Rama

We don't carry Jepps, they are kept on board,(about 23 books worth) the revisions come out twice a month and sometimes have hundreds of pages. The efb's are for reference use right now until training is complete and then a 6 month trial after which the Jepps will go away. Pretty user friendly without having any training.

FlyerJosh

We have two off the shelf commercial EFBs on the aircraft I fly (part 91). They are fujitsu lifebook tablet/convertible PCs and run Jeppview/Flitedeck and XM weather. Since we're part 91, we didn't have to jump through the hoops air carriers do.

Here's my take on them:

Benefits:

• No revisions other than 5 minute download via wireless internet and 5 minutes to install.
• Took 12 binders off the plane and replaced them with 2 laptop units, 1 dvd drive. Weight savings of about 55 lbs.
• Wnits are easy to use (after about a week of bungling around while learning the system).
• Ability to pull up any chart for any airport in the database in 10 seconds or less.
• With XM weather, ability to have live Nexrad/Metar/TAF/Winds Aloft/TFR/etc information enroute. Estimated fuel cost savings are about $2K a year for our operation due to ability to redispatch enroute around weather further down the road.
• Cost savings for electronic Jepp charts over paper charts (about $400 each year based on our subscription level)
• Portability- carrying two 2.2 lb laptops is a lot easier than lugging around a 30+lb flight bag.
• In addition to electronic charts, we also have 100% paperless cockpit. All flight planning, maintenance and flight logs are done via computer and emailed back to company for filing. We can also carry a full set of manuals and maintenance documents for on the road mx issues.

Downsides:

• Initial cost of installation. About $10k for our part 91 operation, includes weather receiver, 2 units, carrying case, bump protectors, software, power plugs, etc.
• Screens can be difficult to read in some lighting conditions or angles.
• Screens can don't dim enough at night. (We solve this issue by placing a tinted piece of plastic over the screen)
• Possibility of computer freezes or crashes/viruses. (No issues so far...)
• Units are bulkier than paper charts (can't clip it to the yoke).
• Permenantly mounted units can get in the way (depending on installation). Ours are "plug and play" and don't have any mounting hardware- they sit on the floor/jepp binder holder or in our lap when not in use.
• Hardware needs to be replaced at periodic intervals (we are tentatively usinf 4 years as our timeline). Binders last longer than that.

fdxflyer

we have the EFB with Lido at Fedex on the MD11/10 and it is great. Takes some getting used to of course, but you will love not carrying the 30lb anchor around!

UpFront

Is there a way to attatch the EFB to my lapboard?

U-I pilot

one more for the OP:

I fly the embraer Legacy part 135/91 and we have two different styles. One hardmounted CSC and the other is a Fujitsu tablet, both run Jepp charts through JeppView. So once they are up and running, both operate similarly.

Good:
-No heavy bag to carry
-Easy to update
-GPS tie in shows you "flying" and "taxiing" on the chart, great for SA.
-customizable enroute charts
-Hard mount CSC has some soft keys which are easier to use that touch screen at sometimes
-Portable has attached stylus which helps with the screen alot

Less than desireable:
-Hard mount gets sun glare and can't be taken off mount without losing GPS
(you can move the tablet out of the sun)
-Gotta learn the system to operate efficiently on a short flight (use of clipboard)
-Still small to see sometimes. When zoomed in close, can not see the frequency boxes
-Oxygen masks were moved on the hard mount

Overall, they are great to use ONCE you learn how to use em..... Otherwise its a PITA. (doesnt take long to learn)

The cost is likely the biggest obstacle