Kyler Laird wrote in
:

"Hilton" writes:

Are approach charts/plates really usable and safe to use on a PDA? I'm
asking specifically about the small screen size (let's ignore the fact
that it runs on batteries etc). It seems like the Jepp size is about
right. I can't imagine either: 1. shrinking the page into a PDA's
screen, or 2. scrolling around while on an approach.

What's wrong with scrolling? Do you really need to see the entire plate
when you're on the approach? I agree that you *do* need to be familiar
with it. That means you should certainly scroll/zoom around the whole
thing before starting the approach. Once you've begun, however, I'd
expect that just being able to see the area around the current location
(at a user-selected zoom level) would be enough. Maybe not. I haven't
tried it.

I'm with Hilton on this. I need to be able to see the entire plate, very
quickly. Sometimes I need to quickly reference a frequency, or an
altitude, or remind myself of the missed approach procedure, or any number
of things. I can't imagine doing this in a 2-pilot cockpit, much less
alone in minimum weather.

Maybe as a backup, just to follow along, but the standard Jepp plate is
about as small as is practical, I think. We're starting to investigate
some electronic flight bags, with the approach plates built in, and those
might work, but a screen the size of a PDA is just too small to work with,
as a sole source of approach information.

--
Regards,

Stan