iris altimeter 80

The iris altimeter puts altitude, flight level, vertical speed and the current QNH on one face, with its own battery behind it. This is the 80 mm version: the same instrument behind a 3.5 inch display, for the panel that has the larger cutout and the pilot who wants the larger numbers. The knob sets QNH and brightness; everything else is configured once and left alone.

What it shows

Pressure altitude against the QNH you set, the flight level, and vertical speed — the three numbers an altimeter should give you without a second instrument. With the optional outside air temperature probe it adds OAT and density altitude, which is the figure that actually decides your take-off run on a hot day.

Part of a set

Over the CAN bus the altimeter feeds the iris airspeed indicator, which then shows true airspeed. Add the iris GPS module and the pair also compute wind. Each unit stays a standalone instrument; the bus just lets them share what they measure.

Configured from a phone

Set up over WiFi through the CAN2WiFi device: units, colour ranges, font size, background and where each value sits on the face. Nothing is buried in a menu on the instrument, and nothing can be changed in flight by accident.

In the panel

• Standard 80 mm cutout, 82 × 82 × 52 mm, 278 g
• 3.5 inch transflective display
• 9–30 V DC, 250 mA at 12 V
• Built-in backup battery, up to 3 hours
• One rotary knob for QNH and brightness

Also available as the iris altimeter 57 for a 57 mm cutout. Non-TSO: for ultralight, light-sport and Experimental aircraft.