cockpit management

That’s what the CFI is there for ... have him hold the iPad in the perfect angle
 
I have my tablet on the co-pilot yoke sticking out to the side. Sorry the pic isn't so good but it is the only one I have that shows the yoke.


tablet.jpg
 
So you are going to precisely control the plane solely by reference to the instruments and you plan on hanging an iPad on yoke and entering data while it’s mounted there.
 
Clip4 said:
So you are going to precisely control the plane solely by reference to the instruments and you plan on hanging an iPad on yoke and entering data while it’s mounted there.
Click to expand...

Yup. Why not?
 
I find that yoke mounts are just too much in the way. I keep a clipboard on my lap which has all my checklists in page protectors, and a flight log or scrap paper for copying clearances and making notes. If you put strips of felt on the bottom of the clipboard, it won't slip on your lap. My tablet is on my clipboard, or if there is no one in the copilot seat, I can flop it there. It's mostly used for viewing approach plates and ADS-B weather, but also to have larger situatsional awareness sphere. I usually keep a sectional map up on the EFB even when IFR, unless the IFR airspace and my flight plan are complicated. I have a canopy bow mount that holds an Aera-510 that displays a synced copy of the GNS-430 flight plan and displays XM weather. It's a small screen, and is up and out of the way, and does not obstruct controls or view of the panel. To view an approach plate, I pick up the tablet and hold it up near eye level when IFR. Note what you need, then put it down on your lap.

BTW, it's nice to have both ADS-B and XM weather. I can set the XM weather to base reflectivity if desired while the ADS-B is showing composite reflectivity to evaluate how much precip is reaching down to lower altitudes. Plus ADS-B occasionally "flakes out" while my XM has been rock-solid, plus you can get your XM on the ground prior to departure once it downloads everything.
 
Vince R said:
Before anyone accuses me of being a Luddite, I want to share that I do own a software company, and there’s no bigger fan of ForeFlight than me.

Still, when I did my instrument rating, I tried being totally iPad-centric, but it was hard. In turbulence under the Foggles, by the time I navigated through the app and got whatever info I needed, my instructor would be tapping his little pencil on the altimeter because I drifted a hundred feet off altitude.

After a few hours like this, I tried some other ways. Believe it or not, for me the most efficient idea was...printed charts on a clipboard. With a little thought, I could plan the flight on ForeFlight, and print all the charts I might need, from airport diagrams to approach plates. It might be my old eyes, but by printing things like the approach plates a little bigger, I spent less time searching for information. In fact, you get pretty good at arranging the various chart pages such that you’re just pulling one page off the stack and the next one you need follows. And the little clipboard fits anywhere.

The extent of my equipment then was an 8x10 acrylic clipboard that I drilled a hole through so I could tie a pen to it. Yes, I had the iPad (and the iPhone) in case I needed a chart I didn’t think to print before the flight, but at least for me, the old fashioned way seemed to work best.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much what I did during my training. Depending on the plane I was flying there was either a 430 or a KLN-89b that did everything the iPad would have done. The knee board, paper and pencil was stupid simple and if I wanted to look something up without messing with the dash mount I could pull up FF or FLTPlan GO or whatever and basically use it like an AFD.

GPS failure? pull the iPad. Electrical failure? pull the iPad. The rest of the time it was stowed in the pamphlet holder by my leg.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top