Kindle DX in a Mooney

[mjc]

Keeping instrument charts current inexpensively is something I've long considered. When I got my rating I was using Jepp plates, later switching to NACO plates to save some money. So I was interested when I started hearing that there were folks putting together the plates as large PDF files available for free. A good tablet computer, though capable of more than just displaying plates, was too expensive and was lacking on battery life. I hadn't to that point thought about using an ebook reader, and after seeing the smallish Sony and Kindle 1, still wasn't impressed. Until a friend (and regular safety pilot) bought a Kindle DX to try out. We went up the other night with the latest set of plates loaded. I used it for the VOR 13 SNS, LOC 2 WVI, and GPS 31R RHV.

First, the bad. The main limitation is that navigating to each approach requires a lot of button-pushing. The PDF viewer doesn't allow for linked tables of contents or for named bookmarks, so you're pretty much navigating the PDF by page number, and keying in each number requires two buttons, ALT and the number (even when entering them into a number-only field, which is sloppy programming). So you go MENU-"Go to beginning"-MENU-"Go to page"-ALT-3-ALT-7-ALT-6-ENTER. Then you may have to go NEXT-NEXT-NEXT-etc until you find the approach you want. Once I got used to it (yes, I know; making the user adapt to the UI is bad design, but I know this isn't the Kindle's primary design goal), navigating to a page wasn't bad, and in fact, the total time to find an approach while flying along was actually similar to finding the same approach in a NACO book. There is a delay when changing pages; again, it takes some getting used to.

Next, the good. The image is very readable; I was amazed at how good it looked. I consider it to be on par with the paper NACO books, and the screen is the same size as a NACO plate. Since there aren't pages, they don't try to flip back and forth if the cabin vent is open, and the Kindle stays in place better than the NACO book due to its thinner size. Another plus is that I can carry approaches for the whole country, and parts and service manuals, my POH, and whatever else I can find on PDF. The battery life is great as it lasts weeks.

As for everything else, the Kindle DX is larger than a NACO book overall, but it fits nicely in my application. The screen and keyboard are not backlit, but then, the NACO books aren't either, so either way you'll need a light source. The plates came from pdfplates.com and nacomatic.com. They're basically identical, except that pdfplates.com puts the TOC on page 1 and nacomatic.com on page 3.

My conclusion is that the Kindle DX is great for the casual IFR pilot, so I bought a refurb one for $399.  Whn paired with a paper enroute chart and a VFR GPS it is a handy tool that will someday pay for itself. The serious IFR-all-the-time pilot will probably soon get frustrated with its limitations and the fact that it has only plates and no charts or weather or geo-referencing or well, anything but black-and-white PDF files.

[mjc]

I figured I'd post a follow-up to this topic now that I've also started using the Flight Guide e-Book on the Kindle DX. I took advantage of Flight Guide's $19/region/year rate for print subscribers and subscribed to the Western region e-book. Since it is a real e-book and not a PDF file, navigation around the book is easier (though still not ideal). Basically, you start with a list containing links to each state in the region. For each state, the airports are listed in alphabetical order by city, with each name being a link to that airport's information. This is where the e-book navigation paradigm suffers compared to a more flexible laptop. If I want to go to Van Nuys, I have to page through eight or so pages of airports in California, then scroll down the page to Van Nuys, and finally I can see the information on that airport. It would be oh-so-much-nicer to just start typing a name and have the device suggest results. If I type V-A-, I should see Vacaville and Van Nuys (among others), which is a much faster list to get through. (That's really a Kindle shortcoming, not a Flight Guide issue. The Kindle does support search, but it is very slow.)

Once you get to the airport you want, the e-book really shines. The frequecies and general information is well laid out very readable. The airport diagram is the same one in the paper book, but bigger. Perhaps best of all, the e-book contains fuel prices. It looks like they're about a month old, but it is still useful information for deciding which airport or FBO among several is likely to have the cheapest fuel. Also noteworthy is that the information is updated weekly as opposed to twice a year for the paper version.

In conclusion: overall, I think it's better than paper mostly due to the more frequent updates and fuel prices. If I could leave the Kindle in the airplane all the time, I think I would ditch the paper book in favor of the e-book. The trouble is that I can't leave the Kindle in the airplane all the time because my wife has started using it to read e-books (what is she thinking?).

Finally, on the general subject of navigation, I timed myself getting to a specific instrument approach the other day starting with a closed NACO book and a Kindle on the home page. It actually took about the same amount of time, between 30 and 40 seconds, on either format.

[jrjaks]

Michael:  How about an update on your Kindle DX as an EFB?  My NACO subscriptions are coming due and I'm considering switching over to paperless.  The Kindle seems to best fit my needs, (I already have Jeppesen subscriptions for GNS 430W and MX-20), so all I really want is to be able to replace a bag full of approach plates.  I've been a subscriber to Flight Guide for many years too.  Thanks!

[mjc]

I guess it's been a year and a half or so, and I've been very satisfied with the Kindle. They updated the software to make the contrast even better, so the plates look great. I've had the opportunity to fly a few approaches in IMC, and the Kindle was great at that. It stayed totally planted where I put it, with no flapping pages.

The downsides are there, but I just avoid them. Though you get 20 minutes before it kicks in, the Kindle does have the annoying "screensaver" that replaces whatever you're looking at if you don't hit any buttons. So I have gotten into the habit of pressing the spacebar and back button upon reaching the IAF. The page navigation is also still annoying; too many buttons to get what you want. I even found that I know someone on the Kindle software team who IS A PILOT. So I emailed him about it and he never responded. Oh, well.

The Kindle hasn't paid for itself yet, but my wife loves using it to read books. I estimated the payoff at between 2-3 years. The only real alternative (besides paper) is the iPad. I tried out my friend's iPad. It is probably the way to go IF you want to do everything else the iPad does (so much more than just plates), to justify the price (twice the Kindle). It also is not as good in direct sun.

[jrjaks]

Thanks for the info.  How about Flight Guide, are you still subscribing to their eBook service and Pilot Plates?  In reading their web site, it would appear that they are able to organize the approach plates and airport info more usefully than if you were to just download pdfs from free sources.  Again, thanks for all the useful information.

[rbp]

hijacking this old Kindle topic to ask if anyone is running Garmin Pilot on a modern Kindle, and what your experience has been

Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus tablet, 10.1", 1080p Full HD, 64 GB $219.99