Portable Electronic Approach Plates

[MB_M20F]

Thought I'd reach out to the group to find out what you all use.

I have been using ReaderPlates on a Sony PRS-505. I find it adequate and practical in daylight but horrible at night due to its small non-backlit screen. What else is out there? Anyone using an iPad with either PDFPlates.com some kind of app?

Morten

[davidfreedman]

I've got plates on the Garmin 696...works beautifully day and night though I often have to zoom to see the level of detail I need which is slightly irritating.  I attempted to use my Kindle once.  The display was great during the day, but it's not yoke mounted like my 696...little distracting to pick it up and put it down.  Also, the navigation between pages is ppor when you are flipping hrough approaches.  Non-backlit so same night challenges as you mentioned above.

[FoxMike]

I use the Anywhere Pocket Plates.  They seem to work well.  I display them on a Samsung Q1.  I shopped quite a while for the right sized tablet and I find the Q1 is large enough to display the whole plate in readable size while small enough to fit on the yoke.  Size matters!  So far the EFB idea has given good results.  Good luck.

Walt

[Barry]

I use Anywhere Pocket Plates on a Viliv tablet (known in Anywhere map land as the Duo). I really enjoy it. The size is excellent for yoke mounting and I particuarly like that it interfaces with the GPS and shows my aircraft on the approach plate.

[KSMooniac]

I'm currently using NACOmatic downloaded plates on a CTL Classmate 2 convertible netbook/tablet.  It works great and serves as a good enough computer for other tasks, however, I very likely will move to a true tablet later this year when I get a look at the Android and Win7 competitors to the iPad.  I like the idea of the iPad very much, but I want to see what else comes out over the next few months...

[Cruiser]

there are many choices for cockpit displays. The newer units have brighter, vibrant displays. All the flight planning/moving map providers offer complete packages. If you know someone at Sun 'n Fun there are probably some special deals going on right now.

You can put together great combinations but if you are going to carry a tablet for viewing approach plates why not go one step further and get a complete GPS system with flight planner and charts that will work in the cockpit?  

[Stefanovm]

Try iFly 700. http://ifly.adventurepilot.com/Home.aspx

[Jeff_S]

Just got my iPad 3G and use ForeFlight. It is the best solution I have seen so far, and includes not just plates but all sectionals, IFR maps, whatever you choose to download into the machine. And it does a lot more than that of course, but from an IAP perspective it works very well.

[PTK]

Let's be sensible people.  It's nice to have the glass panels, fancy gps's georeferenced charts, plates, synthetic vision etc etc.  BUT WE STILL NEED THE PAPER folks ! Now IMO, if I'm going to carry the paper with me I might as well use it!  Such a novell idea?!  I see no sensible reason to spend thousands of dollars for fancy gadgetry when it cannot be primary and it's just going to be in the way! What I use at unfamiliar airports is an old Garmin handheld which has approaches for situational awareness while I follow along on the paper plate.  Everyone talks about situational awareness because this is ALL these gadgets do!  They cannot be primary.  Just use the paper it's not that hard!! 

The synthetic vision is a funny one.  It supposedly shows us tree tops.  We are not supposed to be flying over treetops to begin with folks!!

[PTK]

I forgot to mention I also have my handheld Garmin moving map interfaced to communicate with my fuel flow.  It gives me all the fuel info I can imagine for my flight plan.  Down to mpg.  What else do we need?  These older discontinued Garmin handhelds are a bargain on ebay these days!

[KLRDMD]

Quote: allsmiles

Let's be sensible people.  It's nice to have the glass panels, fancy gps's georeferenced charts, plates, synthetic vision etc etc.  BUT WE STILL NEED THE PAPER folks !

[PTK]

What do you mean FAA legal ? I hope you don't mean you fly around with no paper backup ! What do you do when your FAA legal hardware fails ? Are you kidding me?? FAA legal !?

[KLRDMD]

Quote: allsmiles

What do you mean FAA legal ? I hope you don't mean you fly around with no paper backup ! What do you do when your FAA legal hardware fails ? Are you kidding me?? FAA legal !?

[PTK]

Exactly.  This is why paper is primary in my airplane.  And let's not forget that they are coming out with backup gadgets to backup the present gadgets. 

When hardware is able to be "primary" as defined by the FAA then I would consider something.  This is just my opinion and it is worth as much as you paid for it!

[Jeff_S]

Quote: KLRDMD

No you don't. The

[Amelia]

I generally print out paper charts for the most likely approach(es) on a flight I'm planning, but on many occasions, I've been cleared for an approach I didn't print, or changed my mind about an intermediate stop. I find that between PocketPlates on AnywhereMap (on an HP handheld) and the Garmin 530W, I'm fine-- the plates are current, readable, and the Pocket Plates feature that shows my position on the plate is nicely reassuring, too.

