My friend “Chopper
Dave” and I have been doing some IFR flight training together and have been
trading-off being safety pilots for each other.
The other day Dave was asking me what I like to use for my electronic
flight bag, recommendations for an IFR study course, and what I use for my
flight simulator.
This is a description
of what works well for me. There are a
ton of options out there and other pilots may have other suggestions for what
works best for them.
I like to use the iPad
mini 4 in the cockpit. I used to use a
full-sized iPad but it just seemed too large for the smaller airplanes that I
fly. The current iPad mini only comes in
the 128mb version now and that is the one I have and I really like it. It
also looks like they may have come down in price a bit since I purchased mine.
If you get one for aviation I would suggest purchasing the one with cellular
service. Even if you don't take advantage of the cellular service feature,
the cellular version includes an internal GPS receiver and I have found the
internal GPS actually works pretty well...even when I forget to turn on my
Stratux :) The Wi-Fi only version doesn't
have built-in GPS. My wireless carrier only charges an extra $10 per
month to extend cellular service to the iPad & that way I can open and
close flight plans during flight, receive weather updates, etc...as long as I
am in cell range. One thing worth
mentioning is that when flying into the Idaho backcountry the majority of the
backcountry doesn’t have cell service so don’t expect to be able to close your
flight plan using your iPad after you land at a backcountry airstrip. I currently have the iPad paired with a
Stratux that I built from a kit which works great for receiving ADS-B and
displaying surrounding traffic on my iPad.
Here is a link showing the different options
and sizes of the Apple iPads:
Here is a link to the
iPad mini 4:
I also purchased the
apple iPad cover which was about $40 and so far it has been totally worth
it. One drawback to the stock cover is that it is not the toughest cover
out there. I like the simple design of
it, but if you are looking for something that might take a bit more abuse then
there are a lot of other options out there for iPad covers made by other manufacturers. I usually take the cover off when flying but
leave it on all other times to protect the glass. The stock cover is also
compatible with my knee pad iPad Holder if I want to leave it on while
flying. The stock cover also works as a table stand when I am reading
study material on the iPad.
There are a lot of
options for electronic flight bag software and I like using ForeFlight on the
iPad. ForeFlight seems very intuitive to me and I like the fact that it
works on both my iPhone and iPad and I also like using the desktop version for
flight planning and checking weather, etc.
The desktop and devise versions are all linked to your account so when
you update information on one device it will update your other devices. With ForeFlight you can download all of the
FAA published material including VFR Sectionals, IFR Low Charts, Approach and
Departure Charts, etc. One feature I
really like is that the charts are both seamless and interactive. That is, if you are flying from one area a
sectional might cover to another sectional there is no switching of maps required. ForefFlight shows it all as one seamless
chart and it shows the location of your airplane on the charts. Included in the “Documents” tab you can also
download FAA published books for free such as the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook,
Instrument Flying Handbook, Instrument Procedures Handbook, Aviation
Instructors Handbook, and of course the Airman’s Information Manual
(AIM). Just having that feature saves a
ton of money in not having to purchase books.
Another advantage is that the information is always up to date which is
a really nice feature.
Here is a link to
ForeFlight:
You can customize your
Foreflight subscription to suit your own needs too. Foreflight has a
little hidden link at the bottom of the pricing page allowing you to "build
your own plan" instead of choosing the pre-packaged plans. Just click
on the "Build your own Plan" option at the bottom of the page. I used to have a customized plan but recently
I upgrade to the "Pro Plus" plan for the interactive IFR Charts &
additional features. That way I can see where our flight is located on
the actual IFR chart & where my airplane is located on the Airport Diagram
for taxi and ground operations. ForeFlight will provide an audible and
visual warning when approaching a runway which I think is a great situational
safety feature along with the interactive airport diagram. I can see this as being super useful at an
unfamiliar airport.
There is other
software out there like WingX and FlyQ but I haven't used those and they might
do the same thing as Foreflight. I have been super happy with Foreflight
though and it works well for me.
