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In his recent article, In Defense of the Paper Nav Log, Evan Schaeffer makes the case that all primary students, especially mid-lifers, should embrace planning a cross-country on paper first before making the leap to using an EFB. He astutely points out that through the process of developing a paper nav log, students learn several critical concepts and gain a deeper understanding of navigation. Suffice it to say I couldn’t agree more, and I still carry around my E6B to this day (it’s the metal one too which has way more utility, think 7500).
Evan Schaeffer makes the case that all primary students, especially mid-lifers, should embrace planning a cross-country on paper first before making the leap to using an EFB.
However, we all know that planning and flying with an EFB is now a fact of pilot life though yet most of us have never received any formal training on using it. Don’t get me wrong, when I was first starting out I could find green dots and frequencies with the best of them, but competently plan a trip? Nope.
Full disclosure: I’m a Garmin Pilot user. But everything in this article applies to ForeFlight or whatever EFB you use. Doesn’t matter.
Garbage In, Garbage Out
Your EFB is only as good as the data it uses. Consequently, it’s absolutely imperative that before you jump into the cockpit with your trusty mount, fully set up your EFB. And that’s more than just waiting for it to automatically download the latest weather and charts.
For example, when I planned my first solo cross-country as a primary student, did I fill in the weight and balance numbers for the exact Skyhawk I was flying? Guess. And my flight school had both N and R models to choose from that were significantly different in performance. Another gotcha is if you fly a plane with a modified engine but use the performance charts from the original POH instead of the STC. No bueno. Even a rental will have an updated load sheet if, for example, its panel has recently been updated with all glass (fun fact: this transition has been also mistaken for copper mining by some).
The same is true with personal minimums: Try to fill out these numbers honestly since your EFB can alarm you if the crosswinds or ceilings at your source or destination are beyond the pale. Keep in mind, you might want to make these numbers extra-conservative if you frequently carry family or friends – just because you can handle a 25-knot direct cross, doesn’t mean your significant other can (trust me on this).
You should also go through all the application settings and think about what works for you: Do you prefer dark or light mode? Do you use your iPad in portrait or landscape mode? What about weather and radar color and coverage? What about map overlays and traffic? Remember, presentation is everything when absorbing a lot of information in a short period of time – invest the time in personalizing your EFB’s layout to maximize productivity.
Your EFB is only as good as the data it uses.
Stay Connected
Speaking of data, connectivity issues constantly plague EFB usage and knowing how to recognize and fix them is a vital skill for all pilots to have. The first is getting a reliable network connection so you can refresh your briefing and properly get your 91.103 on. Since I don’t subscribe to a cellular plan and there is no free Wi-Fi at my airport, I tend to file by tethering my iPad with my cellphone. This works fine with the caveat that I must always check first that my EFB is using that connection before tapping the brief or file button. Also be cognizant of when’s the last time your EFB updated – Pilot has a Data Services page that gives you a run-down of all pertinent information it refreshes and the last time it did so. Foreflight actually provides official guidance on this exact topic.
Same is true with Bluetooth and pairing it with the panel. Make sure your EFB is connected before taking off and understand that most problems with BT are solved in your device’s system settings page not within the application itself. Lastly, I have seen certain panels not push ADS-B data to an EFB due to the way the avionics and/or transponder was configured or due to some conflict with a portable ADS-B device like a Stratus or GDL substance. Just be clear where the source of your EFB’s data is coming from and understand its limitations.
Finally, not all iPads have built-in GPS. My first jaunt with Pilot was with a hand-me down iPad that did not have built-in GPS, so no moving map. I wound up buying an external GPS unit that I had to lug around (read: big pain in the tuchus). When I upgraded to the next gen, I didn’t make that same mistake twice. I realize it is a last resort feature but one that I like to keep in Murphy’s closet just in case.
If you aren’t connected to a GPS source, you won’t have a moving map.
