going paperless with the iPad

[sleddriver71]

My company is thinking of going paperless in the cockpit with an iPad and an iPad for a backup. I'm all for it and I hope it happens. My only reservation is that we will be switching to government charts if we go paperless. I have been using only Jepps for the last 10 years or so but I think it's a small price to pay. I look forward to "not" having to update paper charts and having everything I need including approach, enroute, VFR sectionals, etc. all on one device. I'm hoping to hear your comments on making this change from those who have done it already as well as anyone who wishes to provide input. Thank you.

 

[2Inverted]

I've used paper and EFB's.
And the IPAD's are by far the best!!!
Their uses seem endless and they are a lot less cumbersome!
It will be worth it to have the company spring for the cost of a Jepps subscription!

 

[Fubijaakr]

Jeppesen has an app for IPad charts. That's what we use. Now if we could only get certified to dump the brain bags....

 

[Headwind]

I did this last year with two planes. Updates are great.
I usually print, on paper, the STAR's and airport in the flightplan. If you are flying the arrival and want to look at the approach, you can't look at both on the I-pad at the same time.

 

[ttflyer]

We are making this transition right now as well. We decided to stick with Jepp charts on the iPad using Jepp Mobile FD for the following reasons:

1. Everybody is used to Jepps
2. Update time on the Jepp apps is only a few minutes. All of the gov chart apps (Foreflight, WingX, etc.) take much longer to update (like up to hours).
3. The cost difference isn't that much - relative to other aviation expenses...

 

[sleddriver71]

Thanks for all the comments everyone. I would obviously prefer to use Jepps as well but from what I heard they are alot more money than the govt. charts. According to our research, the Jepp subscription is only about $100 less per year versus the paper subscription of the same. The govt. charts are so much cheaper, the iPads would pay for themselves in a couple of years and then we would be saving money. With the Jepps, it would be many, many years before the savings would pay off the iPads.

 

[sleddriver71]

I did this last year with two planes. Updates are great.
I usually print, on paper, the STAR's and airport in the flightplan. If you are flying the arrival and want to look at the approach, you can't look at both on the I-pad at the same time.

That's an intersting comment about STAR's. I can't think of ever wanting to look at the STAR and approach plate at the same time so I think I'd be comfortable with just using the iPad. Our initial plan is to have an iPad backup so I guess I could display whatever other chart I needed on the second iPad. You probably see new STAR's a lot more often than I do.

 

[ultrarunner]

...According to our research, the Jepp subscription is only about $100 less per year versus the paper subscription of the same....

You might want to go back and check your math....

We just switched from Jepp Q service to the JeppView subscription...

Savings was an immediate 800 bucks!

iPads essentially paid for immediately.

 

[sleddriver71]

You might want to go back and check your math....

We just switched from Jepp Q service to the JeppView subscription...

Savings was an immediate 800 bucks!

iPads essentially paid for immediately.

I will definitely check on subscription prices on Jepps versus govt. charts. It wasn't my math, I was relying on others for that info. I hope we find that it's that much cheaper, I would love to go with Jepps.

 

[TimsKeeper]

wingx download

WingX takes about the same time to download than the charts as on the Jepp application. The total download for the complete WingX application might be a little longer because the application does a hell of a lot more than just charts.

WingX chart subscription 75.00 per year.
Jeppesen FD/TC chart subsciption well over 1000.00 per year.

You use who you want but the download time is the same. I've used both; your download time is severerly slowed or sped-up by the current speed of your internet connection.

I wish Jeppesen would get in the game and offer a competitive price (even triple the cost over competitors would keep a long-time customer, however they don't seem to want to budge).

Now...if WingX would just hurry up and get the Nexrad up and running it would be the perfect aviation app.

 

[Headwind]

You might want to go back and check your math....

We just switched from Jepp Q service to the JeppView subscription...

Savings was an immediate 800 bucks!

iPads essentially paid for immediately.

When we went from Q-Service to electronic the price went to almost half what we were paying. That amount is still much more than Foreflight, which we also have.

