Flying Magazine blogger wants an iPad in the cockpit

My iPhone with a few apps already does the trick just fine! http://www.pilottimes.com/iphone-apps/ Plus I'm not convinced the aGPS on the iPad will work well. I'll wait for the iPad Generation 2 maybe.

A 3g signal, no. GPS signal, yes.

No one here is talking about that... but that's not how a pilot would use the iPad. Instead, look at this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_flight_bag

I honestly thought the iPad was relatively useless until I saw this post. I love ForeFlight, but reading diagrams on the iPhone are a pain. On the iPad, I could see it being so much better, even relegating my kneeboard to backup duties if the keyboard is usable.

Ian

there is no service 10,000 feet up so good luck trying to use any data service

At last - somebody finally gets what I've been blathering on about for 20 years, right back to the original Active Book. A portable compute device of 9-12" screen size can do so many useful things in a car, boat or plane. Slot it into the vehicle and have it be the instrumentation. Maintain service records and log readings of oil pressure, temperature, all those important indicators. Do your navigation and pilot log duties.

Yes, a laptop can do the computer and display stuff, but only if you can find a way to mount it so that the silly great lump of case & keyboard doesn't get right in the way. And using a keyboard in the car/boat/plane isn't such a great a idea, whereas a touch screen can be made to work quite nicely thank you.

The same dialog is occurring accross the marine navigation world:

http://www.macsailing.net/fbb/showtopic.php?tid/935/
http://www.panbo.com/archives/2010/01/the_apple_thingy_great_for_boats.html#more
http://blog.francis-fustier.fr/en/navigation/ipad-un-nouveau-support-pour-inavx/

The genius of the iPad hardware, combined with Apple's SDK and the app store, is that software solutions can evolve relatively easily and quickly to serve a host of specialized marketplaces, such as engineers, architects, the medical community, educators, artists, etc., etc., etc., and do it at a price point that seems ridiculously low compared to the solutions available within those communities previously. All while providing capabilities and a user experience that extends what was available previously.

The reasoning behind the FCC regulation is that a plane full of 400 cell phones could potentially be connecting to multiple towers, because of their altitude.

I've been itching for the iPad in the cockpit as well. I run ForeFlight Mobile and it's a dream to work with. I can download full plates, VFR and IFR charts all in one device. PDFplates.com is a great free option just for plates. Being able to quickly access downloaded NOTAMS and TFR information at a glance would be fantastic.

I wonder if it would be possible for XM to connect to the iPad? for NEXRAD and METAR information?

I like the ideas about the iPad being used for IT support and for navigation but has anyone thought of the iPad as a great tool for teaching? I am a pastor in the Chicago area and my thoughts when the iPad came out were about how I could utilize it to help my teaching and preaching. Likewise, professors or anyone giving lectures could use the iPad as notes, a remote, clock, communication with the guy running sound... you name it. Any thoughts?

I ignore the rules and never put my iPhone on Airplane Mode when flying. The entire thing is just a myth. Additionally, after takeoff, all service is lost in less than a couple minutes.

"As for actually making a call while cruising at 7,500 feet in a Cessna 182... good luck, my experience has been that reception is extremely spotty and the only time you have service is when flying of a decent sized town with lots of cell towers. Even then, you can usually only get away with shooting off a quick SMS message before losing the signal again."

Yeah I have to echo this as well. Cell service is not good in the air. I have nothing to back this up but my guess is that cell towers aren't oriented to broadcast signal up but rather outward and down. SMS is about the extent of service you can expect in the air. My pilot friend was seriously considering an iPad until I pointed out that he'd get no reception.