Go With the Flow
Like with all complex tasks, over time you develop a flow. And that’s why complex applications like Foreflight and Pilot allow you to do the same task in different ways. For example, in Pilot, you can do all your flight planning on the Map page, including graphically editing your route with your finger or tapping the bar above it to bring down your current plan to manually enter waypoints. But you could also do all your planning by using the dedicated Flight Plan page as well. The details here don’t matter, the point is that your EFB already has built in workflows for various tasks. Leverage them. I’ve seen plenty of YouTube videos where someone is demonstrating all these nifty features of their favorite EFB, only to never explain how to use them in context. And the key to maximizing your productivity with any application is not just knowing what all the little widgets do, but when to use them as well. I encourage you to keep your EFB’s big picture in mind when you’re reading up on a new feature buried several submenus deep.
Flight planning can be done on the Map page, including graphically editing your route with your finger.
On the Ground, In the Air
The last bit of housekeeping I want to touch on is understanding the difference between using an EFB on the ground versus in the air. Given that your EFB is in many cases an extension to your panel, proper placement and ergonomics are key to good cockpit resource management. I will bet that there are many instances where your EFB might even be part of your scan if say it’s the only place to find TIS-B data. Though tempting, one big disadvantage of keeping your tablet on your lap is that by having to look up and down a lot you risk spatial disorientation. So, get yourself a mount that makes sense for your cockpit layout (if you fly a DA-40, good luck and godspeed).
But regardless of where you place your EFB, have some kind of SOP on how you plan to use it in the air – especially if it is connected to your panel. In today’s modern cockpit, you can have charts displayed both on your EFB or on the panel. Same goes with traffic and terrain. So how do you modify your flight plan or brief an approach? For example, although I’m perfectly fine inputting my clearance in Pilot and then uploading it to my panel on the ground, I’m not that comfortable making enroute changes this way in the air. Instead, I would rather make any changes to my current route in the panel first (think GTN), confirm it’s correct, and have my EFB then sync from it. Conversely, I’m also not a fan of briefing plates displayed on the panel and rather use the Jepp plates I have in Pilot. Again, you may feel just the opposite. That’s fine but standardize it so you always know where the data is coming from when you’re making real-time decisions aloft.
Given that your EFB is in many cases an extension to your panel, proper placement and ergonomics are key to good cockpit resource management.
Final Thoughts
Your EFB in many ways is where your ADM really begins, so you owe it to yourself to have a deeper understanding of both its functionality and layout. Maximizing your productivity with it can literally be a matter of life or death – there have been plenty of instances where a pilot missed some crucial piece of information due to an incomplete briefing that yielded tragic results. I tend to treat my EFB as a mobile extension of the cockpit and thus receives the same sort of rigor I have with the avionics in the panel. Put simply, it’s not just another app, because some day your life may depend on it. Treat it as such.
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. It’s enlightening to see someone emphasize the foundational importance of using a paper nav log. Never thought about the extra knowledge gained from it.
A question on EFBs: do you think formal training on using EFBs should be essential for new pilots, or is learning as you go more effective?
Thanks for the insights!
### What about flight cost changes lately in different countries? Here’s a curious link I found: https://world-prices.com. Not sure how accurate it is, but it’s interesting!
The FAA probably doesn’t want to endorse a single EFB as part of primary training. However, just like there is transition training for a suite of avionics, I think there should be the same type of training for a particular EFB.
This article is a great reminder that there’s more to GPS navigation than simply pressing the on button on your iPad. Thanks for highlighting the need to thoroughly understand your EFB software and for highlighting some of its many failure points. “Garbage in, garbage out,” as you said. Recognizing what constitutes garbage is a skill that starts with understanding the concepts that make a paper nav log work, but then builds to even greater complexity with the new modern solutions–even as the modern solutions advertise themselves as being simpler and easier. It’s good to be aware!
You bet! Thanks for reading Evan!
Great articles and comments on both navigational fronts, old and new. As a product of the days of navigation prior to electronics, I still promote the need for foundational understanding because it promotes the awareness of the “wrong in, wrong out” trap when using our wonderful electronic gizmos.
Rate X Time = Distance
True Course +- WCA = True Heading
“Where am I … where am I going … how do I get there?”
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EFB or no, if these “factoids” aren’t embraced at the onset, you’re doing it all wrong.