For my IFR written
study material I am using the Sporty's Instrument course and it works really
well on the iPad. Sporty’s has an app
for the iPad and iPhone that allows great interactivity with all of your
purchased courses from Sporty’s and they are continually being updated with new
information and features. This course is
great both for pilots aspiring to get their instrument rating and those that
are instrument rated but would like an IFR refresher. With the Sporty’s course I can study reading
material, watch training videos and take practice tests using the iPad app
which is super convenient. The Sporty's course has been great for me but
there are also other options out there.
Some other great options are King Schools, Gleim, Rod Machado and Pilot
Workshops. I did the King Schools training program for my Private Pilot’s
license back in the early '90's and then I did the Sporty's Private Pilot
Course as a refresher and I liked the Sporty's course a lot so that is mainly
why I chose the Sporty's Instrument course and I am really enjoying it.
When I am flying I use
a MyGoFlight (MGF) Knee board mount for my iPad and it works great! The MyGoFlight products seem to be built
really well and are well designed.
If you have Amazon Prime
you can get free shipping with the following link:
The Knee Board Mount is
also compatible with suction cup mounts such as the MGF Flex Suction PRO.
I have a similar
single suction mount and it really doesn't seem to work that well though. It seems like I have to use the pump quite
often to keep it attached. When the red
line becomes visible you know it is time to add a few more pumps to the device
to keep it attached.
If I were to
experiment with other suction cup mounts I might go with the MGF Flex Double
Suction but I’m not sure if I would spend the money because the MGF knee board
actually seems to be working great! Here
is a link to the MGF Flex Double Suction Mount.
If someone else has used this product please let me know how well it has
worked for you.
One of my friends that
I fly with uses a yoke mount for his iPad & MGF makes one that I have
thought about getting but I don't really like the idea of my iPad moving around
with the yoke while I am flying.
For flight simulator
software I have been using X-Plane which I really like because it has a Garmin
430 and it links to my iPad and ForeFlight so it looks very similar to the
cockpit and instrument panel in the planes that I fly in reality. A
really cool feature of X-Plane is that it links to ForeFlight you can see
exactly what the flight would look like on your iPad and save flight tracks
just like a real flight when your flight is completed. The biggest challenge with X-Plane that I have
found is modifying the rendering settings to make it work with your monitor
setup. I have three monitors so I put
the 430 on my right-hand screen and I have my rendering settings set up so that
the cockpit looks similar to being in many of the same airplanes that I fly in
real-life. It doesn't have the Garmin G5's which is one difference to the
planes I have been flying but maybe X-Plane will add those features in newer
versions as the G5’s become more popular and are included in more panel
installations.
Along with X-Plane I
use a Saitek Pro Flight Yoke with a Throttle, Prop, & Mixture Quadrant
which makes it a much more realistic feeling of interaction.
I use CH Pro Pedals
that I found for a good deal on e-bay & those hook directly to the Saitek
yoke system. If you are looking at the
CH Pro Pedals make sure you get the ones with the USB compatible connector. I think there were some older versions of
these rudder pedals that had a different plug connector that may not be
compatible with the Saitek or other yoke systems.
Flying the flight simulator
doesn’t count towards any actual flight time or instrument time but that
doesn't really matter to me. I would much rather be outside flying real
airplanes but the simulator is a great way to keep your skills sharp when the
weather is too bad to fly or when I use up my monthly flying budget before the
end of the month. I have been using the
simulator to help practice approaches and familiarize myself with approaches to
an airport I am planning to fly into.
That way I have a better understanding of the airport’s procedures
before I get there in real-life. The
simulator has also been really helpful with my Instrument training for
practicing holds & pattern A and pattern B exercises.
Hopefully this helps
answer some questions on devices, aviation software, training and simulator
options. Remember that these are just
tools to aid in situational awareness and flight training. They aren’t a replacement for actual flying
skills and proficiency. The only way to
really master good flying skills is to get out there and FLY! Have Fun & Be Safe!
Happy Flying!
~ Tad Jones
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