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Huge, thanks.
Yep, it's useful in a couple ways (that complement proper preflight planning, of course).
In a few seconds you can see the general field conditions—IFR, VFR, low IFR—across a wide area and keep track of whether things are progressing as forecast, deteriorating faster than you expected, or just as importantly for mission accomplishment see if they're improving faster than you expected. The key here is it only takes a few seconds, much much easier than listening through a handful of ATIS loops (if you even have reception) or calling a weather service and having a two-way radio conversation. Not that those old fashioned ways aren't useful tools in their own right, they're just different.
The weather radar and precipitation picture is great. Again, in a few seconds it tells you if you'll have to fly hundreds of miles to get around a strong front or if it's a weak front with some passable gaps that might only cost you a few minutes of time and fuel. Same with airmass (popup) thunderstorms.
Side note on the old fashioned weather stuff, I actually miss the HIWAS broadcasts on VORs, although with internet weather you can access the source inflight. Those broadcasts got discontinued a few years ago but I'd found them substantially useful on long cross country flights. You could listen to a seemingly tedious convective sigmet description but it would give you the states affected, which actually filled in my SA in a big picture sense. The "two zero miles south southwest of the pawtucket V O R extending to three five miles northeast of the East B F E V O R" thing was rarely useful, but I can easily picture "northern Mississippi and Alabama, western Tennessee, Arkansas..." in relation to my route. "Tops 300/450/600" instantly tells me the difference between bad weather, really bad weather, and "gonna be on the news" weather, and finally "moving little/25 knots from the southwest/40 knots/etc." gives me a good idea where that weather is going to be in an hour, two hours, and so on.
Anyway, just some thoughts on using all that different technology for local hops, going one or two hundred miles, or trying to get somewhere a thousand miles away.
The TH-57's GTN-650's in flight weather was a game changer for me. I estimate my sortie completion rate jumped up probably 10-15% after getting them.
I bet you miss morse code too. ?
That's exactly what I did. Just had to remember to take it off and back on going through about FL180 or it'll fall down. Turns out suction at sea level and suction at cockpit altitude of 20k are different.
I do get the occasional pilot boner whenever I hear the marker beacon audio crossing the final approach fix and I have been known to select the ADF needle when flying the CRJ. You know, just to back myself up.
.--- .. -- / .. ... / -. --- - / --- .-.. -.. --..-- / .... . / .. ... / ...- .. -. - .- --. . .-.-.-
(copy and paste to any morse code translator online).
Thankfully "Auto ID" of VOR/TACAN/LOC is a thing
(and even the dumbest of Nav receivers do this now)
I gotta admit, I felt a bit like this and also happy at the same time when I realized the box did this step for me and puts "I-BFE" on the screen to tell me I dialed in everything correctly.Thankfully "Auto ID" of VOR/TACAN/LOC is a thing
I recall tuning receivers in VT/HTs and hoping that no one asked me to actually verify that it was the right one via Morse. Hearing some dots and dashes is good enough for ID right? (It's been over 9yrs since my last instrument check so I think the statute of limitations has past and I can admit this without the Stan police coming after me).
NGA publishes a very basic FLIP reader app - for both iPad, Android and Windows of all things. Not pretty and basic but it works for the lowest common denominator. I think it even works on Android phones. CAC access needed for download.
EDIT: I am told the Android and Win apps are crap and havent been updated since 2012.
EDIT: I am told the Android and Win apps are crap and havent been updated since 2012.
PMPT
Well-Known Member
I've used it in the T-45 and a grey jet fairly extensively. Works pretty well for the most part. It's a cellular-enabled ipad mini (which allows you to utilize the GPS without any internet or telecom connection). It has dropped my track at various points while flying across the country, but it's been great for supplementing onboard equipment and obviously beats the hell out flying with paper pubs.
I did the ghetto version of making my own kneeboard with velcro which cost the kneeboard + $5 for velcro strips from walmart. Works pretty well. That being said though I wear a G-suit and i've honestly just started using the otterbox case and clipping it 'around' the G suit leg strap so to speak. I've used it in higher g/more dynamic flights and it's never given me any issues in terms of flying off or anything. might not look pretty but it gets the job done.
I did the ghetto version of making my own kneeboard with velcro which cost the kneeboard + $5 for velcro strips from walmart. Works pretty well. That being said though I wear a G-suit and i've honestly just started using the otterbox case and clipping it 'around' the G suit leg strap so to speak. I've used it in higher g/more dynamic flights and it's never given me any issues in terms of flying off or anything. might not look pretty but it gets the job done.