![]() ![]() ![]() The 8000G offers voice annunciation, which will say “mute on.”Ģ. Mute on: Music will mute with either intercom or radio. The PMA8000G ($1,895) near the top of the PS Engineering line, gives you three ways to mute your music (you choose). How is the music not a distraction? What happens when you are cruising with music in your ears and something comes over the radio or someone in the aircraft speaks into the intercom? PS Engineering - the dominant manufacturer of audio panels, which offers eight models with Bluetooth - calls it “SoftMute” and all their models offer it. It added to the flight and it was never a distraction. When I was most actively flying back in the ’80s and ’90s, a cross-country flight included jazz or classical music in my ears, especially if I was solo. If you install a new audio panel in your aircraft now, you will likely have stereo music via Bluetooth available, so why not use it? Originally, the systems and the music were mono but audio system designers like PS Engineering and headset manufacturers added stereo options and almost all of the new audio panels today are coming with Bluetooth wireless interfaces for cellphone and music input. Virtually all intercoms and audio panels manufactured today have music capability. Prior to the Bluetooth revolution, adding music to the aircraft required hardwiring common, sub-miniature jacks for music input into an audio panel or intercom that offered music capability (some did not). I think this is because most pilots do not understand how music in the cockpit works and the lengths to which audio control manufacturers have gone to make music a plus and not a minus. Many believe that having music in this situation will interfere. There are segments of a flight where communicating takes priority such as in terminal control areas. No question, part of flying is communicating. Most of us would not even think of driving our car without the radio, a CD, or some form of music and we do so without incident, yet many pilots see music in an airplane as a dangerous distraction. Pilots have had music available for years but, frankly, I’m surprised how many pilots do not recognize the benefit of music in the cockpit.” Today, Bluetooth makes it a lot easier. But Bluetooth also has a less practical application in the cockpit. Programming flight plans on the couch and then downloading them into our avionics prior to takeoff is a game changer for any pilot flying a significant amount of IFR. Obviously, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have changed our lives both on the ground and in the air. and call them up at the push of a button. 1 and some even allow us to record checklists in our own voice for emergencies, takeoff, landing, etc. ![]() 2 while staying in contact with ATC on No. Digital recorders play back ATC communications that we missed monitor mode lets us listen to ATIS on radio No. Obviously, GPS and big-screen moving maps have taken all the guesswork out of “where are we?” Active traffic systems and ADS-B have eliminated the concerns about “where are they,” and weather in the cockpit via Stormscope, radar, SiriusXM and, again, ADS-B have limited the concerns about “where is it.” The technology in modern audio panels has also played a significant role. I have previously written about avionics tools that can ease pilot load. ![]()
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