The Mac and Aircraft GPS’s—Why Apple's Move to Intel Will Help
One of the downsides to owning mostly Macs running OS X is that most aircraft GPS support is for Windows only. I have a Bendix/King KLN-89 panel mounted GPS in my airplane and a handheld Lowrance AirMap 100 GPS, both of which can be updated by a PC with a RS232 serial port. That means I must bring both units home if I want to update them using downloaded files from the manufacturer’s websites. That’s not a problem with the Lowrance handheld but means I have to jerk the KLN-89 out of the panel. That’s a hassle.
Many pilots like to update their panel-mounted GPS at the airplane by using a notebook to perform the file transfers. Since I own a PowerBook, I’d have to attempt this using a USB to Serial port adapter running under Virtual PC and Windows XP. While I haven’t tried it, it is not a combination I consider likely to succeed. Serial port connections under Windows are finicky enough without adding the extra headroom. So, I have been considering buying a Windows powered notebook to allow me to use downloads to update my GPS and to run an flight planning application from Aircraft Owner’s and Pilot’s Association when I’m on the fly. However, it makes more sense to just sit and wait for Apple to switch to Intel CPU’s and then buy a new PowerBook, one I can dual boot into Windows XP and run all that stuff.
Admittedly, updating the GPS at home is more practical and likely than using a notebook to do it on the road; so, that alone is not a huge argument for buying a Windows based notebook. But there are also other things I could do with a Windows powered notebook, like run Anywhere Map’s GPS driven software or even hook in an XM satellite receiver to get real-time weather information. For the cost of all that, I could also buy a Garmin 396 handheld GPS that does it all; but Garmin also only supports Windows based updates. One or way or another, this world leans, rightly or wrongly, toward a Windows based PC.
Now, my KLN-89 is currently being updated via a data card that needs only to be inserted to update my GPS’s database. The reason I’m still looking at using downloads to do the same thing is cost; the data card costs twice as much as an Internet download and update I install myself.
Many pilots like to update their panel-mounted GPS at the airplane by using a notebook to perform the file transfers. Since I own a PowerBook, I’d have to attempt this using a USB to Serial port adapter running under Virtual PC and Windows XP. While I haven’t tried it, it is not a combination I consider likely to succeed. Serial port connections under Windows are finicky enough without adding the extra headroom. So, I have been considering buying a Windows powered notebook to allow me to use downloads to update my GPS and to run an flight planning application from Aircraft Owner’s and Pilot’s Association when I’m on the fly. However, it makes more sense to just sit and wait for Apple to switch to Intel CPU’s and then buy a new PowerBook, one I can dual boot into Windows XP and run all that stuff.
Admittedly, updating the GPS at home is more practical and likely than using a notebook to do it on the road; so, that alone is not a huge argument for buying a Windows based notebook. But there are also other things I could do with a Windows powered notebook, like run Anywhere Map’s GPS driven software or even hook in an XM satellite receiver to get real-time weather information. For the cost of all that, I could also buy a Garmin 396 handheld GPS that does it all; but Garmin also only supports Windows based updates. One or way or another, this world leans, rightly or wrongly, toward a Windows based PC.
Now, my KLN-89 is currently being updated via a data card that needs only to be inserted to update my GPS’s database. The reason I’m still looking at using downloads to do the same thing is cost; the data card costs twice as much as an Internet download and update I install myself.
posted by Andy Foster at
10:22 AM
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