In-cockpit weather has become many pilots' must-have technology—what works and what doesn't?

By Marc Cook

The weather picture can be complicated, and the G3X will provide it all at once if you desire. Here you see Nexrad radar, satellite, surface weather and AIRMETs.

Without a doubt, Garmin’s introduction of the GPSMAP 396 at Oshkosh 2005 was a watershed event for datalink weather. Yes, the technology was available before on other platforms—either a high-end certified panel-mount setup or with the help of a laptop computer or PDA—but the 396 placed powerful weather data into a package many pilots could not resist. Today, datalink weather can be found on many platforms, several of which are eminently affordable. With the new Garmin aera replacing the 396 and 496, a new generation of portable devices is upon us, but don’t discount WxWorx weather ported to your Advanced Flight or Grand Rapids EFIS, or in large-format form with Garmin’s 696 and G3X EFIS. …

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