a place for the iPad in Aviation?

[flyprototype]

with the coming out of the iPad in March 2010, do you think this kind of gadget has his place in a cockpit?

can you read charts on it?
GPS? maybe on a latter model...
on the 320, maybe a cool tool to calculate Vspeeds and perfs knowing it has 10 hours battery.!(still it need to be authorized, I know!)

[CAT1 REVERSION]

with the coming out of the iPad in March 2010

Has it been in the closet long

Many operators use EFB's for perf/plates etc, so I doubt the ipad will have a place. I'm sure many will use it and many apps will appear, but the regulatory loop holes for approval to use an ipad for calculating Vspds - I doubt that will ever happen.....

Maybe useful for reference and GA though!!!!

[DBate]

Apples tech specifications for the iPad state a maximum operating altitude of 10.000'.

Having mentioned that, I guess there would be a problem getting the iPad certified as a stand alone electronic flightbag system, especially in regard to a possible decompression...

[hugel]

Type 1 EFB anyone ? I have always been wary of touch-sensitive screens in aircraft, but for non-critical functions that don't directly affect aircraft operation, is there any reason why not. The main issue is actually holding the thing, I expect to see a range of kneepads developed especially for the ipad. You heard it here first

I have been waiting for a device such as this for a long time (for ground use) and I am amazed it has taken so long to appear...

hugel

[rasobey]

I am not a pilot.

Remember, the iPad is just a large iPod Touch - don't you fellas carry on that sort of equipment anyway? There is no phone transceiver, no GPS, 3G is optional. The only built in communication system is wireless which you can probably turn off.

I wouldn't like to rely on one in a hurry, anyway!

[bumba]

... good to watch The Simpsons!

[KiloMikePapa]

Abort, retry, fail

A very disappointing device: no full OS X so no true multitasking except for Apple's own applications ! Nice try but absolutely no cigar. It really is a big iPod Touch including all the limitations of that platform

But I do love my MacBook Pro!

[Denti]

It actually has GPS, but only if you order the 3G version as the GPS funcitonality is integrated into the 3G chip.

However i have to say i do not see any real use of the iPad in the cockpit except helping with the boredom on long sectors, it's use as an EFB are severely limited by its platform, design and closed software environment.

[Captain Smithy]

Pointless, completely useless overpriced gadget for poseur big kids with a lot of disposable income and absolutely no sense/intelligence whatsoever. No doubt filled with idiotic, childish "apps" to show off to like-minded immature simpleton mates. With the ability to play much rubbish music illegally downloaded from t'net. Also complete with various other silly useless gadgety functions of absolutely no use whatsoever to any normal human being except to entertain said braindead users. And to obnoxiously, loudly, antisocially telephone aforementioned mates from various public places, muchly irritating the general public.

Nope. Absolutely no use or place at all in aviation.

Smithy

[hugel]

So... apart from the pointless, completely useless overpriced gadget for poseur big kids with a lot of disposable income and absolutely no sense/intelligence whatsoever; idiotic, childish "apps" to show off to like-minded immature simpleton mates; the ability to play much rubbish music illegally downloaded from t'net.; other silly useless gadgety functions of absolutely no use whatsoever to any normal human being ... what has Apple ever done for us???

hugel

[Captain Smithy]

Flippant remarks aside, I genuinely see absolutely no purpose for the idiotPad whatsoever (much like the idiotPhone, which is merely a smaller version of the same device), in aviation or otherwise.

Okay, so an idiotPad will have several "apps". You'll be able to calculate all those V-Speeds and fuel burn on it, display a plog, view the VFR Scottish half-mil, look up the AIP entry for EGPH and the associated Aerad charts, and it'll have GPS.

The fact is we all get along fine as it is just now, without the idiotPad; all it is is a gadget.

GPS aside, my £15 kneeboard, a pencil and Smithy's grey matter seem to do all of the above listed anyway. Simple, effective enough and much cheaper than an idiotPad.

