SkySports Introduces WindMaster Wrist Instrument

Windmeter Uses Unique Pop-Up Windspeed Sensor

The new WindMasterwrist instrument from after-market supplier SkySports features a pop-up windspeed sensor (arrow, shown here retracted) to provide windspeed measurements from 0 to 200 kilometers per hour (0 to 124 mph). In addition to displaying windspeed in kilometers per hour (kph) and miles per hour (mph), the windspeed meter will display (if desired) windspeed measurements in knots, meters per second, feet per second or Beaufort scale (a scale on which successive ranges of wind velocities are assigned code numbers from 0 to 12 or from 0 to 17). Resolution is 0.1 kph.

It's still at least 7 months until Christmas, but Father's Day is right around the corner (on June 16), so here's a little  "stocking stuffer" for the ultralight father or spouse who has almost everything - a new wristwatch marvel called the WindMaster, from ultralight and aviation after-market supply house SkySports. "The WindMaster incorporates all the features coveted by ultralight, powered parachute, paraglider and hang glider pilots everywhere," SkySports claims. "A unique retracting windspeed sensor pops up at the push of a button to provide accurate windspeed, critical for flight safety."

A high-contrast display shows altitude, time, barometric pressure (and trend), and more, according to SkySports. Additional features include: timer, lap timer, day of week and date, 12- or 24-hour (military) time, dual alarms, chime and electroluminescent backlight. You can "select between English and metric units for all displays," Sky­Sports says. "The WindMaster even includes a small magnetic compass integral with the windspeed impeller." The WindMaster is also waterproof to a depth of 100 feet. The WindMaster's barometer has a range from 8.84 to 32.44 inches of Mercury (inHg), or can display the barometric pressure in millibars (mb). The sensitivity of the barometer can be adjusted, Sky­Sports indicates. For determining the temperature, the thermometer has a range from +14° to +140° Fahrenheit, and can also display the temperature in Celsius (-10° to +60° C). The altimeter range is from 2,300 to 30,065 feet (or 701 to 9,164 meters). Suggested retail price for the WindMaster is $129.

- Buzz Chalmers