EFlybook Pirep

EFlybook arrived yesterday, so here are a few observations:

Small grey tablet sized- see their website for actual dimensions.
PRO: Light weight- I plan to velcro to a knee board.

CON: somewhat flimsy IRex plastic shell
don't lose the stylus, expensive to replace
cheesy Arinc logo ( clear plastic label tape, stuck on crooked)

Content:

PRO: ALL of the US approach charts, SIDS, DPS, and low altitudes, along
with all AFD's, FAR/AIM! (ever depart on a long XC hoping to find the right
charts at some podunk gas stop?)
No more heavy or cumbersome NOS or Jepp charts. No more filing of revisions.
Books (over 10,000) downloadable for free!

Display:

PRO: Unbelievably clear and visible. Easy to read, sharp, and crisp

CON: Slow rewrites.(takes around a second per page)

Softwa

PRO: The myairplane latest database came loaded on the machine.

CON: Ability to write notes required several downloads from Irex and
Myairplane websites.

OVERALL: this is a new technology, not a tablet PC. As such it does not rely
on a hard drive or have the associated potential altitude related problems
or fragility. It is easily readable in incandescent light, and gets better
in outdoor light (no washout like an LCD). Requires external lighting at
night (not self illuminating). Extremely long battery life (up to three
days)

The display is outstanding, very clear and sharp. (page writes could be
faster) The level of detail is excellent and highly readable. (would be nice
to have a zoom/pan ability)

Text from books is outstanding as well. Would be nice to have all of the
appropriate software installed in the machine prior to purchase, rather than
requiring a search of the net and finding the right stuff to get. (the
notepad did not write without looking for the new software update as well as
some add ins).

Overall, these guys at Myairplane.com are a group of three dedicated
individuals who have really made a tremendous impact on the IFR flying
community. No more trying to find, buy, or subscribe to AFD's, NOS, or JEPP
charts. No more packing a bag full of charts that you only might use
periodically. No more filing of revisions. The unit will pay for itself
within a year for the average cross country flyer.

Technical support via Dennis Megarry at Myairplane has been great.

I'd give the unit an A- or B+ as an overall grade. The software could be a
little more refined and user friendly, but the overall appearance and
performance are outstanding and well worth the cost. It is the wave of the
future, and I recommend it highly.

The unit will pay for itself
within a year for the average cross country flyer.

At over a thousand dollars for the EFlybook, how do you figure it pays
for itself?

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

The unit will pay for itself
within a year for the average cross country flyer.

At over a thousand dollars for the EFlybook, how do you figure it pays
for itself?

I spend $80 every quarter to purchase new charts and approach plates.

I use a combination of Jepps for most local flying, and FAA charts for lo
altitudes and flying outside of the local area. It adds up to more than $650
per year. It also is a lot of revisions to file and books to lug around.

The EFlybook will revolutionize what we use for IFR charts.

"Viperdoc" wrote in message
...
EFlybook arrived yesterday, so here are a few observations:
OVERALL: this is a new technology, not a tablet PC. As such it does not
rely on a hard drive or have the associated potential altitude related
problems or fragility. It is easily readable in incandescent light, and
gets better in outdoor light (no washout like an LCD). Requires external
lighting at night (not self illuminating). Extremely long battery life (up
to three days)

I thought the battery life was based on pages viewed and not a specific time
span?

"Pay for itself" might have been a bit of an over statement. You have to
compare it to other technologies to have charts available in the cockpit. If
you only fly in a small, defined region and are willing to spend time for
every flight picking airports, downloading free charts, printing them out
and sticking with your plan, then you can get by pretty cheaply.

If you want flexibility or fly frequently or fly over a large area, then the
eFlyBook is a very nice option. If you want the whole US, the eFlyBook is
cheaper then any Jepp solution and is even cheaper than NOS. If you can get
by with part of the US, then your mileage may vary. For me, trying to cover
the upper midwest for regular flying and occasional flights to the four
corners of the country, the eFlyBook comes out cheaper.

Jepp Paper for the whole country is around $1070/year. JeppView for the
whole country is around $780/year. If you want Jepp FlightDeck on a tablet,
then you are looking at $2500 for the tablet plus the $780/year. eFlyBook is
$1200 (which includes a one year subscription to the whole US) and
$250/year.

I figure that a tablet or the eFlyBook is good for about 3 years. Looking at
the costs over a three-year period.
Jepp Paper: $1070/year
Jepp View: $780/year plus time picking and printing
Tablet + Flight Deck: $1600/year which clearly includes a lot of extra
features
Tablet + just charts: $1080/year
eFlyBook: $567/year

Plus you need to add printed enroute charts to all of those options.

For flexibility and ease, the eFlyBook looks like the best deal. I ordered
one too. Supposed to arrive today. I can hardly wait.

--
-------------------------------
Travis
Lake N3094P
PWK

"Jose" wrote in message
t...
The unit will pay for itself within a year for the average cross country
flyer.

At over a thousand dollars for the EFlybook, how do you figure it pays for
itself?

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

It's legal for part 91 flyers. airplane.com subscription comes with an
airport directory as well.

--
-------------------------------
Travis
Lake N3094P
PWK

wrote in message
ps.com...

Viperdoc wrote:
EFlybook arrived yesterday, so here are a few observations:

[pirep snipped]
Overall, these guys at Myairplane.com are a group of three dedicated
individuals who have really made a tremendous impact on the IFR flying
community. No more trying to find, buy, or subscribe to AFD's, NOS, or
JEPP
charts. No more packing a bag full of charts that you only might use
periodically. No more filing of revisions. The unit will pay for itself
within a year for the average cross country flyer.


But is it legal? I understood that having the current AFD & chart in
your posesion in the sircraft was required by the "best & current"
information regulation. At least that's why I subscribed to the AFD.

John Stevens
PP-ASEL (still shiny & new)

On Fri, 11 Aug 2006 03:12:40 GMT, "Viperdoc"
wrote:

OVERALL: this is a new technology, not a tablet PC. As such it does not rely
on a hard drive or have the associated potential altitude related problems
or fragility. It is easily readable in incandescent light, and gets better
in outdoor light (no washout like an LCD). Requires external lighting at
night (not self illuminating). Extremely long battery life (up to three
days)

EFlyBook sounds cool. Especially the battery life. That's amazing!

I have a similar approach, but not as refined as I end up having to
manage all the SW and plate downloads to the tablet.

I have been using the Fujitsu ST4121 tablet PC in my Cherokee for
several years. The benefits: With one device, I get:
-Moving map GPS
-WxWorx Nexrad
-MP3 player
-Approach plates (via pdf)
plus a fully functioning Wifi enabled PC

The choice of tablet PC is critical. As you pointed out most
laptop/tablet displays are not made for outdoor viewing. It has to be
a transflective display, or the screen will be washed out on a bright
day.

So far, no HDD issues for me, even though I regularly fly at 10-11k
feet. I suspect the newer generations of hard drives are much less
susceptible to density altitude problems.

Howie Keefe's Airchart system is $379 for the entire USA per year...

denny

On 11 Aug 2006 07:19:36 -0700, "Longworth"
wrote:
snip

Why is it that even though you provide a post with obvious aviation
content, you use the x-no-archive option so that no one can see your
comment in the archives at a later date? If it is worth saying once,
then it is worth being archived. It is really irritating when a
person is searching for something in the future and the conversations
are disjointed because some people were inconsiderate, stupid, or just
cowardly and used the x-no-archive option.