AircraftOwner Online

    Prognosticators predicted that Apple’s iPad could make a dandy Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) before it was even released, and they were right. With hundreds of thousands of these devices now in circulation, the iPad has proven, with a few caveats, to be a reliable, lightweight device with over eight hours of battery life and reasonable screen readability. Paired with ForeFlight Mobile HD, the iPad becomes a powerful and flexible EFB. Here’s how the iPad stacks up against a stack of paper, along with some things to consider before you make the jump to using an EFB.

Does the FAA Approve?

    The very first question pilots ask after they see an iPad EFB in action is “Is it legal?” The simple answer for most GA pilots operating under 14 CFR 91 is a qualified “Yes.” The gory details can be found in the FAA advisory circular AC 120-76A: Guidelines for the Certification, Airworthiness, and Operational Approval of Electronic Flight Bag Computing Devices. For most Part 91 operations (except for multi-engine turbine aircraft and fractional operators) an EFB does not require FAA approval as long as the device isn’t replacing any equipment required by 14 CFR 91.205.

    AC 120-76A distinguishes between an Electronic Chart Display (ECD) and an EFB, the difference being that an EFB does more than just display charts. As you’ll soon see, the iPad with ForeFlight Mobile HD is more that just an ECD.

Plan B & Proficiency

    Like anything electronic, EFBs may go Tango Uniform at inopportune times and a good backup plan would be to carry a second EFB device or at least a minimal number of paper charts. In particular, the iPad has tendency to overheat and shutdown in hot weather. I’ve witnessed this with other iPad users who purchased Apple’s iPad Case, which seems to make the device run hotter than my aftermarket hard case that doesn’t fully enclose the iPad. You can reduce the likelihood of overheating by keeping the iPad out of direct sunlight and turning off the display when you’re not using it. Remember, too, that Apple specifies a 10,000 foot MSL altitude limit on the iPad. If you fly a non-pressurized aircraft you may be able to operate your iPad at high altitudes without a hitch, then again you may not. I did mention the importance of having a plan B, right?

    Launching into the clouds should not be the first time you use your EFB. Learn to use the device while on the ground, in a simulator, or with a safety pilot on board. And be sure to keep your electronic charts up-to-date, just as you would with paper charts.

Good EFB Software

    ForeFlight has been a leader in software solutions since the introduction of ForeFlight Mobile for the iPhone back in 2007, so it wasn’t surprising when they announced an iPad-based solution. What was surprising was that they had ForeFlight Mobile available the first day that the iPad became available. An added bonus was that the iPad version was available at no extra charge for subscribers of the iPhone version of ForeFlight: Quite a bargain considering you can use ForeFlight Mobile HD for most every phase of flight including preflight weather briefings, route planning, filing flight plans, and viewing VFR or IFR charts in flight.

Route Planning, Wx Briefing, and Filing

    To get a quick view of the weather for an airport, tap on the search field and enter the ICAO or FAA identifier using the iPad’s pop-up touchscreen keyboard. The airport display shows information on most anything you’d like to know, including surface weather reports, terminal forecast, winds aloft, approach and departure plates, FBOs, frequencies and NOTAMs. About the only thing missing is nearby pilot reports.

    To get a route briefing, simply enter a pair of airport identifiers in the search field. Include the route, true airspeed, fuel consumption and altitude if you like, otherwise ForeFlight computes a direct routing and displays the course on most any type of map you choose, including a VFR chart, an IFR chart, even a NEXRAD radar display.

    Once you’ve entered your route, tap on the navigation log icon to reveal the flight time, obtain recent ATC-assigned routings, file a flight plan, and get a weather briefing. ForeFlight uses DUATS to obtain your preflight briefing and then breaks the briefing down in a way that makes it faster to read.

    If you’re like most pilots, you hate wading through obscure NOTAMs as you try to read the important ones. ForeFlight categorizes NOTAMs in an intuitive way and then translates them to plain English so you can quickly separate the wheat from the chaff.

    When it’s time to file a flight plan, ForeFlight makes it easy by automatically filling in information about you and your aircraft. You’ll also receive an email containing your
flight plan and the text of the DUATS weather briefing for your route.

    One feature missing from the first release iPad of ForeFlight Mobile HD was animated weather radar and satellite images, but version 3.5 has rectified that with high-definition NEXRAD Radar and Satellite maps that include icons for lightning, hail, and mesocyclone activity. You can view these in portrait or landscape mode by simply rotating the iPad. And you can zoom in to practically the street level. The clarity and detail of these maps can be described in one word: Excellent.

In the Cockpit

    Whether you want VFR sectionals, VFR terminal area charts, low- or high-altitude en route charts, ForeFlight Mobile lets you download and store as many or as few charts as you need. The download settings let you specify which charts, approach plates, and airport diagrams you want to store on your iPad. Once you’ve downloaded the data you want, you can access it in flight without a WiFi or 3G data connection. Any time your charts or approach plates are about expire, ForeFlight Mobile will let you know it’s time to download the new versions. Think of it as an electronic chart subscription, but remember you’ll need a WiFi or 3G connection and sufficient time to download those charts.

    Displaying approach plates is easy once you’ve selected an airport. Tap on the Procedures tab and you’ll see plates conveniently grouped by Departure, Arrival, and Approach. Select approach procedures and you’ll see those are further group by ILS, VOR, RNAV, and so on. Once you’ve selected a procedure you can display it full size, which is comparable to a paper chart from the FAA, or you can zoom in using the now-familiar iPhone/iPod/iPad gestures.

    And if you really, truly want to minimize paper in the cockpit, you can use ForeFlight Mobile’s ScratchPad feature to draw or take notes. In draw mode just use your fingertip as a pen or select type mode and use the iPad’s pop-up keyboard. Once the page fills up, press the clear button to start over. Too bad there’s no way to store multiple pages of notes. Still, with a subscription price of about $75 per year and the ability to store a whole lot of data, ForeFlight on the iPad offers pilots pretty good bang-for-the buck.

Mostly Paperless

    The iPad promises to reduce workload in the cockpit and make your flight bag lighter, provided you use common sense and have a good back-up plan. Right now, it’s not so much a paperless cockpit as it is a cockpit with less paper. So when another pilot asks how you like your new toy, just explain that the iPad with ForeFlight Mobile HD is actually a powerful tool that enhances safety of flight. But be careful if you give them a demo: You may find it hard to pry your shiny new iPad out of their hands.