Traffic, weather without clutter
uAvionix skySensor modernizes wingtip light
The uAvionix skySensor integrated right-side wingtip navigation light, strobe, and ADS-B receiver for certified aircraft has a lot to love.
The integrated device allows pilots to display traffic and weather on a compatible electronic flight bag display (like an iPad) while also replacing a typical incandescent bulb and associated power-hungry strobe flasher bulb with low-draw LEDs—a win-win for vintage aircraft equipped with generators instead of alternators.
Beyond modernizing aging aircraft with current technology, the skySensor also eliminates clutter caused by wires, chargers, and suction-cup mounts typical of portable ADS-B In units.
The $750 wingtip light works by sending a Wi-Fi signal to your portable electronic device for display, and it’s easy to set up via the associated app. Once the wireless connection is made, the wingtip sensor signal is rock-solid, and it “remembers” your EFB display for the next time. It has proved its worth by allowing up-to-the-minute weather updates including radar, weather observations, and forecasts en route; and by highlighting traffic in busy airspace —for example, when I flew my 1953 Piper Tri-Pacer over Washington, D.C.
During the National Celebration of General Aviation D.C. Flyover on May 11, I was able to keep a visual—and an electronic—eye on AOPA Editor in Chief Kollin Stagnito’s Cessna 170B ahead of me by about a quarter mile, and on Adrian Eichhorn’s much faster Beechcraft Bonanza P35 about a half-mile behind me in trail. It gave me peace of mind while I kept my position in the flyover as tight as planned. I could also spot the handful of Golden Age aircraft leading our flight, and additional traffic inside the Special Flight Rules Area.
I ordered the skySensor after it was approved for certified aircraft following the successful rollout for experimental category aircraft. Master mechanic Tom Young installed the the device on my Tri-Pacer in about two hours and didn’t run into any problems. However, he said to confirm the wire to the aircraft ground has a solid connection to avoid any problems. Some users have reported radio communication “pulsing,” which may be caused by either improper installation or a poor ground. The installation manual also directs users to call up a series of communication radio frequencies to confirm there is no interference—an important protocol before flying behind the skySensor for the first time.
The green, right-wingtip position light/anticollision unit mimics in shape and design the company’s integrated red, left-wingtip position light/strobe/ADS-B Out unit, a reasonably priced ADS-B solution introduced to meet the 2020 equipage mandate.
In addition to traffic depicted on an EFB, pilots flying certified aircraft equipped with the company’s panel-mounted AV-30-C color display can see traffic posted on it via the optional AV-Link, a recently added capability.
