This week Bobby and Wally tackle the conversation regarding paper vs plastic. Well, really more paper vs electronic. They both have pros and cons!
In the mid-80s it was a decision my parents and the wrestle with, paper vs plastic as they checked out at the grocery store. Now as pilots many of us have quickly moved from the paper choice to an electronic one. Bobby and Wally discuss what is legal and some best practice as you too may wrestle with the decision between paper vs. plastic. No matter what you choose to use, make sure you understand them and know exactly how to use them. Until next week, fly safe and stay behind the prop!
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What's up, Wally? Hey Bobby. How are you? I'm good today. We're going to visit a subject That I think many of our listeners are going to enjoy. some will Want to debate the pros and cons. But today we're going to piggy tail off of a blog post You wrote not too long ago called “Paper versus Plastic.” Tell us a little bit about the show.
Yeah, paper vs plastic ten years ago, if you heard that you'd think you're in line at the grocery store. And this is You know aviation is evolving. The technology is evolving. And You have two choices you can either jump on the bandwagon or not and and I think the bandwagon is moving. So, I think we're all better served to at least at least jump on it and give it a shot. and and what I’m getting at is, when I became an examiner About four years ago, I would say Ninety percent of my applicants came in with paper charts and ten percent electronic. With an electronic flight bag. and I would say in the last four years the shift has turned into ninety percent electronic ten percent paper and I do work closely with one flight School who still requires their private pilot applicants to use paper charts. But that's just that's one flight school. And and I understand their their philosophy. And but we're going to talk about Where we are the products that are out there and the advantages of both Quite frankly because there are advantages to both Again just just Let's just take a look at it old school back in the day. You know when when when I started many years ago. You know if you're gonna plan a cross country you got your sectional out and and if you plan to write your cross country took place on one side of one sectional but for a lot longer cross country. You're taping sectionals together. Maybe you had to buy two Houston sectionals because you're using the front and the back of it and drew your line from point A to point B.
And I was, I'm curious as a professional pilot when you started, it was more than four years ago. Like did did you, did you plan a flight across country with sectionals or was there some other dispatch mechanism by which you were using? GPS or how did how did that really work when there were no EFBs?
No it was all paper you you laid out the sectional on on the the table and you drew a a really long line if there were a long cross country You know you you He you went. You got your winds aloft you you measured your distance. You knew your what your air speed ought to be. And then you went and you you what what. Now would the electronic Products we have today, looking at a cross country, I'm going from point a to point. I can put the two points in there and I can You know upload my winds and or download my winds rather and Look at all the altitudes and pick the most advantages altitude. It takes about thirty seconds. Where years ago, it took May maybe thirty minutes just to pick your altitude. Right. And so, from a time standpoint What we have now is much much better and more more dynamic as far as accuracy as well.
The key, both of us talked a little bit before we started the show, that the number one key whether you're using electronic or paper what your school has some rules around either one of those that the real key is understanding what you're trying to accomplish. And what tool you're gonna use, right? Yeah exactly. If it's paper or plastic, meaning electronic flight bag, you really need to understand what ones are are they using in this electronic flight bag, how are they calculating this magnetic heading for me, etc. But you don't know what a a blue airport is on a piece of paper or if it's an electronic version of that piece of paper that's a problem, right? The fundamental learning still the key that the people listening to this show do as private pilot students. You need to Understand those those charts and All of the many many legend items That you need to know to be a safe and effective pilot. That's that's job number one.
Absolutely. The one advantage, and it can be a disadvantage, I mean either way you look at it. I mean with with a paper sectional. You've got the legend right there. “Gee, what what is the. What are those little notches around the the airport at at three six and nine o'clock mean?” and “Gee, I forgot what that was” and where you can go over there and look at it. Whereas, in an electronic version that legend may be buried somewhere within your electric flight bags, so you need to be able to get to that. But, just from what I'm looking for as an examiner, and I get this not so much anymore, but I still get, probably once a month, I'll get an applicant will get in touch of before the checkride and say “can I use electronic - use an EFB for the check ride” - or actually what they will say, they will ask what I prefer. And I say I prefer that you use what you're gonna use tomorrow when you take your family on a cross country flight. If you're gonna use paper tomorrow the choose paper today if you're gonna use electron tomorrow and so let's use electric today. I don't want you to use electronic today or paper today in electronic tomorrow. So, let's let's use what you're gonna use and that was really the the subject of of of my blog that I wrote Several months ago. If you're instant reading it you can. You can find it on my website. It's it's my name. Wally Mulhearn DPE dot com. And go down and take a look at that and it's a it's a quick read. It's I think it's fairly interesting I've gotten a lot of positive on that. But my point is both of these, Paper or plastic, are both correct. And there's not, there are advantages and disadvantage with both, obviously, but they both are acceptable and they both are correct.
