Anywhere Map with XM weather

Jonathan Goodish wrote:

TheÂ*PDA/TabletÂ*systemsÂ*offerÂ*capabilitiesÂ*notÂ*foundÂ* inÂ*a
handheld GPS, and are continually updated and enhanced.

Such as?

I like the "electronic AI" feature that Controlvision offers. What else is
there that should be tempting me?

- Andrew

In article ne.com,
Andrew Gideon wrote:
Such as?

I like the "electronic AI" feature that Controlvision offers. What else is
there that should be tempting me?


Well, the weather is the biggest thing for me. The AI capabilities are
also intriguing, though I haven't really researched those capabilities
much at this point. The ability to have all of the NACO IAPs at your
fingertips is another capability that may be useful. The Cones of
Safety is another nice feature that could be invaluable in an emergency.

And then, there's the price. $115/year gets me 28 day updates to the
database. A minimum of $30/month gets me basic weather and
up-to-the-minute TFR displays (via XM). $150/year gets me all of the
approach plates in the United States. Even if I don't want weather or
approach plates, I still pay $115/year (as opposed to $300 from Garmin)
to get the database updates.

Don't get me wrong, the current handhelds from Garmin and others are
very nice units. They are probably less fragile and represent a
simpler, more refined, and more compact solution for those who want to
grab something off the shelf and go at the touch of a button. But for
the IFR pilot, they lack enough functionality (primarily weather) to
make the premium price over the PDA units questionable at least.

The PDA units aren't for everyone, but if you do more than
weekend-warrior type stuff and fly in or around the weather routinely,
then you may want to consider some form of weather uplink, and the PDA
seems to be the most cost-effective route to accomplish that mission at
this point.


JKG

Jonathan Goodish wrote:

TheÂ*abilityÂ*toÂ*haveÂ*allÂ*ofÂ*theÂ*NACOÂ*IAPsÂ* atÂ*your
fingertips is another capability that may be useful.

How well do these work? Inside the outer marker isn't where I want to be
scrolling around on a PDA?

There are larger devices which can display an entire plate, but they start
to look cumbersome to me (unless mounted into the panel, of course).

- Andrew

In article ne.com,
Andrew Gideon wrote:
TheÂ*abilityÂ*toÂ*haveÂ*allÂ*ofÂ*theÂ*NACOÂ*IAPsÂ* atÂ*your
fingertips is another capability that may be useful.

How well do these work? Inside the outer marker isn't where I want to be
scrolling around on a PDA?

There are larger devices which can display an entire plate, but they start
to look cumbersome to me (unless mounted into the panel, of course).


I don't have the plates, but have friends who do, so I've seen them.

My feeling is that they would be impractical unless you could take the
time to brief the approach while someone else flies the plane (another
pilot or autopilot). I usually fly with my wife, who is also an
instrument pilot, and have the approach briefed and the important
numbers noted on a note pad prior to initiation. One pilot flies while
the other navigates. In this scenario, the plates would probably work
well. We are still thinking of purchasing them, because that will
eliminate the chance that we will need a plate when we don't have a
printed copy. Current info that you have to scroll to see is better
than no info when you need it.

One thing you can do from the Pocket Plates software on the PC is print
the plates that you think you'll use, so you're just using the iPaq for
situational awareness on the approach. The plates can be
geo-referenced, so you will actually see your airplane follow the
approach. I know that you can also print the plates from the NACO web
site, but if you find yourself diverting somewhere at the last minute,
you may end up somewhere that you don't anticipate and suddenly don't
have the plate to get into the only airport within range that isn't
below minimums (personal experience speaking here, but thankfully I had
the plate).

There's no question that a Tablet PC is a more idea solution for the
plates, the moving map, the weather, etc. But it's also more expensive,
and much more difficult to accommodate in a small cabin.


JKG

I am waiting for the first NTSB report regarding someone's attempt to
use a PDA-based AI in IMC... Then the inevitible lawsuits.

If you don't have an certified backup, practice partial-panel. I just
can't imagine risking my life on a Microsoft-driven PDA...

It may have already happened. I hadn't heard of any law suits.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?...FA005& akey=1


"PPT33R" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am waiting for the first NTSB report regarding someone's attempt to
use a PDA-based AI in IMC... Then the inevitible lawsuits.

If you don't have an certified backup, practice partial-panel. I just
can't imagine risking my life on a Microsoft-driven PDA...

Stephen McNaught wrote:
It may have already happened. I hadn't heard of any law suits.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?...FA005& akey=1


That crash doesn't seem to involve the PDA based AI. The pilot seemed
to have been using the ControlVision GPS software to fly a GPS approach.
I don't see any indication that his basic flight instruments weren't
working. The general gist of the report is that the pilot descended
below an authrorized altitude either due to an altimeter missetting or
the fact that he had not properly pinpointed his location with respect
to the approach step down points.

In article .com,
"PPT33R" wrote:

I am waiting for the first NTSB report regarding someone's attempt to
use a PDA-based AI in IMC... Then the inevitible lawsuits.

If you don't have an certified backup, practice partial-panel. I just
can't imagine risking my life on a Microsoft-driven PDA...

Hmmm... so you'd rather have nothing than a Microsoft-driven PDA with
solid state gyro as a backup. Interesting approach. Personally, I want
any available assistance that I can get in an emergency situation,
certified or not. Just because something isn't certified doesn't mean
that it's worse than something that is certified.

As far as I am aware, none of these PDA systems are certified for
anything, and the vendors make that clear. The same is true for the
handheld GPS units, but there are folks all over the place that use them
for enroute and approach guidance in IMC. They are no more "certified"
than the PDAs.



JKG