Open Flight Solutions launches certified ADS-B In

 FlightBox Pro is an evolution of Open Flight Solutions’ FlightBox, a homemade do-it-yourself ADS-B In receiver. The Pro version of the unit comes fully assembled and ready to install. Like other ADS-B In receivers, it will receive subscription-free weather and some traffic on partner tablet applications, and a full traffic picture when the aircraft has ADS-B Out installed. (ForeFlight and Garmin aren’t official partners, although customers are quick to note that traffic and weather do show on ForeFlight when using the FlightBox.) The unit also includes a non-certified WAAS GPS position source, attitude and heading reference information, and a G-meter.

Steven Sokol, the owner of Open Flight Solutions, said, “Coupled with a tablet and a mount, FlightBox Pro serves as the core of a powerful yet inexpensive MFD.”

Sokol said that there are benefits to opting to upgrade to an installed receiver, including better reception when paired with an installed antenna, being connected to the electric bus, and more accurate AHRS.

According to Sokol, the unit is the first ADS-B receiver to be certified through the FAA’s Non-Required Safety Enhancing Equipment (NORSEE) program. Under NORSEE, manufacturers of certain types of safety equipment can work with the FAA to bring their products to market without a traditional and costly technical standard order authorization. Many, such as Garmin’s G5, require a supplemental type certificate, but Sokol said the FlightBox Pro should be considered a minor alteration, thus making it eligible to be installed with only a logbook sign-off from a technician.

The FlightBox Pro is available for pre-order for $675, including a dash-mount GPS antenna, cabin-mount 1090- and 978-MHz ADS-B antennas, SMA extension cables, and an antenna mount bracket. Sokol said units should start shipping in April.