I see it on social media sometimes, Wally, post something and say “I hear that it's illegal to using electric fly bag as your primary source of navigation.” Can we talk about that a little bit too to clear the skepticism up? Am I allowed to legally use an electronic flight bag for my maps and my charts and those sorts of artifacts?
Absolutely, for your for your maps in you charts That's that's perfectly legal. Where where we get into the the the not so legal is when You may not your maybe you're in an airplane. That doesn't have any navigation capability and You you file an IFR flight plan and ATC clears you direct to Wherever and you're using your iPad to actually navigate if you wanna use your your iPad or your electric device to depict the charts. That's fine that's perfectly acceptable One in with that in mind one technique that I will tell people that that I tried to do I. I usually forget. But I try to do if I if I am going on and a cross country flight. One thing I try to do is is if I’m going to a You know Jackson Mississippi. I'm just making that up I will go in. And I will take a screen shot of all the approach plates so not now not only do. I have my approach plates within the app. That I’m using as the electronic flight bag but I also have over there my photos. So, if for whatever reason that after a crash which I’ve never had an app crash but nowadays taking screenshots. Such an easy thing to do and then then after the flight I just go in and then delete all those photos so that might be a way to to help the possibility of the app crashing the other thing is You know have a backup with most of the electronic flight bags. You're you're able to get more than one download You pay for it. You pay for the subscription you can probably get it on an iPad and probably an iPhone So for instance. The the app that I use I have on two iPads.
I have a regular size iPad. I have an iPad mini. And then it's on my phone. And then I I always have my airline issue iPad. That has a different app. So, I really have three backups. In case of a malfunction with the iPad which again I’ve never had They do sometimes overheat. And you'll get a little warning. It'll basically say this thing's about to shutdown if you don't cool it down so if you're keeping the iPad up on the glare shield or something like that if you haven't mounted pretty high in the sun that can be a problem or or an issue just something that you need to manage. I won't say a problem but it's it's. It's something that that definitely needs to be managed.
I'm like you. I I do carry had many. It's it's my kneeboard for for all intents when I’m flying so my iPad mini our call it primary from a standpoint of what I’m using to visually reference the maps and charts and things like that connected to a stratus of for me and ninety nine percent of my flights I always carry my bigger iPad in my flight bag. That's my first big backup. I'll call it And I I won't. I won't not I won't fly without the big one. It's kind of like part of my flight bag. It is definitely a tool that if it's not there I’m not going Because I I truly think that it's it is my second set of maps and charts and then of course like you do have it on my phone. I haven’t tried the screenshot but that's a great idea. I don't think I’ve ever seen Foreflight crash.
But I have seen apps start to update and not finish updating so before flight started up day when I was on the ramp somewhere because I connect to wi fi not not updating the charts but the actual app and then it didn't finish before I got in the cockpit that could be. That could be something that would surprise you. Yeah, the other thing. I do is I. I went out and invested in a really good battery. So, I probably spent a hundred-dollar bill on a battery that will charge all of those devices at least once so it's got a lot of power in it and then it's readily available so if for some reason, I don't have an electronic source in my aircraft I’ve invested in this battery that will produce enough power to charge all those things so that I don't go somewhere then can't use these tools to come back. I I think of it as a full day charge. I guess is what I’m saying. Yeah, absolutely Battery battery life is an issue when I have two-checkride days. A significant amount of my my thought process of the day is keeping my my things charged. Whether it be on the ground portion you know typically two hours on the ground two hours in the airplane and then two hours on the ground. Two hours in the airplane. I definitely have to manage the power. I also have an extra battery. I find myself now, One of the first things. I'm looking for is when I get an airplane as an examiner is is looked to see if there's, my ability to power to charge my device when I get in the airplane. and We're beginning to see that a little bit more in airplanes. I know in in our personal airplane. We have four a USB ports on the panel. So, we're able to keep everything charged you know all the time which which is a big help. and that you know that is probably the the the downside to the electronic bags is they they run out about battery Power and a paper chart does not. So, you know that that right There's an advantage. You know one thing that that I see from from paper charts is is You know with electric flight bag, You're able to squeeze out the scale and so you may you may be flying from from Houston to Seattle and you squeeze it out and it's It's it's the the width of your iPad. It doesn't look like very long flight. Where is if you're gonna plan that on on a paper chart it's probably gonna take about six sectionals and and gonna take up the whole room to to see the enormity of the flight that you're about to fly. And so, it you know with with the paper charts, you're always on a common scale. Where were the iPad, you're able to change that scale. And sometimes that's that can confused people a little bit. They think it's not a very long flight when it actually is a very long flight.
