Avionics News May 2014 - 23

are EFBs with the proper software that airlines and charter companies have been adapting to them by the droves.
The changeover gained major momentum after Jeppesen and NetJets Europe collaborated to demonstrate the
durability of the iPad - by subjecting one, loaded and running, to a catastrophic decompression event.
Within a minute, the test exposed the Apple tablet to
the stresses of a decompression to FL510 from a cabin
altitude of 6,000 feet mean sea level.
The iPad passed, as have successive versions. The
European Aviation Safety Agency and the FAA both approved the iPad running EFB software for use, first in Part
91 Subpart K operations, then 135, 121 and 125 ops.
As Jeppesen and ForeFlight, another EFB software provider, have expanded their markets, the printing of paper
documents has plummeted by more than 80 percent. And
open-source options also contribute.
Today's EFB: An all-purpose cockpit tool
EFBs today go far beyond the roots of their original concept, to understate the advances.
A properly loaded tablet or purpose-made EFB provides
a viable option for simultaneously tapping into live weather
sources, communicating a flight plan to flight service, providing enhanced hazards alerts - both terrain and traffic - while
also delivering pinpoint-accurate navigation guidance and,
with the right software and hardware, serve as an accurate, viable standby source attitude, altitude and airspeed information.
And with all the above overlaid on a near-photo-realistic
synthetic vision system graphics.
Pilots initially lusted for relief from carrying 30 to 45
pounds of paper and the laborious, every 28-day updateyour-charts-and-plates process. Arriving quickly behind
those functions came software options imparting tablet computers with both all the basic EFB functions, as well as SVS,
GPS-based terrain and obstacle warnings, and traffic alerts.
"We're using them in ways we never really conceived when
the first ready-built EFBs hit the market several years ago," noted Chuck Donham, a contract charter pilot, during a breakfast
discussion earlier this year. "It's a whole lot more convenient to
slip one of these (EFBs) into a briefcase or tote than lugging 40
pounds of paper. And with the new capabilities, we're getting
more utility than anyone imagined a few years ago."
From charts and plates to potentially lifesaving attitude-reference functionality, it seems the revolution surged well past the
dream of replacing paper and into the realm of the future, with
each pilot bringing along an autonomous reference system equal
in capabilities to the certificated equipment in the panel.

And the variety of options and functionality choices is
stunning. Consider this brief list of players and their products as just a few examples.
Esterline CMC Electronics' PilotView
Electronic Flight Bags
CMC's PilotView Class 2 EFB systems continue to
evolve, with product configurations ranging from 8.4inch to 12.1-inch displays. The 8.4-inch CMA-1100 Mk 3,
10.4-inch CMA-1410 Mk 3 and new 12.1-inch EFBs feature the company's latest display enhancements, including dual touch capability and a powerful Intel Core i7 processor that seamlessly enables a wide range of advanced
software applications. These include charting, electronic
documentation, en route real-time weather moving maps,
terrain awareness, camera surveillance, and aircraft data
monitoring and reporting.
CMC's PilotView EFB offers improved productivity by enabling pre-flight planning and efficient access
to aircraft documentation, checklists and flight planning
information. PilotView increases situational awareness
in-flight with approach charts, moving maps, enhanced
vision system display and graphical real-time weather
information. PilotView is a compact, lightweight system
with a display/processor unit and aircraft interface unit,
which are easy to install in a variety of cockpits where
space is at a premium.
For more information, visit www.esterline.com/avionicssystems/en-us/productsservices/aviation/displaysvisionsystems/electronicflightbag.aspx.
Garmin Pilot and Garmin SVS for tablets
Here's a combination package that requires Garmin's
GDL 39 ADS-B receiver and an IFR or VFR premium
subscription to Garmin Pilot. The package has an extensive list of functions. The GDL 39 3D has an integral
AHRS (attitude and heading reference system) to sense
pitch and roll and communicates via Bluetooth to a tablet
computer (an iPad or other tablet).
For more information, visit www.garmin.com.
BendixKing by Honeywell
A few years ago, BendixKing launched a line of EFB/GPS
navigators under the brand AV8OR - the small, palm-size
original model known as the "AV8OR,"a second approachplate-size version called the " AV8OR Ace" and a third, larger,
Continued on following page

avionics news

may

2014

http://www.esterline.com/avionicssystems/en-us/productsservices/aviation/displaysvisionsystems/electronicflightbag.aspx http://www.esterline.com/avionicssystems/en-us/productsservices/aviation/displaysvisionsystems/electronicflightbag.aspx http://www.esterline.com/avionicssystems/en-us/productsservices/aviation/displaysvisionsystems/electronicflightbag.aspx http://www.garmin.com

Avionics News May 2014

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