 

[guido411]

Fwiw- we keep paper enroute charts on the airplanes. Don't care for searching for fixes by sliding around the screen, sometimes it's just easier to spread out a real map.

 

[ultrarunner]

Fwiw- we keep paper enroute charts on the airplanes. Don't care for searching for fixes by sliding around the screen, sometimes it's just easier to spread out a real map.

You need to get friendly with the search box. It's never failed to locate a fix when I type one it, and it sends the chart right to that location with the fix highlighted.

We have the paper enr. for now also, but I can't remember the last time I pulled one out.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Fwiw- we keep paper enroute charts on the airplanes. Don't care for searching for fixes by sliding around the screen, sometimes it's just easier to spread out a real map.

Same here...Jepp app is far from refined.

A 3 year old can adapt to an iPad in minutes, but leave it to pilots to come up with multi-year cost/benefit justification studies of such a device.

 

[wingnutt]

Avchart app is 20 bucks...and updates are free for life

 

[TXDA2000]

Jeppesen is working on being competively priced, just not the way we'd all like it to go.

 

[ttflyer]

WingX takes about the same time to download than the charts as on the Jepp application. The total download for the complete WingX application might be a little longer because the application does a hell of a lot more than just charts.

WingX chart subscription 75.00 per year.
Jeppesen FD/TC chart subsciption well over 1000.00 per year.

You use who you want but the download time is the same. I've used both; your download time is severerly slowed or sped-up by the current speed of your internet connection.

I wish Jeppesen would get in the game and offer a competitive price (even triple the cost over competitors would keep a long-time customer, however they don't seem to want to budge).

Now...if WingX would just hurry up and get the Nexrad up and running it would be the perfect aviation app.

WingX is actually $99 per year. Foreflight is $75... But both of these prices are for a single license. Jepp gives you four site licenses with each Jeppview subscription. So, unless your a two pilot operation, Jepp is not way out of line.

For four pilots:
Jepp = about $900 per year
WingX = about $400 per year
Foreflight = about $350 per year

So it's about $500 hundred bucks a year (or one trip to the Atlantic/Signature/Sheltair of your choice) more for Jepp. For us, that's worth it - mostly for the ease with updates.

BTW, I have all three. Jepp FD takes about 3-5mins to update. WingX takes about 30mins (if I only download Hi/Lo/Sectionals - no terminal charts!) and Foreflight takes literally a couple of hours and several GB of data... And my internet connect is not slow. Just things to consider.

 

[stupidpilot]

Thanks for all the comments everyone. I would obviously prefer to use Jepps as well but from what I heard they are alot more money than the govt. charts. According to our research, the Jepp subscription is only about $100 less per year versus the paper subscription of the same. The govt. charts are so much cheaper, the iPads would pay for themselves in a couple of years and then we would be saving money. With the Jepps, it would be many, many years before the savings would pay off the iPads.

You work for a company that owns an aircraft worth millions and they're worried about a $1000 expense? I'm wary of owners that penny pinch to that extent.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

You work for a company that owns an aircraft worth millions and they're worried about a $1000 expense? I'm wary of owners that penny pinch to that extent.

from my experience....quite often its not the owners, but the pilots/department managers themselves who over-analyze things such as this.

I have seen $75 dinners analyzed and scrutinized for hours yet Universal is paid $9000 to run a London/Paris trip. Go figure.

But I agree, if you have issues getting a few iPads with Jeppview into a budget, you have problems. Happy, dedicated employees save you a lot more money than an overbearing manager.

 

[semperfido]

from my experience....quite often its not the owners, but the pilots/department managers themselves who over-analyze things such as this.

I have seen $75 dinners analyzed and scrutinized for hours yet Universal is paid $9000 to run a London/Paris trip. Go figure.

But I agree, if you have issues getting a few iPads with Jeppview into a budget, you have problems. Happy, dedicated employees save you a lot more money than an overbearing manager.

Ain't that the truth. We love our pads.