Foreflight with Stratus in corporate aircraft?

rausda27

Well-Known Member
Just curious if anyone has been able to use the stratus in their turbojet aircraft. I spoke to one operator that said they were unable to get a signal through the windshield of a Lear 45, but was curious if anyone had any luck in other types.
 
How do you guys like the unit in general? How does the weather compare to XM (it ain't 75 bucks a month so that alone should make it worth it)?
 
The only downside is that it takes a few minutes to get the ADS weather after takeoff and the "flyover states" have limited coverage.

Also it only downloads weather a few hundred miles around the airplane so you won't get destination weather until you are around an hour from landing.

If you are using ship's wifi for other aviation sites it is a bit tricky disconnecting from the ship's network and connecting with stratus and vice versa as you change applications.

It's a really good system with no subscription costs. The GPS is WAY better than any of the bluetooth GPS receivers on the market. if I had my own airplane I would definitely own one.
 
The only downside is that it takes a few minutes to get the ADS weather after takeoff and the "flyover states" have limited coverage.

Also it only downloads weather a few hundred miles around the airplane so you won't get destination weather until you are around an hour from landing.

If you are using ship's wifi for other aviation sites it is a bit tricky disconnecting from the ship's network and connecting with stratus and vice versa as you change applications.

It's a really good system with no subscription costs. The GPS is WAY better than any of the bluetooth GPS receivers on the market. if I had my own airplane I would definitely own one.
Good info. Thanks.
 
No, just put the receiver in the window. It's a temporary install just to see how Stratus works and see if it would be a fit. Don't want to post photos here, send me a message with your email and I will try to send some photos when I get back from this trip.
 
Works just fine in the CJ3 (non heated window). Nexrad looks more pixilated, but it's not bad. GPS accuracy is awesome. My favorite is NOTAM's. It's going to be particularly helpful in the winter to see contaminated runways.
 
We mounted it in the lav window (cargo side). Works like a champ!
We did the same in our 31A. We had an on/off signal out the windshield. Also, seem like it didn't want to work too well climbing though 270 till 340 but at 470 worked like a champ!
 
At 470 you can pick up radio stations in Patagonia and Sara Palin can see Russia from anywhere on the globe! What were you doing up that high in a 31a?! Don't get me wrong, I've been up there before, but just to cross the line of storms and then come right back down!
 
Gave us the best long range cruise. Going from Central TX to Cali with out extended tanks you can do it. They've had it up to 510 going to NY before.
 
That's nuts. (not saying you are, but the operation in general) I just don't see dramatic improvement in burns above about FL430 and, if a Fed ever wanted to make a big deal out of it (I don't know why they would) it would be easy to prove that one of you wasn't sucking on O2 for the duration of the flight because the tank would be empty.

The 31a is just not a particularly useful airplane for legs greater then 2.5 hours - especially if you need a legal alternate. Going to the west coast I would much rather make the obligatory tech stop in Grand Junction than go up into low earth orbit and still land with fumes. (The pax usually appreciate it too since there isn't a usable lav on the 31a either.)
 
Actually ours has a STC'd interior with a lav with sink and everything. Takes a couple seats out but when your not carrying much more then 3 or 4 at a time. We actually got from Central Texas -> California about 4 miles from the coast with over 1100 lbs left.
 
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