Almost all commercial pilots use iPads (known as Electronic Flight Bags – EFBs) during commercial operations. They’re usually kept mounted to the side of each pilot right by the window. EFBs have pretty much replaced most manuals and paperwork that pilots used to carry.
Having an iPad can become one of the most useful tools in your flight training. Whether you’re studying for your PPL, building hours, or working towards a commercial licence. An EFB can help you stay organised, improve situational awareness, and make your training more efficient.
While student pilots don’t need and probably wouldn’t have access to all the applications we commercial pilots use, having your own personal iPad with a number of useful free apps, paid apps, as well as the included apps in iOS will really help you out.
Which Tablet to Choose
My recommendation is the iPad Mini.
It’s compact, lightweight and large enough to display charts, documents, and navigation apps comfortably. In many training aircraft, since cockpit space is limited, larger tablets can become difficult to manage.
Nothing against Android, but I’ve personally never seen anyone use an Android tablet in flight operations, and there are also quite a few useful apps that just aren’t available on Android.
Get a Portable Mount
One of the best purchases I made during flight training days was a RAM mount for my iPad Mini.
Most training aircraft probably won’t come equipped with a tablet mount, so I recommend getting a suction-mount to carry with you. I liked the RAM mount because it’s
- Compact
- Sturdy
- Easy to mount and remove
- Adjustable vertically and horizontally
- Helps you remain “heads up”.
Not needing to look down as much is very helpful for both VFR and IFR flying. As it allows you to spend more time looking outside and scanning your instruments.
The setup I used consisted of:
My recommendation on how to use your new “EFB”
You can use a variety apps for things like:
- Navigation and flight planning
- Weather briefing
- Reading and Studying
- Calculations
- Taking Notes
Check out a few of the iPad apps that I’ve recommended in this post.
1. Use It for Studying
There’ll be a lot of studying involved to become a commercial pilot. I downloaded quite a few PDFs and eBooks. At every step of my flight training I would be reading a lot, and it helps to have a portable device where you can keep your:
- Aircraft manuals
- Aviation textbooks
- Examination preparation material
Having everything available on a single device means you can study during commutes and any spare time you find throughout the day.
2. Use Navigation Apps During Time Building
Moving-map applications can be incredibly useful during cross-country flights.
Applications such as SkyDemon and ForeFlight can display:
- Your aircraft position
- Controlled Airspace boundaries
- Nearby aerodromes
- Weather information
To make full use of these features, you’ll need GPS capability. That would mean a cellular-enabled iPad (as the Wifi Only iPad doesn’t have a GPS receiver), an external GPS receiver, or even better, a Sentry ADS-B receiver to be aware of the position of other traffic. I used a Garmin Glo 2 bluetooth receiver, which worked great. It was very accurate and as it was a separate device, I found that the iPad battery didn’t drain as quickly, which also kept my iPad cool.
3. Organise your required charts for Lessons and Skill Tests
During PPL training and skill tests, you’ll probably not be allowed to use a moving map application. However, your EFB can still be extremely useful for storing and viewing:
- Aerodrome charts
- Departure procedures (SIDs)
- Arrival procedures (STARs)
- Instrument Approach charts
- Airspace information
Being able to quickly swipe between documents as you progress through flight phases keeps you organised and improves situational awareness. I still recommend carrying printed charts as a backup and using a kneeboard for writing clearances and to keep a pilot log.
4. Create a Folder for Every Flight
To be organised not forget important elements of flight preparation. Create a dedicated folder for each flight to store all relevant documents in a convenient folder. You can store the following for instance:
- NOTAM briefings
- Weather information
- Mass and balance calculations
- Performance calculations
- Regulations like in the Skyway code
- Aircraft Manuals
Here are some of the charts and documents I prepared for my Multi-Engine IR Skills test.
Bonus tip: Using a stylus like the Apple Pencil, allows you to write on charts, highlight important information, and make notes directly on your documents.
Instead of printing dozens of pages before every flight, you’ll have everything available in one place.
Make Your EFB Your Own
Just like your smartphone or personal computer, your EFB should be configured to suit yourself and your requirements.
I didn’t own one during my PPL training, but after getting an iPad for my advanced training, I wish I had started using it much earlier. If you’re serious about becoming a professional pilot, getting an iPad to supporting your training and flying can help you a lot in the long run.