Smithy

[CaptainCurmudgeon]

[John_Mc]

Captain Smithy,

Totally agree with you about the idiotPad, but as an "idiotPhone" owner I can tell you that you are totally wrong with your assumptions about the iPhone. I can tell straight away that you've never used one for more than a few minutes, so your opinion of it is based purely on ignorance.

John

[kick the tires]

or jealousy!

[Denti]

Okay, so an idiotPad will have several "apps". You'll be able to calculate all those V-Speeds and fuel burn on it, display a plog, view the VFR Scottish half-mil, look up the AIP entry for EGPH and the associated Aerad charts, and it'll have GPS.

Actually, if it could do that it would be a very big advantage indeed. Using a consumer device that costs less than a 1000$ instead of a military grade pen tablet pc for 5000€ a piece (our current EFB solution) would be economically viable. However it does not even pack the required computing power so it won't be able to, too bad

[Captain Smithy]

Captain Smithy,

Totally agree with you about the idiotPad, but as an "idiotPhone" owner I can tell you that you are totally wrong with your assumptions about the iPhone. I can tell straight away that you've never used one for more than a few minutes, so your opinion of it is based purely on ignorance.

John

Tried my friend's idiotPhone a while back, had all sorts of fancy gadgets on it... Internet, GPS, camera, "apps" etc. All very clever but I couldn't find any use for it myself. Perhaps I just don't get it. Speaking of "apps" there was one which displayed water on the screen and if you tapped your finger on the screen the water would splash as though it was real. And there was another that when you tapped the screen it made different farting sounds. All very mature stuff Apparently he pays £35 a month for it. Seems a bit expensive for a mere toy.

Back on topic, flippant mode off - Denti (and others who have experience of EFB) - out of interest how do you find EFB compared to what you had before? Do you find it better to use than having paperwork, charts etc. around the flight deck? Is that the main advantage or are there others?

Smithy

[Wizofoz]

Wouldn't mind betting you'll soon be able to mount one one the panel of a glider and have it give you comprehensive navigation and performance information.

They've had similar apps for PDAs for years- this at least should have a superior display and processor speed.

[Kelly Hopper]

EFB's certainly make the cockpit tidy compaired to having all those charts everywhere. That is until you can't find what you are looking for so get the charts out anyway. 'Tis an interesting tool for long flights, if just to relieve the boredom a little. There is only so much "patience" you can play though!

The argument re ipad reminds me of the Americans spending millions, (billions?) and many years, developing a pen that would write in space, in all dimensions.
The Russians took a pencil!

[parabellum]

It is already out in Oz but I don't hear people raving about it, correction, one person, but he admits he has got for it's games ability etc., nothing much else.

[Fuel_on_Mixture_Rich]

My £0.02...

Working in the semiconductor industry as an engineer, I can say that the industrial touchscreen controllers / tablet PC's used in the industry for controlling VERY expensive equipment and processes are robust, but not immune from occasional lock-ups or crashes. Some run windows NT or XP, a few run OS/2, some are even DOS based but none have been immune from these issues.

Bearing in mind that these are bought primarily for the fact that they are robust pieces of kit and they have a (usually very) good MTBF we're charged accordingly. I know that all the Apple / mac users out there are going to tell me that "if it was a mac, it wouldn't crash". That may be, but in a very high reliability / very high utilisation environment, kit like the iPad is unproven. There's a world of difference between personal use, industrial use (my area) and aerospace / defence applications, and it's not a linear relationship.

Basically, I think kit like the iPad might be a bit of a laugh in the cockpit of a C152 / PA-28 but is so far removed from anything in commercial aviation as to be an irrelevance.

Just so I can't be accused of being an apple hater, I do own a 5th Gen. iPod and I do quite like it! But I do understand people who say that apple are primarily a form / design company with a few techie bits thrown in for good measure!