Paperless cockpit

Years ago I have signed up with Mentor for some fancy maps. After Jeppesen purchased them, I upgraded to JeppView in Feb. 1998. Now I use both Flight Star/Flight Map and JeppView. Last year some fancy Pen/Tablet computers came out, but some of them at close to $12,000 was just crazy. One of the best I tested, then finally purchased was the Fujitsu Stylistic LT C-500. The best package I found at www.aproachview. One of the owner, Jim Frost, was most helpful in setting up my unit with my Flight Star software preloaded, and with my own serial number and password. For humanity this might be an itsy-bitsy step, but for me this was a giant step toward carrying less paper and stuff with me. I played a lot with the simulator of the GNS 430, originally recommended it on this site for a download last year, after I got mine from Garmin, and it’s great, BUT! This unit is in plain everyday Windows, from the 98 it can be upgraded to 2000, if someone so desires. Since it’s a standard computer, I have all my normal applications on it, like Microsoft Outlook, Words, Excel, etc. I purchased a Garmin GPS that connects to this computer, and besides a full blown Jepp approach chart system I even have the airplane position on it. You can run the unit from a cigarette lighter, and if all electrical systems fail, this will run about 3 hours on its own battery. Jeppesen has a new Flight Deck software, it’s even better than Jepp View.

I too have been waiting for prices to come down enough to allow me to try for a paperless cockpit. But my experience with Windows is that I wouldn’t bet my life (or ticket) on it. The occasional crash on a desktop machine is a nuisance; in the air it could be serious.
As I understand it, the air carriers that are using paperless systems now require two independent units in the cockpit for redundancy. So to be safe we’d either have to get two computer$, or continue to lug around a lot of backup paper.
Still, the thought of a reliable paperless system is almost irresistible.
Now if we could only get to a point where a single database subscription could be used for all our nav gear, that would be progress!

Joe Mazza

I too have been waiting for prices to come down enough to allow me to try for a paperless cockpit. But my experience with Windows is that I wouldn’t bet my life (or ticket) on it. The occasional crash on a desktop machine is a nuisance; in the air it could be serious.

As I understand it, the air carriers that are using paperless systems now require two independent units in the cockpit for redundancy. So to be safe we’d either have to get two computer$, or continue to lug around a lot of backup paper.

Still, the thought of a reliable paperless system is almost irresistible.

Now if we could only get to a point where a single database subscription could be used for all our nav gear, that would be progress!

Joe Mazza

I am a long term user of JeppView. What I do is to print the charts for the airports I know I’m going to use and a number of alternates along the route. I carry my laptop with JeppView on board for emergencies (yes, I tested it and it does not seem to interfere with any of the aircraft systems). I would much prefer a small, light unit that would display my JeppView charts so I could eliminate the paper charts and lugging the laptop. Having two such units may be required for Part 121 operations but I think is overkill for Part 91. Remember that we have all of the IAPs in the Garmin Database. If our chart display system doesn’t work we still have the Garmins for lateral course guidance and we can get the necessary vertical information (crossing altitudes, MDA or DH etc.) from ATC.

Eventually I wouldn’t be surprised if that vertical data is incorporated into the Garmin Database as more memory becomes available. Then we really can have a paperless cockpit. Until then all we can do is minimize the amount of paper we carry.

J. Seckler SR22#69

I too have been waiting for prices to come down enough to allow me to try for a paperless cockpit. But my experience with Windows is that I wouldn’t bet my life (or ticket) on it. The occasional crash on a desktop machine is a nuisance; in the air it could be serious.

As I understand it, the air carriers that are using paperless systems now require two independent units in the cockpit for redundancy. So to be safe we’d either have to get two computer$, or continue to lug around a lot of backup paper.

Still, the thought of a reliable paperless system is almost irresistible.

Now if we could only get to a point where a single database subscription could be used for all our nav gear, that would be progress!

Joe Mazza

In all honesty my computer let me hang dry twice last year. Nothing serious and rebooting it solved the problem. Took 40 seconds. All said, every time it froze, I was adding some new software, or uninstalled one. Nothing is bulletproof, not even Windows 98. Just the other day I read that on a 767 (I think it was) flying to Hawaii, both engines shut down!? My solution is two fold, Windows 2000 is a much more stable platform, and I carry my small 2 pound printer. In a jiffy I can print 200 pages from its battery. Never needed it up to now. I fly a Cessna 414 with a Garmin and Argus 7000, plus my Approachview. There is another computer out there, advertised everywhere as a Flightguide 3000, or 3500, using the same Fujitsu computer, but it doesn’t know anything more than the approachview. Check out their web site. Not writing this to convince anyone, only for your information.

