Connecticut-based Hound Avionics cofounder Sholom Ellenberg doesn’t like Bluetooth in the cockpit, and doesn’t really like paying for Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) app subscriptions, either. So when he set out to buy a portable Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) unit that also had a built-in display, he couldn’t find one.
So he and a couple other tech colleagues designed the SkyHound … the only portable ADS-B traffic and weather unit that’s completely self-contained (receivers and display in one chassis), a feature set that might be patented. And because the SkyHound doesn’t have an internal battery that Ellenberg said would make certification more than impossible, the company has presented the unit to the Federal Aviation Administration for approval under Non-required Safety Enhancing Equipment (NORSEE), which could come by AirVenture at Oshkosh this summer.
AvBrief’s Larry Anglisano went flying with Sholom in his Cessna 172RG for a wiggle-in-the-seat demo with a SkyHound flight test prototype.
If this is a portable device, why does it need NORSEE approval and why can’t it have a battery? The tablets and other portable ADS-B units don’t need it…
They mention that at 15:30 in the video. No, they don’t need approval, but they thought it would be a good product differentiator. I’m guessing there is more to the story, as he does mention future development and more features. Maybe they imagine an in-panel version, or an ADSB-OUT version.
I posted this below the vid on YT, but closest certified equivalent I can think of is the Lynx NGT-9000. This is 1/3 the price of a used NGT-9000!
Kudos to Sky Hound for bringing innovations like this to general aviation. We need more inventions and practical solutions like this, especially for certificated aircraft, where meaningful innovation can be slow to reach the market. Products like these help improve safety, usability, and efficiency for pilots and aircraft owners alike. Keep up the great work.
“Completely self contained” without a battery? How do you do that? Winding it up like an old pocket watch?