IN REVIEW Want to put your flight bag on a diet? ForeFlight Mobile HD on the iPad promises to be a powerful Electronic Flight Bag solution. John Ewing CONTRIBUTOR Flying the iPad Article aurthor Column CONTRIBUTOR Editorial Memo Note Read Reading Story write writer Prognosticators predicted that Apple's iPad could make a dandy Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) before it was even released, and they were right. With hundreds of thousands of these devices now in circulation, the iPad has proven, with a few caveats, to be a reliable, lightweight device with over eight hours of battery life and reasonable screen readability. Paired with ForeFlight Mobile HD, the iPad becomes a powerful and flexible EFB. Here's how the iPad stacks up against a stack of paper, along with some things to consider before you make the jump to using an EFB. Does the FAA Approve? The very first question pilots ask after they see an iPad EFB in action is "Is it legal?" The simple answer for most GA pilots operating under CFR is a qualified "Yes." The gory details can be found in the FAA advisory circular AC - A: Guidelines for the Certification, Airworthiness, and Operational Approval of Electronic Flight Bag Computing Devices. For most Part operations (except for multi-engine turbine aircraft and fractional operators) an EFB does not require FAA approval as long as the device isn't replacing any equipment required by CFR . . AC - A distinguishes between an Electronic Chart Display (ECD) and an EFB, the difference being that an EFB does more than just display charts. As you'll soon see, the iPad with ForeFlight Mobile HD is more that just an ECD. Plan B & Proficiency Like anything electronic, EFBs may go Tango Uniform at inopportune times and a good backup plan would be to carry a second EFB device or at least a minimal number of paper charts. In particular, the iPad has tendency to overheat and shutdown in hot weather. I've witnessed this with other iPad users who purchased Apple's iPad Case, which seems to make the device run hotter than my aftermarket hard case that doesn't fully enclose the iPad. You can reduce the likelihood of overheating by keeping the iPad out of direct sunlight and turning off the display when you're not using it. Remember, too, that Apple specifies a , foot MSL altitude limit on the iPad. If you fly a non-pressurized aircraft you may be able to operate your iPad at high altitudes without a hitch, then again you may not. I did mention the importance of having a plan B, right? Launching into the clouds should not be the first time you use your EFB. Learn to use the device while on the ground, in a simulator, or with a safety pilot on board. And be sure to keep your electronic charts up-to-date, just as you would with paper charts. Good EFB Software ForeFlight has been a leader in software solutions since the introduction of ForeFlight Mobile for the iPhone back in , so it wasn't surprising when they announced an iPad-based solution. What was surprising was that they had ForeFlight Mobile available the first day that the iPad became available. An added bonus was that the iPad version was available at no extra charge for subscribers of the iPhone version of ForeFlight: Quite a bargain considering you can use ForeFlight Mobile HD for most every phase of flight including preflight weather briefings, route planning, filing flight plans, and viewing VFR or IFR charts in flight. Route Planning, Wx Briefing, and Filing To get a quick view of the weather for an airport, tap on the search field and enter the ICAO or FAA identifier using the iPad's pop-up touchscreen keyboard. The airport display shows information on most anything you'd like to know, including surface weather reports, terminal forecast, winds aloft, approach and departure plates, FBOs, frequencies and NOTAMs. About the only thing missing is nearby pilot reports To get a route briefing, simply enter a pair of airport identifiers in the search field. Include the route, true airspeed, fuel consumption and altitude if you like, otherwise ForeFlight computes a direct routing and displays the course on most any type of map you choose, including a VFR chart, an IFR chart, even a NEXRAD radar display. J E is flight instructor and contract commercial pilot and in the SF Bay Area. You can email him at freightdogtales@gmail.com. 10 JULY 2010 | AIRCRAFTOWNER ONLINE