Michael SR22#148

Jerrold: Thanks for the info. I’ve been looking at JeppView very seriously. I remember all too well filing all of those modified plates in the Jepp binders every 28 days! Have you been using the Jeppesen prepunched paper and a color printer?
You should be able to print all of the charts for all airports 200 miles either side of the route and have all potential alternate airport data easily at hand that way.
Do you have FlightMap? I saw a presentation at the Riverside, CA FSDO from a guy that uses FlightMap on his laptop with a basic (non-aviation) portable GPS feeding positiion data to the laptop. FlightMap lets you load sectional charts into the computer and display your present position and planned route on top of the sectional chart. He’s got a Cessna with a mounting arm that locks into the seat track to hold the laptop.

I too have been waiting for prices to come down enough to allow me to try for a paperless cockpit. But my experience with Windows is that I wouldn’t bet my life (or ticket) on it. The occasional crash on a desktop machine is a nuisance; in the air it could be serious.

As I understand it, the air carriers that are using paperless systems now require two independent units in the cockpit for redundancy. So to be safe we’d either have to get two computer$, or continue to lug around a lot of backup paper.

Still, the thought of a reliable paperless system is almost irresistible.

Now if we could only get to a point where a single database subscription could be used for all our nav gear, that would be progress!

Joe Mazza

I am a long term user of JeppView. What I do is to print the charts for the airports I know I’m going to use and a number of alternates along the route. I carry my laptop with JeppView on board for emergencies (yes, I tested it and it does not seem to interfere with any of the aircraft systems). I would much prefer a small, light unit that would display my JeppView charts so I could eliminate the paper charts and lugging the laptop. Having two such units may be required for Part 121 operations but I think is overkill for Part 91. Remember that we have all of the IAPs in the Garmin Database. If our chart display system doesn’t work we still have the Garmins for lateral course guidance and we can get the necessary vertical information (crossing altitudes, MDA or DH etc.) from ATC.

Eventually I wouldn’t be surprised if that vertical data is incorporated into the Garmin Database as more memory becomes available. Then we really can have a paperless cockpit. Until then all we can do is minimize the amount of paper we carry.

J. Seckler SR22#69

Jerrold: Thanks for the info. I’ve been looking at JeppView very seriously. I remember all too well filing all of those modified plates in the Jepp binders every 28 days! Have you been using the Jeppesen prepunched paper and a color printer?
You should be able to print all of the charts for all airports 200 miles either side of the route and have all potential alternate airport data easily at hand that way.

Do you have FlightMap? I saw a presentation at the Riverside, CA FSDO from a guy that uses FlightMap on his laptop with a basic (non-aviation) portable GPS feeding positiion data to the laptop. FlightMap lets you load sectional charts into the computer and display your present position and planned route on top of the sectional chart. He’s got a Cessna with a mounting arm that locks into the seat track to hold the laptop.

I have not used Flight Map. About 95% of my flying is IFR and I really don’t worry too much about sectionals. That may change when I get my Cirrus.
JeppView allows you to print all airport IAPs along your route of flight and you can set parameters to choose only airports that meet certain criteria (e.g those with precision approaches, within 50/100/200 miles of your route and minimum runway length. By being somewhat restrictive you can really cut down on the number of charts you have to print. Most of my flying over the last 20 years has been in twins so for me printing alternates within 100 miles of the route with precision approaches and 5000+ foot minimum runway length has worked well. In a single I suspect I will print more alternates as I won’t have the luxury of flying to a convenient airport if the engine takes a vacation! On the other hand, the point I made in my prior post still holds - in an emergency I can use the data in the Garmin and have the controller get me the rest of the info I need. Remember, in emergencies controllers are from the government and really are there to help.
Jerrold Seckler SR22 #69

I too have been waiting for prices to come down enough to allow me to try for a paperless cockpit. But my experience with Windows is that I wouldn’t bet my life (or ticket) on it. The occasional crash on a desktop machine is a nuisance; in the air it could be serious.

As I understand it, the air carriers that are using paperless systems now require two independent units in the cockpit for redundancy. So to be safe we’d either have to get two computer$, or continue to lug around a lot of backup paper.

Still, the thought of a reliable paperless system is almost irresistible.

Now if we could only get to a point where a single database subscription could be used for all our nav gear, that would be progress!

Joe Mazza

I am a long term user of JeppView. What I do is to print the charts for the airports I know I’m going to use and a number of alternates along the route. I carry my laptop with JeppView on board for emergencies (yes, I tested it and it does not seem to interfere with any of the aircraft systems). I would much prefer a small, light unit that would display my JeppView charts so I could eliminate the paper charts and lugging the laptop. Having two such units may be required for Part 121 operations but I think is overkill for Part 91. Remember that we have all of the IAPs in the Garmin Database. If our chart display system doesn’t work we still have the Garmins for lateral course guidance and we can get the necessary vertical information (crossing altitudes, MDA or DH etc.) from ATC.

Eventually I wouldn’t be surprised if that vertical data is incorporated into the Garmin Database as more memory becomes available. Then we really can have a paperless cockpit. Until then all we can do is minimize the amount of paper we carry.

J. Seckler SR22#69