11 April 2017
U.S. buyers know Levil Aviation as a quirky provider of niche avionics, mostly ADS-B for the North American market. But they may have out-quirked themselves at Sun ‘n Fun last week with a unique, wing-mounted pod called the BOM. It’s so named, says Levil’s Ananda Leon, because it looks like a bomb.
Mounted under one wing, the device is the size of a small sauce bottle and has a rotating air turbine at the rear. Inside is a combination ADAHRS, angle-of-attack indicator, pitot-static system, GPS and ADS-B In system.
The device outputs wirelessly to a cockpit app running on a tablet. It’s intended as a backup device and actually runs on an internal battery. The turbine spins a small generator to keep the battery charged.
Levil promises the BOM will be available by Oshkosh in July and will sell for about $1,500. – Paul Bertorelli
