Stodeus have four mini flight instruments in their range, all of them small, light and helmet-mountable. We look at the differences.
Left to right from the top-of the range UltraBip to the simplest, MiniBip
All four instruments are tiny (5.8cm x 3.6cm x 1.4cm) and they are all very light (29g for the UltraBp to 24g for the MiniBip). They are come with Velcro patches and lanyards for easy attachment to a helmet, harness shoulder strap or flight deck.
All four can be used as standalone, sound-only instruments for hike-and-fly, and we know lots of pilots who have one permanently attached to their helmet as a back-up vario too. They are easy to switch on in flight.
The Flagship instrument is the UltraBip. It has a built-in GPS receiver, voice assistant and instant vario, as well as Bluetooth connectivity so it can be used with a phone app. Cross Country’s Marcus King has used one as his main instrument in a hike-and-fly competition, and the flight logger makes it a handy backup instrument for any comps.
At the other end of the range, the MiniBip is the simplest and least expensive at under €60. It has no solar panel – it has to be charged with a battery from a micro-USB port, but it will give 200 hours’ flight time between charges, auto powering off after 25 minutes’ inactivity.
Here are the main features of each:
ULTRABIP (red or grey)
- Solar panel and USB-C charging
- 50h battery life without sun
- Vario with MEMS pressure sensor + accelerometer + gyroscope has 4cm/s accuracy
- GPS logger produces KML & IGC track files
- Voice assistant reads out data – 17 languages available
- Bluetooth BLE connectivity – can use with FlySkyHy, SeeYou Navigator, XCTrack, XCSoar, LK8000, FlyMe among others, and also with ActiveLook glasses for HUD
- Take-off detection
- Optional weak-lift detector
- 5 volume levels
- Highly configurable via a web-app: from various features to the actual vario tone profile curves
- Uses include hike-and-fly competitions, backup track-logger for other competitions, standalone hike-and-fly vario
- €279.95
BLUEBIP (blue)
- Solar panel and USB-C charging
- 100h battery life without sun
- Vario with MEMS pressure sensor + accelerometer + gyroscope has 4cm/s accuracy
- Bluetooth BLE connectivity –
- can use with FlySkyHy, SeeYou Navigator, XCTrack, XCSoar, LK8000, FlyMe among others, and also with ActiveLook glasses for HUD
- Take-off detection
- Optional weak-lift detector
- 5 volume levels
- Highly configurable via a web-app: from various features to the actual vario tone profile curves
- Ideal for hike-and-fly, sound-only vario for beginners, simple backup vario
- €179.95
BIPBIP PRO V2 (green)
- Solar panel and USB-C charging
- 400h battery life without sun
- Vario with MEMS pressure sensor has 7cm/s accuracy
- Take-off detection
- Optional weak-lift detector
- 5 volume levels
- Configurable, as multiple thresholds adjustable via the button
- Ideal for hike-and-fly, as a sound-only vario for beginners, simple backup vario
- €99.95
MINIBIP (white)
- No solar panel, micro-USB charging
- 200h battery life
- Digital pressure sensor gives 10cm/s accuracy for the vario
- 3 volume levels
- Ideal for hike-and-fly, as a sound-only vario for beginners, simple backup vario
- Price: €59.95
See the full comparison chart on Stodeus’ website.
