There is a huge amount one can’t do that way, in certain business scenarios.
And having the capability is what enables me to travel a fair bit.
I travel with more devices than I need to.
I have an iCOM VHF, a PLB, a Garmin Aera 796.
I use an iPad Air 2 and carry an iPad Pro 9.7 for backup with an iPhone 6+ to support ForeFlight as my EFB.
I also have available, but rarely use a Stratus 2 and a GDL39D. I can connect all of my devices to the panel via BT. My current panel equipment includes a GNS530W, a GDL69A XM receiver, a GDL88 ADS-B Out/In, and a FS2310.
I will be updating the GNS530W to a GTN750. I will also be adding a G500txi with SV and a GAD43E for the autopilot (Stec 60-2) with FD and alt preselect support. I am keeping my trusty KNS80 as the backup as it provides VOR/DME/ILS and RNAV 5 when GPS is not available.
What an interesting thread.
I use Skydemon for VFR flight planning but then print the pilot’s log and notams and draw the route with chinagraph pencil on 1:500,000 paper charts (yes, really), and mark the notams with BIG red circles. I then put the route into my Garmin Aera 795 and my GNS530w (to drive the autopilot when I want to). I don’t fly with Skydemon running.
I fly with the following:
1) Garmin Aera 795. Great piece of kit.
2) Garmin GDL39-3D (which provides via bluetooth both ADS-B-in and ahrs (artificial horizon etc) to the Aera 795. Very clever stuff when it works. (The bluetooth falls off too often) This setup is now rumoured to receive UAT weather in the southern UK too, but I’ve not seen that on my 795’s screen yet…not sure it works with my kit. (Anyone know?)
3) Powerflarm Portable connected by yoke harness to the 795 providing flarm, mode c/s and ADS-B traffic. It works pretty well (but would work much better if it had an external antenna or two) and is connected to the plane’s intercom (so the warning beeps sounds in my headset) but it sadly mutes the 795’s more helpful audio, by taking up the plane’s sole jack plug socket . (My previous traffic detector, the Zaon XRX, used the same audio plug socket but passed the 795 sound through the connecting harness and on to the plane’s intercom “Traffic” and “500 feet” and “terrain, pull up” etc)
4) One Garmin Virb to take nice videos like these: YouTube channel and I have connected it to the plane’s intercom so some of the videos have sound. I toy with the idea of second camera for interior shots, but then I would need to do some heavier editing. Too much work for me.
5) My mobile phone is a Samsung S8+ which exactly fits in the switch tray in the TB20 as if with some prescience that part of the plane was designed by Socata to act as a Samsung S8+ phone holder, but I rarely use the S8 in flight but did toy for a while with the idea of having Skydemon run on it…but I don’t need it, so don’t do that. I get weather on the S8 on various apps when I’m flying over towns with 3G and 4G signals. That can be very helpful.
6) I have a PLB that hopefully I’ll never need to use.
I toyed with the idea of a Garmin watch. Thankfully I didn’t buy one on impulse. I can see no practical use for one when flying and have not ever heard anyone who flies regularly argue with that statement. Nice watch…but gimmicky I think.
I like my setup, but wish I could get the Garmin 795 to hook up to the plane’s ancient intercom like it used to.
I keep reading that Peter takes a proper stills camera flying with him and I have a lovely stills camera and really enjoy photography, but never take my SLR with me. I just don’t think of it. How silly am I! I must start doing that. (Thanks @Peter)
The GoCycle looks like a great idea…but an expensive piece of kit that I would not use on many flights. I often think that airfields ought to hire such things out, together with inflatable life rafts and other stuff that pilots want to use occasionally. (When I buy an airfield, after the lottery win, I’ll be organising such things.)
Howard
I carry the DSLR only if I am going somewhere special, or flying over some scenic area. And usually only if I have not been there before. The DSLR quality cannot be touched, especially if processing the pics afterwards (Lightroom or whatever).
On the more general topic, if you can run your life wholly with an Iphone or Ipad, use webmail (gmail etc) for email, and use no unusual apps, then there is no issue with backups.
We had a thread on smart watches here and nobody could find any use for them there either. In fact I use a simple mechanical (self winding) watch.
I recently got a Planet Gemini – think of an updated Psion 5. I love it – much lighter and smaller than a laptop and I can touch type on the keyboard quite comfortably. It will run Android or Debian Linux and there are a few other options as well. It can also double as a smartphone but I haven’t tried using it this way.
Linux leaves a little to be desired – power management could be better and there’s no graphics driver. However it will happily run Octave (a Matlab clone) and the OpenOffice suite. I now take it with me whenever I travel and leave my laptop at home. For browsing the web and writing on forums Android is more polished.
I still have and Airspace Aware for navigation, Yaesu 550 radio and a phone.
iPad mini 4 with SkyDemon
Asus Zenfone 4 as a SD backup
I travel with an iPad4 mini with SD, iPhone 7 Plus for SD backup, photos and even phone calls via Bluetooth Bose.
A simple double usb plug 2A each is largely enough to keep everything charged.
GoPro for video with multiple batteries and a FileHub with sd-cards and Bluetooth for download videos in long journeys.
That’s all folks!
Let me ask: who never travels with a laptop?
I never take a laptop on a GA flight. The iPad +phone over my needs.
I used to take the laptop on holidays (for remote access) but ended up never taking it outside the bag.
Peter wrote:
Let me ask: who never travels with a laptop?
Not in years.
