In the example to the far right, this is the iPad weather that the pilot looked at before he took off. Without a Stratus type ADS-B connection, the weather won’t update. Some pilots think that if they have looked at the app’s weather before takeoff, it will stay that way. Unless you have a Stratus type ADS-B “In” device, weather does not magically update in flight. At a minimum, always display your next two waypoints. Zooming out will reveal a bigger picture of hidden airspace that you also need to avoid. For instance, look at this view of Long Beach, CA. Program your iPad or panel mounted GPS before you taxi. Pilots who program their iPad or panel mounted GPS are taking a big risk. This can get you into sooooooo much trouble. Charge it to 100% before flying and if possible, have paper charts in the plane.ĭon’t Multitask. There are lots of reasons that you should not rely on it. You can run low on battery power and not have a charger, or your iPad can overheat and shut down. One of Murphy’s Laws says that your iPad will always turn off when you are in between restricted airspaces. He also didn’t realize that without something like Stratus, a TFR can pop up while you’re in flight and you’d never know it.ĭo not use ForeFlight, Wing-X or Garmin Pilot, unless you are properly trained! Learn how to use your app with an instructor before you blast off alone.Ĭharge to 100%. However, once he landed, he discovered that “TFRs” was not selected and he had flown smack dab into the middle of a Presidential TFR. He thought that ForeFlight showed TFRs all the time. Consider the guy who, when flying over Palm Springs, CA, saw two F16s along side of his aircraft. If you don’t know how to use your app, it can get you into trouble. Let’s explore the ways your iPad and app can put you in the FAA’s doghouse. These same apps that are designed to keep pilots safe, are causing problems. However, an FAA inspector recently stated that iPads and their apps are causing more violations than ever before 10 times more. So, apps like ForeFlight, Wing-X and Garmin Pilot, when current, legally take the place of paper charts. (2) The interactive or precomposed information being used for navigation or performance planning is current, up-to-date, and valid. (1) The components or systems on board the aircraft which display precomposed or interactive information are the functional equivalent of the paper reference material. AC 91-78, dated 07/20/07, makes it perfectly clear that under PART 91, Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) / Electronic Chart Displays (ECDs) can be used during all phases of flight operations,, in lieu of paper reference material when the information displayed meets the following criteria: if an out-of-date chart, no chart, or an out-of-date database contributed to the condition causing an FAA investigation, it could be used in enforcement action.”Ĭan I legally use my iPad as a replacement for paper charts for VFR or IFR flight? Yes, under FAR Part 91, you can legally use an iPad that has current charts installed for both VFR and IFR flights. However, in that same issue of FAA Aviation News, it states that “. it is not FAA policy to initiate enforcement action against a pilot for having an old chart or no chart.” That’s because there is no regulation on the issue. (Reference AOPA)Īccording to the July/August 1997 issue of FAA Aviation News (cleared through the FAA’s Chief Counsel’s office), “. FAR 91.503 says that pilots in command of a large (weighs more than 12,500 pounds), multi-engine aircraft, or an aircraft in a Fractional Ownership Program, must have “pertinent aeronautical charts” available for each flight. They change every 56 days and include 1,300 changes.ĭo you need to have paper charts in your possession when you fly? Not all pilots are required to have a chart when they fly. Terminal Procedures (approach plates) are also good for 56 days, and have fewer changes – an average of just 75. The Airport Facility Directory (A/FD) is good for 56 days, and when the new one comes out, it has, on average, 825 new changes. When a new TAC is published it includes an average of 100 new changes. For instance, Sectionals and TAC charts have a life span of six months. Yet, it’s a good idea to keep them current because of all the changes. Keeping up with all of them can be arduous and expensive. Paper charts and books have a definite life cycle.
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