Help request please - what EFB/Charts do you use?
 

Hi fellow PPRuNers,

I'm doing a project and could really use some broad data points please. If you had time to post the following, it would be a great help!

Context: I'm a TRI/TRE looking at the nav services - all segments, so commercial, business/corporate, private and military. I'd like to understand whether you're happy with the tools your airline provides you. Is your EFB awesome or just tolerable (I hope not many will say worse!)?! I grew up with Jepp, so have quite a personal bias - plus I'm of a "certain age" to quote Mr Wallace!

Questions:
1. Which airline?
2. EFB - iPad or Surface?
3. What's your EFB software?
4. What about your charts?
5. Who does your flight planning?
6. What's good about your current setup?
7. What would you like to change about the tools you have?
8. If you could change one thing about the above solutions that would reduce your workload or provide a better safety margin, what would it be?

Any and all answer very much appreciated - even from those with acerbic wit!

Season greetings to some, Happy Holidays to others.

MM

1. Multiple commercial airlines
2. Have used Toughbook, Surface, ipad
3. Have used in-house software, Misssion+, NavBlue, FlySmart, Lido
4. Lido, Jepp, local AIP charts
5. Currently, in-house. Previously Lido, others I can’t remember in the past
6. IMHO, Jepp Flight Deck Pro is the best but that’s not hard. And the flight plan/OFP software is presented in a reasonably clear, accessible manner. NavBlue by far the worst bit of software I used for flying.
7. The fact that it’s all still basically a digital representation of paper. Especially when it comes to FCOM/FCTMs, OFPs, company manuals.

8.1 see 7. I don’t need to see the manufacturer, company, type and date on a digital ‘page’. It just clutters up an already reasonably small screen. Have a tab that scrolls along with you that can be minimised.

8.2 Redesign the format for digital usage. Having to click through multiple menus to read certain pages that may contain a single sentence is ridiculous. Also some companies provide the FCOM or MEL as one PDF without bookmarks….

8.3 Update any and all tech/company diagrams to use…. Some colour and higher definition technical drawings. Fuzzy black and white images from twenty years ago are a bit naff. Same for OFP/CFPs, a splash of colour would be nice. Still get SIGMETs in black and white and next to useless resolution.

8.4 All EFB type software is quite clearly designed and coded sitting in an office with a desktop and mouse. The amount of ‘dead space’ in so much of the software should be reduced and the data entry boxes/tabs etc you have to tap should be enlarged for the pilot tapping a reduced screen size in a bit of turbulence.

8.5 Reduce/remove abbreviations/acronyms where appropriate. For example NOTAMs (an entirely different problem) were abbreviated for ease of transmission over technology like telex/fax in the post-war period - 70/80 years ago. This ceased to be the case, I dunno, 20 years ago? Trying to decipher a NOTMAM made up entirely of abbreviations, with a timedate latitudelongitude all squished together is beyond ridiculous in 2024.

8.6 I’d like to see the OFP/CFPs laid out in a way that matches the equipment you’re using for the flight. For example, all the data is present but then have a few large and colourful pages with the MCDU/CDU represented in the correct order for data entry with all the correct data in the correct places. It would make data entry easier & quicker because you wouldn’t have to flick back and forth looking for the data. Plus data entry errors would be more visually apparent.

8.7 When updating software like the FCOM figure out a way to not delete all saved notes, bookmarks, highlights etc.

8.8 On FlySmart when you revisit a performance page after a period of time it helpfully dumps all the data you entered. I understand why but it’s frustrating and time consuming. A prompt asking if I was sure I wanted to keep the data would be better. Then it’s my call - which it is anyway.

8.9 The chart software should be able to accommodate multiple sector days. If I’m doing four sectors I’ll most likely be using home airport up to four times. Having to setup all the charts as you like every time gets tedious after maybe the first time you’ve done it. It’s a distinct step backwards from paper. By the end of a long week I would tend to just have the bare minimum to hand because by then I’m sick to death of pecking away at a touchscreen repeatedly for the same runway, same chart, same airport multiple times a day, multiple days in a row.

The above aren’t in particular order, just came up as I typed. EFBs cover flight planning, aeronautical charts, performance software, manufacturer data and company manuals plus whatever else is thrown in there. I think there is huge room for improvement in this space to make it more user/pilot-friendly. And if you make life easier for the crew then they are more efficient/less tired which is only a good thing. Heaven forfend; a company might even save money as part of the equation! :suspect:

Thank you BoeingDriver99
 

Dear BoeingDriver99 - thank you for your reply, it's really helpful and much appreciated.

Your suggested improvements make a lot of sense and manufacturers should already have included ... I especially agree with 8.7, 8.8 and 8.9!

Thanks once again. Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.

Safe flying!

MM