T
ablet applications have
revolutionised general aviation
cockpits in the past 10 years or
so. The versatility of the iPad and
Android tablets and phones has
brought new capability and enabled
pilots to do critical calculations
faster and with less finger work.
Whiz wheels and protractors
are quickly becoming museum
equipment for private pilots as apps
do the necessary f light plans and
in-f light calculations in a fraction
of the time.
But even so, these devices have
their critics because pilots can
become reliant on them to the
detriment of their basic f lying
skills, and they can draw heads
into the cockpit at times when
they should be outside. It's a
valid argument, but one that is
perhaps generated from a lack of
understanding and a deficiency in
proper training.
And that's an important point
when considering using a tablet
app to guide your decisions in
f light: do you know what you're
looking at and do you know how
to use the app properly? Although
that can also be said of most in-
f light equipment and avionics, it
is perhaps more important with
tablet apps that are developed
outside the lines of regulations
and standards. In short, anything
goes, and you need a goodunderstanding of the tool
you are using.
Once you are up to speed, the
myriad of apps available to you
stand to make your life much
easier and your cockpit workload
significantly less. Australian
Flying has looked around the
market at what's out there and here
we present a selection of some of
the best around. There are a lot
more, and although you can almost
guarantee all these will run on an
iPad or iPhone, sadly, the same
can't be said of Android devices.
Use them wisely.Electronic
Flight Bags
An Electronic Flight Bag (EFB)
is the most powerful, versatile
and valuable tool you will ever
install on your tablet. EFBs
combine the function of f light
planning, weather, notams, chart
updates, in-f light navigation,
communication and so much
more, all presented in a most
professional and efficient way.
EFBs perform most of the pre-
f light calculations like heading,
groundspeed and time intervals in
a fraction of the time you will take
to do them yourselves. A GPS
inside the iPad enables the app
to track where you are and show
your planned route over the topaustralianflying.com.au 61
November – December 2017 AUSTRALIAN FLYINGof genuine, up-to-date Airservices
Australia charts.
In f light, the app will give you
your track, heading calculated on
forecast winds, ground speed, time
intervals and ETA. You can even
put in fixes and watch the BOM
rain radars as you go. They are a
complete system for navigating
and assessing f light conditions to
enable pilots to makes decisions
based on as much information as
they need.
EFBs are provided via
subscription, and are getting more
powerful and versatile with every
new version that comes out. They
are good enough for even the
military to use.
In Australia, the dual kings
of EFBs are AvPla n and
OzRunways. Each one is as
good as the other, with only
individual preference separating
the two. They will soon be
joined by Garmin Pilot, which,
like all Garmin products, is
professional and easy to use,ref lecting the touch-screen
ethos of the company's range of
certified navigators. Once Garmin
negotiates for access to Airservices
charts, Australia will have a third
EFB to choose from. It's bound
to keep the AvPlan/OzRunways
duopoly on its toes. Sentient
AirNav is another Australian
product that is well worth
checking out.
There are others around such
as Air Navigation Pro, but this
app doesn't use Airservices charts
anymore, and they don't intend
to do so in the future. Instead,
they are using VFR charts from
a third-party supplier. Although
still a very good system, Air
Navigation Pro can't be used as a
primary source of charts, so you'll
still need to carry hard copies in
the cockpit with you.
A note: EFB operators always
recommend either a second tablet
as a back-up, or continue to carry
hard-copy charts. Tablets are not
infallible and if yours fails you'llMAIN: Tablet apps have forced their way
into general aviation cockpits thanks to
their versatility and capability.
LEFT: Garmin is still working with
Airservices Australia to get proper charts
available in their EFB.
ABOVE: AvPlan is one of Australia’s best
EFBs, and is a powerful tool to make flight
preparation and in-flight calculations
much easier.