In each Sentry Story, we’ll describe an actual flight and share the view out the window and ForeFlight screenshots. You’ll see how Sentry can be used to make flying safer and easier, plus you’ll learn some tips for flying with datalink weather. Want to share your story? Email ipad@sportys.com
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Sentry Story #9
Date: June 1, 2025
Aircraft: Cessna 182
Route: KCEP to I69
Flight rules: VFR
Altitude: 7,000 MSL
Sentry is the ultimate safety addition to any cockpit. Most pilots focus on its ability to deliver ADS-B weather to an iPad running ForeFlight, but it also includes several other safety features that I won’t fly without. The built-in GPS receiver makes sure you never get lost, the carbon monoxide sensor continuously monitors cabin air quality, and the ADS-B traffic receiver warns of potential mid-air conflicts.
On a trip from Florida to Ohio earlier this year, I initially thought I would be using Sentry to monitor radar imagery in ForeFlight to help avoid convective weather along the way. But as luck would have it, there wasn’t a single cloud forecast for any point along the entire 528-mile trip. The only real weather annoyance I had to deal with was a 15-knot headwind.
There was a stationary front parked over Kentucky, so the first 3 hours of the trip were smooth as silk in a murky haze at 7,000 feet.
As I passed Lexington, KY, there were a few bumps crossing the stalled front, and the visibility quickly increased to over 20 miles as I flew into the drier air mass.
Lexington Approach cleared me down to 3,000 feet as I reached the northern limits of their Class C airspace, in preparation for the handoff to Cincinnati Approach. This was a pretty low altitude considering I was still 50 miles from the destination, but I knew from experience that it was to keep us under the airline arrivals flying over the Falmouth VOR into Cincinnati. After the handoff to Cincinnati, the approach frequency remained relatively quiet.
I started including the iPad and ForeFlight traffic overlay in my scan as I approached the busier Class B airspace. As I reached the outer shelf of the airspace, I spotted another airplane in ForeFlight northeast of my position at the same altitude, heading directly towards me. I switched my scan out the window, but wasn’t able to see them visually yet.
At this point, I began making an avoidance plan about what I would do if the other airplane remained at the same altitude and ATC didn’t attempt to vector either one of us.
The concerning thing at this point was that the frequency remained quiet, right up until the point the ForeFlight traffic alert appeared on the iPad. A few moments later, a frantic controller broke onto the silent frequency with the alert. “N253WP, you have immediate traffic, 1 o’clock and less than 1 mile, same altitude, suggest immediate deviation.”
Fortunately for me, my heart rate was much lower than the controller's, as I had been monitoring this potential conflict for miles in advance thanks to the traffic information provided by Sentry. I had visually acquired the other airplane when they were still 1 mile away, and started descending 30 seconds earlier to stay well clear of them. Yes, I was IFR and deviated from the assigned altitude of 3,000 feet to do so, but all parties involved in this potential conflict were glad I did.
Another safety feature is that ForeFlight also provides audio alerts when a traffic conflict occurs. I had my Lightspeed Zulu 4 headset paired to my iPad, so I heard the alert while I was descending below their altitude. This feature is crucial for times when the workload is high and you can’t keep a close eye on the traffic layer, as it gets your attention in the final seconds to change your heading or altitude.
The key takeaway is that pilots are responsible for seeing and avoiding traffic when flying in VMC conditions, even in Class B or C airspace when on an IFR flight plan. Flying with Sentry ADS-B traffic simplifies this process, as it allows pilots to spot potential conflicts early on, while the approaching traffic is still miles away.
Want to share your story? Email ipad@sportys.com for a chance to be featured in one of our Sentry Stories.
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