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| Don't Use for Navigation |
Even if you're an old school pilot who secretly thinks the road to hell is what's displayed on a moving map, I'll still wager that you'll find geo-referenced approach charts and airport diagrams compelling once you see them in action. ForeFlight's new geo-referencing feature is the result of licensing of original technology developed by Seattle Avionics. This option increases the yearly ForeFlight subscription from $74.95 to $149.99, but you can also buy subscriptions for more than one iPad or inquire about a corporate subscription plan. And while a Jeppesen has generated a lot of buzz by announcing OpSpec approval for at least one operator using their iPad app, you should know that the same approval for ForeFlight Mobile HD (FFM) on the iPad has also been accomplished. More on that later.
Required Ingredients
To use ForeFlight's geo-referencing feature, you'll need two ingredients. You'll need to pay the additional fee and you must have some sort of GPS. If the additional fee seems costly, consider this: The annual FFM subscription includes all of the Aeronav charts and procedures one could want for a cost that is only slightly more that what you'd pay for a Jeppesen Mobile TC subscription for California only (sans geo-referencing, by the way). That makes FFM a pretty good value, if you ask me.
The built-in GPS-A found in the 3G iPad may work okay on the ground, then again it may not. In the air, relying on the built-in GPS-A would be a pretty dicey plan. For my testing, I used the GNS 5870 bluetooth GPS which I've been flying with for several weeks now. To date the GNS 5870 has performed flawlessly: It has achieved satellite lock reliably and quickly and the data it provides to ForeFlight Mobile HD has basically matched the GPS data I've seen displayed on panel-mounted GPS receivers like the Garmin G1000, 530W and King KLN 94. I certainly don't sanction relying on a bluetooth GPS for primary navigation, but it's a nice back-up to have on board.
You are ... Here
The geo-referencing in FFM is provide on approach procedures and airport diagrams only. When this feature is available, you'll see a light blue box drawn around the plan view on the approach chart or around the airport diagram. Once you are within the area being covered by the chart, your location will be shown with a little blue airplane surrounded a pulsating animation.
If you want to see your groundspeed, track and other GPS-derived information, you'll need to go into the settings and disable the Auto-Hide Toolbar option. Otherwise, the navigation tab will disappear after a few seconds and you'll have to tap on the center of the chart to get it back. Displaying navigation information during an approach is overkill if you have a panel-mount GPS, but on the taxiway diagrams it provides a good indication if you are taxiing too fast (a bad habit that many pilots have).
There are some accuracy limits to the taxiway diagrams. On a couple of occasions I noticed the airplane's position was being shown slightly off the taxiway we were actually on, but most of the time it was spot on.
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| On the Main Ramp, but showing "in the dirt" |
In the air, I found the accuracy with the GNS 5870 was quite good. In particular, the map gives you a good idea when you're about to intercept an approach while being vectored and helps you maintain situational awareness when flying a full approach with a procedure turn or hold-in-lieu-of-procedure-turn. I even tried it out on a circle-to-land approach: I zoomed in on the approach chart, saw the aircraft's position as being abeam the touchdown zone, and the position was spot on.
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| Right downwind, abeam RWY 20 |
One minor gripe is that when you zoom in on a geo-referenced chart, the blue airplane that represents your position is not scaled to match the new chart scale. The result is that the more you zoom in, the smaller the airplane symbol appears.
To Buy or Not to Buy
If you have a panel-mounted GPS and are on a tight budget, you can probably forego the geo-referenced approach chart and taxiway option in FFM. But for not a lot of extra dough, I find this option to be useful enhancement to safety and situational awareness. You'll also need to invest in either a bluetooth GPS like the GNS 5870 MFI Bluetooth GPS Receiver
or something like the Bad Elf GPS Receiver
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or something like the Bad Elf GPS Receiver.Getting Approved
Operators who want to get approval to use an iPad solution from their FAA Flight Standards District Office may be interested to know that Cutter Flight Management, Inc. has received authorization to use the iPad with ForeFlight Mobile HD and Jeppesen Mobile TC. Cutter will use ForeFlight to provide domestic en route charts and terminal procedures with Jeppesen providing terminal procedures for international operations. The process for operators gaining OpSpec approval for an EFB is detailed in AC 120-76A, the EFB Job Aid, and in Order 8900.1, volume 4, Chapter 15, Section 1: Electronic Flight Bag Operational Authorization Process.
The EFB evaluation process usually takes about six months with an additional two months for the approval process. Currently, operators must demonstrate the iPad can withstand rapid decompression and that the device doesn't interfere with aircraft avionics and systems. Seeing it has already been demonstrated that the iPad meets these requirements, it seems odd that each individual operator must go through this. Operators must also develop a training program for their flight crews in how to use the device and the EFB software.
Less Paper, More Bytes
It looks like the dream of a paperless cockpit continues to evolve and the rate of acceptance of EFBs in the cockpit is on the rise. In the coming months it should become clear if EFBs really do reduce the time, effort, and expense associated with maintaining navigational charts and procedures. And just imagine how much lighter all those pilot's brain bags will be.
The EFB evaluation process usually takes about six months with an additional two months for the approval process. Currently, operators must demonstrate the iPad can withstand rapid decompression and that the device doesn't interfere with aircraft avionics and systems. Seeing it has already been demonstrated that the iPad meets these requirements, it seems odd that each individual operator must go through this. Operators must also develop a training program for their flight crews in how to use the device and the EFB software.
Less Paper, More Bytes
It looks like the dream of a paperless cockpit continues to evolve and the rate of acceptance of EFBs in the cockpit is on the rise. In the coming months it should become clear if EFBs really do reduce the time, effort, and expense associated with maintaining navigational charts and procedures. And just imagine how much lighter all those pilot's brain bags will be.