the other thing I see is he's just understanding the basic concepts. I hear applicants Use the phrase “course heading” all the time. And and I think course heading that that that makes absolutely no sense, because because course and heading are two different things now. The numbers could be the same in a no wind situation, A no wind situation. They could be the same or direct headwind or or a caught direct. Tailwind, the numbers could be the same. but I think sometimes with the electronic version of of this they. The applicant may be doesn't understand the concepts. Back you know just putting a plotter down on the part on the paper and coming up with that initial number which of course is true course and then applying the wind coming up with true heading and then applying the variation and coming up with magnetic heading. I think helps The applicant learned the concept. Maybe be a little bit better than with with the electronic version. So, I know in four flight They don't even give you true course. the first thing that you get when you When you put the put the the the line down on the on the iPad is a magnetic course. so that is something that we don't even come up with using paper. We go from true course, to true heading, to magnetic heading. So, There is a little bit of little bit of confusion because I will get into that with the applicants. What the difference in all these things are and how we compute them.
I was challenged One time on that. I printed out a nav log for someone was talking through it and I was asked you know when when did this what is this Magnetic heading getting generated from? if this was printed two days in advance for a checkride I have with Mr. Mulhearn coming up. And I’m a nervous wreck about that. What what what is that Magnetic heading coming from? is it From today's winds? Three days ago winds? or the forecast that winds that I printed based on a departure time from three days ago? and if the applicant doesn't know how to answer that they probably should do a little bit of research on where that magnetic headings coming from. because it's not it's not a no wind compass heading for that given moment in time that you hit print. Right. and I think that's what we we keep going back to This is all about the fundamentals of learning. What you're using paper vs plastic really is not bigger problem. It's do you fundamentally know how you're going to navigate.
I actually had a check ride yesterday. and The young man had used paper and the winds were Significantly different than what he had planned for. and He had difficulty finding his checkpoints. He really did. the winds Were much stronger. I'm not sure if the direction was was different but They were significantly stronger than forecast. And I asked him when he got those winds. He said, “well I figured this out last night.” and so the winds were Probably eighteen hours old and weren't very accurate. And again, the advantage to plastic electronic flight bag is as you are walking out the door of the FBO or the flight school, If you've got Wi-Fi or if you've got a a cellular plan on your iPad, all you have to do is hit Update on Foreflight calls at pack. All you gotta do is pack for the flight. And you're gonna get the most up-to-date winds that are possible.
Yeah, and I think I think that's when I learned We kind of picked all those points. You kind of picked all that the true course that you were going to take and you kinda left all that calculating to the last minute, or you may have multiple copies of that. You practice it with your CFI. I needed one today but the one you were going to use for that check ride you left blank and that way you could wake up at least pick what were the winds at that moment and build a pretty good plan. And I do think I have become a child of Foreflight now to where I just, I draw the two points. I go direct to Austin. And then I figure out what I’m gonna fly. It does change quite a bit when I’m doing when I’m gonna file IFR. because it's not just a straight line right. I have to navigate to a few points. And I find myself flying headings more than I fly magenta line normally when I when I fly file an IFR flight plan because I’m not going be going direct and I’m probably not gonna be able to see the ground. So, I’m going to really stay focused on that heading that I’m flying for sure.
When it comes to generalities in your your life as a DPE, people want you to say what they want to use, What are you prefer in the world, How much how much longer do you think we're going to be using paper plates and paper charts?
That's a very that's an interesting question. I we have come so far in such a short period of time. You know when I first started with airline, every pilot was issued a set of Jeppesen charts. and Every two weeks you got a big envelope in your file and the Chief Pilot office and You you had to go revise that. I know when I was a charter pilot Many years ago I We had full US coverage for every airport that we could fly to and I. I was in charge of updating up keeping those updated. And what I would do, Is I would. What I determined was the postage, The amount of postage on the envelope was equal to about the time that it took me to do that Revision. in other words, If it was a dollar fifty postage, It was about an hour and a half to do that That update. While, And, today now, The updates are a mere tap of of of of the iPad. And you tell it update now. It may take a while if it's a significant Update, but You can you can go to sleep while it’s updating.
