Phone in Flight

spiderweb

spiderweb

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
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Display name:
Ben
Does anyone use their phone in flight for aviation-related stuff? Display too small?
 
I have Avare on my phone and use it as a backup. I used it last week on a cross country. Not too small to be useful, but I did a lot more scrolling than if I'd been using my tablet.
 
garmin pilot on iphone as backup. sometimes stick the phone in a small suction ram mount x-grip on the side window.
 
Garmin Pilot, GDL39-3D, and iPhone 7+. Used it yesterday.
 
I have WingXPro7 loaded up in my iPhone 6+.

On the one hand, its certainly small compared to even an iPad Mini.

On the other hand, compare it to the moving map on a Garmin 430, lets say. And the interface is light years ahead.

For flights relatively close to home, the iPhone does just fine. Longer flights I schlep my iPad mini along.
 
I use Foreflight on the yokemounted iPhone 6 for basic magenta-line-following and traffic warnings. The display is plenty big for that purpose, at least as large as many panel-mount displays. A power cable from the cigarette lighter keeps the phone fully charged. It's small and light enough so as to not interfere with the controls and view of the panel.

On longer trips I carry an iPad Mini 4 to consult when needed, leaving the iPhone to do its navigation duty uninterrupted.

Screen Shot 2017-07-04 at 8.24.23 AM.png
 
Children of the magenta
 
Depends on the airplane. In a cub or something similar I don't like carrying around extra junk so I'll use the phone for looking up frequencies or navigating complex airspace. In a bigger plane when I'm carrying more stuff or am anticipating doing an instrument approach, I'd prefer the iPad for its bigger screen.
 
What do all of you like best for iPhone in flight? FF? WingXpro?
 
Yep. iPhone 7+ runs ForeFlight & Garmin Pilot well.
 
I use my phone for log book purposes. The one plane I use doesn't have a hobbs, just a standard hour meter so it is out by a little ways. My flightbook is nice because I can tell it when I start the engine, when my first takeoff is, last landing, and engine shut down, calculating exact times for airframe and engine times. It knows when night flight is and records that appropriately too, tallys the touch and go's as well. Quite nice, just keep the phone in airplane mode to save battery and it really works nice.
 
WingX on iPad mini and Xavion on iPhone in flight.
Do LockMart flight planning and Weight and Balance on iPhone.
 
I have WingX on my iPhone 6+. There are times that I swing by the airport on my way home from work when I don't have my iPad. The iPhone, although much smaller, gets the job done too. The belt clip on my iPhone Otter box case will clip nicely into a hole that is in the center of my Ram iPad platter which is mounted on the yoke. People can make fun of the 'children of the magenta line' but I absolutely love having all of my maps, charts and airport information just a click away in a small electronic device. Sure beats the old days of lugging around a brief case full of paper crap. I typically use my iPad on my cross country flights, but I have left work early with a friend and go straight to the airport to fly down to St Simons for supper using only the iPhone so I would not have to go home to get my iPad. I love having WingX on my phone as a backup to my iPad as well. Instead of having to bounce around the screens on my iPad I can use WingX on my phone to pull up miscellaneous information like radio frequencies.
 
I carry my phone as a backup in case for some reason I can't use the radio and need to talk to center, tower, approach..... Also the sat phone is for when the company needs to talk to me while flying.
 
Zeldman said:
I carry my phone as a backup in case for some reason I can't use the radio and need to talk to center, tower, approach..... Also the sat phone is for when the company needs to talk to me while flying.
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Those phone numbers easily retrievable?
 
wrbix said:
Those phone numbers easily retrievable?
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Speed dial has made life too easy. And I have the numbers saved for the places I go to frequently.

The planes I flew last summer all had a FM radio. I did have to use it once to get cleared into the class D. I called mom (dispatch) on the FM. Dispatch called the tower on the land line and we worked it all out. Much easier than trying to see light gun signals.
 
I Bluetooth my phone to the intercom and use my phone to make phone calls and listen to music. It also has foreflight installed if I need it.
 
X3 Skier said:
Use iPhone as backup for ForeFlight.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Same. ForeFlight on the phone is pretty crippled but good enough in a pinch for viewing charts and plates if the iPad calls it quits. Never used it for real but have flown practice approaches with it in VMC. It works well enough---just small. That got me comfortable cancelling all of my paper subscriptions, and man is that nice!
 
A large smartphone is big enough, especially with the uncluttered vector maps that Garmin Pilot and Foreflight use now. I remember back in early 2000s having Anywhere Map on an iPaq (some of you might not know what that was) which was smaller than today's phones and thinking it was plenty big. Had it hooked up to a Magellan Map 330 GPS. The bigger the better though. I use a 10.5" iPad now.
 
Zeldman said:
Speed dial has made life too easy. And I have the numbers saved for the places I go to frequently.....
Click to expand...


you're a child of the digital phone. the folks who insist on using paper sectionals will probably say it's better to carry a phone book because it will never run out of batteries. ;)
 
FF or WingX are both good tools. I haven't used Garmin pilot; I stick with FF because I started with it - I've used a phone as a phone in flight, and to call for a clearance on the ground. Otherwise it's an iPad and panel mount.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
I Bluetooth my phone to the intercom and use my phone to make phone calls and listen to music. It also has foreflight installed if I need it.
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My phone bluetooth's to the audio panel too, but once I get out of the pattern and a little altitude, I am not able to receive or make calls. My phone will ring but when I answer I am not able to hear or talk to the caller. Can you make calls in flight? Text messages work but I have not had any success making calls. I still like being able to make calls through my audio panel while still on the ground before takeoff.
 
Also using Avare. Small, usable, great backup for when the instrument panel decides to go to the Bahamas.
I also clip the phone to the back of the front seat when I'm flying the J3 Cub. It's just the right size.
 
I wonder if anyone here as ever tried Google Maps in the air.

"In 200 ft turn left on 3rd. Recalculating. In a quarter mile turn left on 7th. Recalculating. In a quarter mile turn left on 10th. Recalculating..."
 
I feel pretty silly.
I've never attempted to use my phone to make a call in flight.
Or text.
Metam and Avare are the sum total of all my in flight phone use.
 
I use mine on occasion for weather or Avare. If I use any handheld device, it is my phone. I'm not a fan of big fat tablets in my personal space.


I text and fly regularly, however. I don't carry on conversations, but I'll text ETA or other relevant info to whoever may be expecting me, and of course, check in with the wife from time to time.
 
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Shepherd said:
Also using Avare. Small, usable, great backup for when the instrument panel decides to go to the Bahamas.
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Instrument panels go to the Bahamas? Regularly?

Dang it. I knew I should have married an instrument panel!
 
They only work for what... the first 3000 feet???
 
Seems like you typically get a useable signal to about 5k. Never had anything functional above 10k, but I typically go to airplane mode before then---otherwise battery drain just gets insane as it frantically tries to latch onto a tower.
 
eman1200 said:
you're a child of the digital phone. the folks who insist on using paper sectionals will probably say it's better to carry a phone book because it will never run out of batteries. ;)
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Hey, we Children of the Sectional just need a little time to adjust. ;)
 
Shepherd said:
Also using Avare. Small, usable, great backup for when the instrument panel decides to go to the Bahamas.
I also clip the phone to the back of the front seat when I'm flying the J3 Cub. It's just the right size.
Click to expand...
How do you attach it to the seat?
 
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