

EFB For iPad: Will Your Pilot Be Using This In 2012? - dsil
http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/04/18/efb-for-ipad-will-your-pilot-be-using-this-in-2012/

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crikli
This pilot uses it right now; well, technically I use an app called ForeFlight
that's a bit more mature than the app in the OP however it's the same exact
concept.

It's wonderful; I still keep paper charts as backups but never use them
anymore. ForeFlight just released a new version that meshes GPS data with the
instrument procedure maps (called approach plates) as well as with airport
maps (really really handy when you've landed at an airport with a ton of
taxiways).

They even built in a way to further dim the iPad screen so you don't blow out
your eyes at night.

The GPS antenna in the iPad is a bit weak, but there's a slick BlueTooth
enabled widget that takes care of that issue.

The only downside is that there's no datalink, which means no live weather. As
the OP mentions, once can download weather ahead of time but that's only
sufficient for pre-flight planning. On a long cross country over varied
terrain in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) it's still handy to have
at least a Garmin handheld device with XM Weather. There are still flight
service stations (FSS) that can help you out with the weather but there's
nothing like pulling up Nexrad data to your cockpit display while in the soup.

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mrkurt
My dad flies for American Airlines and is champing at the bit to use something
like this. It will make life a great deal easier for commercial pilots.

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gonzo
I forwarded it to a friend who is a commercial pilot. He thinks it's cool.