And you have all the low enroute charts all the sectional charts, All of the AFD information. I mean you get a ton of stuff in that subscription. And I would say the economics have changed drastically. Where you you might You might pay nine dollars for a sectional list price somewhere. Let y- your ten sectionals in and you've got yourself a subscription of four flight right. for not just one one sectional before every section in the united states. Right. It's it's it's the economics that I think are driving some of this as well, and as a flight school owner who still sells a lot of paper plates to make sure we're full-service shop, the plates. I'm carrying her Have dwindled drastically. You know we used to have people come in here and they would buy something That would help them Get to Seattle, as you as your example said earlier, but today if I carried a Seattle sectional, I’m not going to sell it. It's just gonna get thrown away and so it's definitely a loser for the flight school but it's something that we have to have to make sure we're teaching people how to fly the best They can fly. But I don't, I don't know if we're going to be using, I don't know if we'll be selling paper plates in five more years. I just don't know how many you know. We went from chart supplements for really the entire united states Down to where we only have the Texas you know the SC five, SC four, SC three is about all we have now for southcentral. We have a bunch of fives, because that's where we're at. And we probably carry two threes and one four each each fifty-four-day cycle or whatever it is. Yeah. How, I would just be throwing that away. And that that doesn't do the environment any good. I don't think it's gonna do aviation any good for a whole lot longer.
Right, and and I know it at my airline one of the selling points to for the pilots to go to an iPad was the weight savings in the airplanes. Each of us each pilot and sometimes a three pilot, sometimes four pilots, but usually two pilot airplane. Each of us was carrying a thirty-five-pound flight bag. And so that's seventy pounds that every airplane was flying around. And, so they were able to quantify just the weight savings that we take seventy pounds off every flight, we're gonna save Two gallons of fuel. and then you start multiplying that tied towards a big airline and sometimes That that that side of things. Now I know in general aviation the fact that we got a You know maybe a ten-pound flight bag rather than an eighteen-pound bag. It's something that we would probably really never recognize. But that is one way that the airlines were able to quantify it in in actually justify the the electronic flight bags. Well, I'm sure that weight in those gallons mean a lot to the airlines for sure. I think to me, the ability to use something electronic is is a game changer. The one I know right but I I can't imagine ever carrying around chart supplement book for any part of the united states. So, for me I think plastic is always gonna win. The EFB is always gonna win and I think if the airlines are using it, It's going to be something that we're all going to use, and Paper will probably follow distance a distant second to this Electronic flight bag world. If you're a private pilot instrument pilot commercial pilot and training, keep in mind that it's not illegal to use those charts source. You just can't navigate with that tool.
As always anything to wrap with, Wally, as we close this episode out? I will say as an examiner and When when someone books a check ride with me, they'll get a letter from me, a confirmation that says the checkride was confirmed. but in the latter it does say that I will have them Disable the ability to display Their their airplane on the electronic flight bag. if they choose to use that. because we are required to a for a private For private checkride, we are required to see pilotage and dead reckoning. And you you you're not really seeing that if you're just following yourself, You know you're playing a video game with your iPad. So, I do have them disable that and With an instrument, I of course just flying down the line on an ILS, doesn't show me a whole lot. I think they need to use to use the installed equipment in the airplane. So, And and so many of my applicants, When I remind in that before we walk out to the airplane, they they say well, “how do I do that?” And I have to show them how to do that on their their device. which tells me that they haven't been practicing that way, so that might be something to to practice actually try flying these approaches without the display of your own ship on the airplane. Or on the on the plate rather.
Yeah, that's a note to CFIs out there see if is practice without the visual reference of aircraft on your plate's it'll make your students much better pilots for sure and understand their equipment note. No question.
As always, fly safe out there. Till next week: stay behind the prop. Bravo Tango Papa, we are clear the active Runway and would like to taxi to park Bravo Tango Papa taxi to parking great show. Have a nice day. Taxi to park. Thanks you to Bravo Tango Papa. Thanks for listening to Behind The Prop please follow us on social media @BehindTheProp or visit our website at www. Behind the prop.com until next week. Fly safe everyone.