GPS loggers have a vast array of uses, from UAVs and aircraft instrument calibration, to sport flying competitions. Gliding in particular has embraced GPS as navigation aids and this has led to a number of excellent GPS gadgets being produced for gliding – but which are attractive to power pilots as well.

The neatest little gliding GPS arrived on my desk in the form of the Colibri II logger. This matchbox sized flight recorder uses the latest pressure sensor technology, has an internal GPS antenna, and internal rechargeable lithium battery that lasts for six to ten hours.

The sunlight readable colour display provides the pilot with a host of information such as ground and wind speed and direction, pressure altitude and climb rate, plus GPS and battery status.  Flicking the navigation button sideways brings up a navigation screen, showing distance and bearing to a waypoint, current heading and steering indicator. This makes it really useful for all power pilots and not just glider pilots. For those who wonder about these things – the Colibri II even has a microphone that registers the sound of a glider’s engine (if it has one) being started.

I took it gliding on a day with weak thermals and found it really useful and user friendly. (But I should have read the instructions for the simple volume adjustment on the audio vario before I launched!)

Pressing the function navigation button changes the display to a graphic screen to assist in thermal centring.  This screen also reports altitude gain and the average climb rate in the current thermal. Further screens show in-flight statistics, post flight log book and setups. Metric and imperial units can be selected and the QNH can be adjusted to show corrected altitude. Data is stored in a non-volatile memory and can be copied to the micro-SD card for uploading to a PC for analysis. Output files are secured against data tampering.

The charging port also carries NMEA GPS data, allowing the Colibri II to become a GPS source for PDAs and other instruments and will thus integrate with EasyCockpit hardware. I found that the GPS receiver acquires satellites quickly.  This means that Colibri II can be mounted almost anywhere in the cockpit. A simple mounting bracket is available, or you can just slip it into the cockpit side pocket.

Primarily developed for use in gliding, Colibri II’s small size and standalone operation make it ideal for all aviation sports, as well as flight training schools, charter operators and UAV developers. At just R3950 this is an exceptionally well thought out and useable piece of kit. Competition glider pilots can expect to pay R6642 including VAT for an IGC approved version.

For further information contact PJ Aviation at 051-754-0513 or via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it