uAvionix and Jeppesen ForeFlight have announced that they have shipped 100,000 Sentry ADS-B receivers. For a portable box that started life as a compact traffic and weather receiver, that's a lot of pilots flying with extra eyes in the cockpit — and as a uAvionix dealer, it's a milestone we're happy to pass on.
What the Sentry family is
Sentry is a portable, dual-band ADS-B receiver built by uAvionix in partnership with ForeFlight. It talks to the ForeFlight app on your tablet or phone and comes in three versions:
- Sentry Mini — the compact, travel-ready entry point, for traffic and GPS.
- Sentry — adds a built-in carbon monoxide monitor with an audio and in-app alert, plus backup attitude.
- Sentry Plus — the top of the range, with longer battery life, track logging, FLARM support and the same safety features.
What it's worth to a South African pilot
Here's where we want to be straight with you, because much of the marketing is written for US pilots. Sentry's subscription-free weather, NOTAM and TFR feed comes from the FAA's ground network, which doesn't exist here, and neither do the ground-station traffic rebroadcast services. Don't buy one expecting NEXRAD over the Highveld.
What does carry over:
- Air-to-air traffic from nearby aircraft transmitting ADS-B Out — exactly the picture the SACAA's ADS-B mandate is building.
- WAAS GPS and backup attitude displayed in ForeFlight.
- Carbon monoxide monitoring on the Sentry and Sentry Plus. This one is a quiet life-saver in any piston aircraft with a heater.
It doesn't replace an installed, certified solution, and you don't need ADS-B Out to use ADS-B In. But as a low-cost way to see more of what's around you, it has earned its numbers.
Getting one
uAvionix supplies Sentry units alongside its installed products such as the AV-30, tailBeaconX, echoESX and AV-Link. If you're weighing up an ADS-B Out upgrade and want traffic awareness in the cockpit at the same time, we can put the two together for your aircraft.
Aeronautical Aviation · uAvionix dealer · Hangar 202, Lanseria International Airport · SACAA AMO No. 1033.
