpit weather as well as traffic. (To get a full traffic display, a pilot’s airplane must transmit an ADS-B Out signal to communicate with ground stations.) Scout is a receiver only and does not comply with the 2020 ADS-B Out mandate. 

ForeFlight and uAvionix of Palo Alto, California, developed Scout, a tiny unit that’s 3.4 inches long and weighs 17 grams. It can be placed next to any aircraft window, powered with a 5-volt charger, and paired via Wi-Fi with up to four devices at the same time.

The tiny receiver supports the full range of Flight Information Services-Broadcast (FIS-B) weather and information, including animated regional and CONUS Nexrad, METARs, TAFs, airmets and sigmets, pireps, winds and temps aloft, TFRs, notams, and SUA information. Scout also can receive air-to-air traffic information from ADS-B Out equipped aircraft, and ADS-B traffic information rebroadcast from FAA ground stations—although if the aircraft is not equipped with ADS-B Out, not all potential traffic information will be depicted.

Over-the-air firmware updates are delivered through ForeFlight Mobile, which the company said will future-proof Scout and ensure that it remains a cockpit resource for a long time to come.

All ForeFlight subscription plans support connectivity with Scout. Customers can purchase Scout at the ForeFlight exhibit (Hangar C) at this year’s EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, or online at Amazon.