[Amelia]

I generally print out paper charts for the most likely approach(es) on a flight I'm planning, but on many occasions, I've been cleared for an approach I didn't print, or changed my mind about an intermediate stop. I find that between PocketPlates on AnywhereMap (on an HP handheld) and the Garmin 530W, I'm fine-- the plates are current, readable, and the Pocket Plates feature that shows my position on the plate is nicely reassuring, too. Sure beats a box full of approach plate books and I can't say I miss filing Jepps, either!

[PTK]

To Jeff S who is asking if I'm on the Piper forums the answer is no I am not.  I'm a Mooney driver and not Piper.  But if you are going to call me cantankerous you need to explain to me and to the rest of the forum participants why you are calling me that and what it is exactly that is irritating you.  The forum is yours. I'm listening.

[Jeff_S]

Oh Lordy, I'm not irritated. Entertained, perhaps. And it only just occurred to me because some of your posts in this particular thread seemed to be of a similar literary style to our beloved PK in the Piper Forum. To whit:

"What do you mean FAA legal ? I hope you don't mean you fly around with no paper backup ! What do you do when your FAA legal hardware fails ? Are you kidding me?? FAA legal !?" And:

"Let's be sensible people.  It's nice to have the glass panels, fancy gps's georeferenced charts, plates, synthetic vision etc etc.  BUT WE STILL NEED THE PAPER folks !"

But hey, I was in no way trying to offend...just trying to establish identity. I suppose "cantankerous" could be taken with a negative connotation but sometimes a little conflict can be fun, too.  The PK over at Piper Forum has no problem mixing it up from time to time.

[PTK]

No offense taken.  No problem.  I was making the point that for pure situational awareness, which is ALL these things will provide, we do not need to spend thousands of dollars!  It is very easy to jump on bandwagons and then be dissappointed!  In fact I use my iphone running a nice little very powerfull, free ( I think it was .99 cents actually) app called Goodreader.  I download the approach plates to it FOR FREE.  The whole country if I want.  I keep the iphone in front of me on my yoke and I can pull up any plate instantly.  It sits neatly on the yoke and you know the iphone, it's a tad bigger than the mooney emblem on the yoke!  Very unobtrusive BUT VERY POWERFULL AND FUNCTIONAL!   Now you or someone mentioned the ipAD.  I think it's too big.  Where do you mount the iPAD?  Is it sitting on the copilot seat? 

I am not referring to the 530.  Personally I don't like the 530. I feel it's dated and therefore overpriced.  It does the job though for its certified status of a GPS. I'm waiting for the KSN 770 if they ever bring it out.  I know it's a big if but I'm willing to wait.  I feel Garmin has some sort of monopoly and it's the reason why they have not changed the 530 in 13 years!

[Earl]

Quote: allsmiles

Let's be sensible people.  It's nice to have the glass panels, fancy gps's georeferenced charts, plates, synthetic vision etc etc.  BUT WE STILL NEED THE PAPER folks ! Now IMO, if I'm going to carry the paper with me I might as well use it!  Such a novell idea?!  I see no sensible reason to spend thousands of dollars for fancy gadgetry when it cannot be primary and it's just going to be in the way! What I use at unfamiliar airports is an old Garmin handheld which has approaches for situational awareness while I follow along on the paper plate.  Everyone talks about situational awareness because this is ALL these gadgets do!  They cannot be primary.  Just use the paper it's not that hard!! 

The synthetic vision is a funny one.  It supposedly shows us tree tops.  We are not supposed to be flying over treetops to begin with folks!!

[danb35]

Quote: allsmiles

When hardware is able to be "primary" as defined by the FAA then I would consider something.

[The-sky-captain]

Quote: Barry

 I particuarly like that it interfaces with the GPS and shows my aircraft on the approach plate.

[Jeff_S]

The iPad 3G has a GPS antenna in it, but what actually appears will depend on what app you're using. I think ForeFlight is generally recognized as the most comprehensive app to-date for the iPad/iPhone, and it's what I use.  It has geo-referenced sectionals and low/hi-alt enroute charts, so you can see your position there. It also has all IAPs and taxi charts, but as of yet these are not geo-referenced, and no word on if/when this will happen.  I suspect, given the technical underpinnings of the iPad 3G, that other apps will show up that my offer more robust capability in this area, and I suspect (given their track record of enhancements) that ForeFlight may get there as well.  Time will tell...

[fantom]

I recently traded my Garmin 396 for an Aera 510, and love it, even in turbulance. All the negative comments I read about it were solved by just RTFM.