TL;DR:
- FlightBox v3 is on its way with improvements + new features
- Production is taking a bit longer than expected.
- Shipping should start at the end of this year or in January 2026.
- Pre-order now and save $100 off the regular price.
FlightBox v3: The Box Is Back!
At AirVenture this summer we announced an exciting update to a venerable product: the FlightBox portable ADS-B receiver. FlightBox was our first product and really was the item that launched Falken (then called Open Flight Solutions) into the avionics business. FlightBox started out as a bare bones assemble-it-yourself kit and evolved into a highly capable ready-to-run ADS-B / GPS / AHRS device at a modest price (about 1/4 of the going rate for portable receivers).
We built the FlightBox until early 2021 when supply chain interruptions caused by the pandemic made it impossible to get parts. At that point we pivoted to working on the FlightView EFIS and other products. We always planned to get back into the portable market, but the shortages stretched on into 2022 and even 2023, suppliers never restarted production of some parts, and we were busy with the new product lines.
Late last winter we started working on requirements for a new, clean-sheet FlightBox design. First and foremost, the new design needed to be truly portable: no external battery pack. The original FlightBox used a USB mini port that was, to be honest, one of the weaknesses of the design. The new design needed to use a much tougher USB-C port. It also needed to be able to run directly off of ship’s power (12v or 24v) without an adapter.
Here’s the full FlightBox feature set:
- Dual band ADS-B In for weather and traffic
- Internal WAAS GPS receiver
- 9-axis AHRS module
- Carbon monoxide detector and alarm
- 5+ hour internal, rechargeable battery
- USB-C and ship’s power charging
- Wifi access point for EFB connectivity
- Ethernet for EFIS connectivity
- RS-232 for MFD connectivity
- Auto power on / off
- Optimized form factor:
- 3.8″ tall
- 2.8″ wide
- 1.2″ thick
- Optional suction cup mount
In June we test flew a prototype of the design. In July we demo’d a mockup at AirVenture Ohshkosh. By the beginning of August we had an initial PCB design. In October (about the time we had originally hoped to ship) we had the final design ready for manufacturing. Not bad considering that we were working on the Astra EFIS, magnetometer, and a new version of our FlightDock iPad mount in parallel.
Production Status
So the good news is, we have our first batch of circuit boards in from the contract manufacturer. The bad news is, we don’t yet have the new low-power radio modules that go with them. The new radio, built by a partner company, cuts the power consumption dramatically compared with the radios used in the original. We tested with an early version of the new radio this past spring / summer and were hoping to be able to start assembly in fall. Unfortunately, the final version of the radio was delayed by several months due to a parts shortage. We’re now expecting to receive samples of the final radio late this month and production quantities at the end of the year or in January of 2026. This pushes our shipping date out until a few weeks after that.
To those who have pre-ordered, we apologize for the delay. If anyone who has pre-ordered needs a refund, please contact us and we will issue one immediately. For anyone who hasn’t yet ordered, we’re extending the pre-order discount through the end of the year. The pre-order saves $100 of the regular price.
If you’re interested in more information, please check out the FlightBox v3 product page. If you want to place a pre-order, you can do that on our store.
