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I recently had an opportunity to compare the AvPad iPad Kneeboard with 5 other iPad kneeboard products during my recent visit to Oshkosh AirVenture 2011. The 5 products in comparison were the Gold Seal iPro Aviator, Knee Dock, MyClip, all MyGoFlight kneeboards, and the Air Gizmos iPad Knee Dock.
My favorite of course being the AvPad iPad Kneeboard and here’s my 3 reasons why. Continue reading 3 Reasons I Recommend The Avpad iPad Kneeboard
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The Pilot Report Ratings (scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest rating):
From Carl Valeri – In the past few years we have seen numerous aviation applications arrive on the scene each touting their uniqueness. AvCaddy Electronic Flight Bag is positioning itself as a less costly alternative to other EFB’s.
For the low cost of $3.99 a month, AvCaddy makes available all VFR and IFR charts. This is cheaper than only one chart and you get the whole United States for this low price.
Since there are other companies offering the same type of service you must not only compare price but compare functionality and usefulness of the AvCaddy EFB compared to other EFB’s.
Positives
Cost: AvCaddy is one of the least expensive products which includes all the NACA charts.
Flight Plan Management: The flight plan filing and updating functionality is one of this product’s unique features that is not included in other EFB’s. Others allow the user to file a flight plan but not update or cancel the flight plan.
Negatives
Chart Navigation: I have come to expect a seamless transition when moving from one chart to the next. Most other, although more expensive, EFB’s offer this option and I am willing to pay extra for these options.
It would be nice to open the application and press a button and have the chart center on my current position. Since this is how most of us start our flight planning there should be an easy way to select this option. The application currently requires too many buttons to push to display the current position.
Limited Functionality and Information: With a lower cost the limited functionality compared to more expensive products on the market is to be expected. The only problem is I found myself looking for extra airport information such as fuel, car rental, and restaurants while viewing the airport information.
Conclusion
AvCaddy is an inexpensive way to obtain all of the IFR and VFR charts. Although there is a great deal of competition in the EFB market I found that I would be willing to pay more for additional functionality and information.
For those looking for a basic low cost EFB, AvCaddy is a winner. If you are like me you are hoping that in future versions they will have additional functionality and a more user friendly interface. I would be willing to pay for the additional features and information as I do with my other aviation products. For now I will have to give this 3 out of 5 stars with the main benefit being price and flight plan management.
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This video was prepared by Len Costa of ThePilotReport.com and the accompanying blog post was written by Carl Valeri of ExpertAviator.com which may account for any varying opinions and ratings of this software.
UPDATED: v1.1.4 was sent off to Apple which addresses the crashing issue with TFRs. This issue appears only when a user has their device set to a 24 hour clock. v1.2 will include complete briefings and the ability to also request a briefing without having to file a flight plan.