Laptop fo pilots

[VH-XXX]

Noticed on OO . com . au a 7" E PC that runs Windows CE for $130. A good unit for pilots travelling and after the weather etc, should fit in the flight bag easily.

Unfortunately with the iPhone not doing flash and some websites they are not the be-all and end all and sometimes only a PC will do.

[Capt Claret]

I'd reckon that an iPad would be the duck's nuts for flight deck use. Already certified as an EFB in the US of A. :cool:

[orangepeel]

More and more pilots here in Oz are using them as a chart viewer - as the EFB iPad is not certified in Oz (yet):O

Still having to lug around the Jepps in their bag thou ....

Looks neat and easy to view when compared with torn old Jepp charts ...

[VH-XXX]

Indeed you are correct, but $130 versus $700 was my thinking when I saw it.

[Peter Fanelli]

I think I'd spend a little more for a small netbook running a decent (HAHAHAHA) operating system.

[RatsoreA]

Panasonic Toughbook.

'Nuf said.

[Old Akro]

This is a bit of another round on the ferris wheel. You'll find the Windows CE doesn't run a lot of the stuff you want, eg Jepp software, CFP, etc.

In my opinion the best options are a secondhand Motion LS800 off ebay from the states or an ASUS netbook. The LS800 has their view anywhere screen and the Asus has the new LED backlit screen.

The Toughbook is a good thing, but probably twice the thickness & weight of either the LS800 or a netbook and its circa $3.5 k vs a few hundred dollars. Samsung had a good tablet, but have dropped it.

If you are serious, in my opinion, you need a solid state drive. I want the certainty that the HDD will not fail at altitude. I also think a USB port for GPS interface is pretty important.

As just a reader, the ipad is pretty good and easy & intuitive to use. Reportedly its a bit big for convenient cockpit use, but there is a 7 inch version coming. The Solid FX8 is a very nice thing, but more expensive and less flexible for other applications.

[RatsoreA]

The Toughbook is a good thing, but probably twice the thickness & weight of either the LS800 or a netbook and its circa $3.5 k vs a few hundred dollars.

The toughbook runs WinXP, and is a little thicker and heavier than most, but it is a fair bit sturdier. You can drop it (crew door of a PA31 onto dirt - no problems) spill coke on it (Got made to clean the carpets, laptop, no problems!)

You can get SSD's for the toughbook, they have built in GPS's and 3G modems, swivel tablet screen and can run pretty much anything. And I do!

Yeah, a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for...

Brand new full spec $7500 or there abouts! But if you are prepared to look and wait, I got mine from e Bay for $1200 US, shipped free, and it's only 1 model behind the current one and is only 11 months old. Few scratches, but otherwise a BRILLIANT bit of kit.

iPad? Bah. Thats just what I want, an iPhone I can't fit in my pocket or make calls on. :rolleyes:

[solowflyer]

Their are a few places around you can get a good lap top just got to watch out you dont get a virus:E

[Ovation]

I have a Motion LS800 with a HDD (solid state storage was an option) running Windows XP with JeppView and FlightDeck.

As an EFB I suppose there's little alternative to the Jeppesen package, which I find really cumbersome. On the ground the JeppView Nav Data and Terminal charts updates can take around 30-40 minutes with high speed broadband, and it can take another hour to update "Electronic Text Pages".

I would wait a bit longer until the Apple competitors bring out their alternative to the Ipad, which I would expect will have more functionality and built-in goodies that the Apple Ipad now sells as "options".

If you can't wait until then, send me a PM and make an reasonable offer for my LS800 (including RAM cradle).

[Abu Bebo]

In 2008 I picked up an EeePc with 1GB ram and a 4GB SSD probably similar to the one to which the originator referred. I got it to use whilst travelling and it is the machine which I use the most and I am typing this reply on it at present. It is compact, reliable, and has adequate performance if you keep clear of Windows and run one of the many great Open Source operating systems developed for netbooks, which are easy to install and maintain themselves.

For $130 you cannot go wrong.

AB