Honestly, the current iPad is not for me. I have an Apple Macbook Pro that I can not do without, but it has a keyboard and more features like USB ports and a CD/DVD drive that are essential in my mind. However, I finally found a use for the iPad that has made it more attractive. FAA/NOS charts in their typical paper form can be burdensome to flip through while flying a single-pilot aircraft. Although I’m used to using Fltplan.com to print out the charts I’ll need for each individual flight for easier access, I believe downloading charts to the iPad would be very efficient and they can be permanently stored for future use.

An application called ForeFlight is currently available for immediate use. Not only are the approach plates available, but VFR/IFR charts, airport maps, and flight rules are as well.

This provides for a less cluttered and more organized cockpit, which I believe to enable less fondling several paper charts and more attention can be given to flying the airplane. I believe the iPad would be a great supplement to have in addition to hard copies of the paper aeronautical charts, which should be kept up to date and stored in the aircraft at all times to be considered legal.