Skydemon and iPad

Following my recent flight to Duxford, with Niels, I’ve been researching the SkyDemon and iPad flight planning and navigation software combination. This would provide a back-up system to our Arrow’s ageing GPS, the Garmin 150XL navigator. Although our panel mounted Garmin is old, it has always performed very well and there have been no occasions when the unit has failed in flight over the last ten years. Upgrading would have considerable advantages over the older technology as equipment has advanced markedly since our 150XL was designed.

On the down side, the Garmin has a small screen and does not come anywhere close to offering the features provided by the iPad/SkyDemon combination. On a recent flight to Duxford, I was very impressed with how Niels’ unit provided flight planning, including actual and forecast weather, notams and flight logging. Sold on the idea, I bought myself an iPad with retina display, upgraded my SkyDemon subscription to include navigation, downloaded the app and set about learning how to use it.

It didn’t take long to grasp the basics, but what I needed was to test it in the air. To do this I wanted to be a passenger so I could concentrate on using the iPad without the additional responsibilities of flying, communicating and navigating. From my research, it appeared that the iPad internal GPS was sufficiently accurate to provide navigation guidance without adding a stand-alone GPS receiver. However, I wanted to test this belief for myself. I found that a Bluetooth enabled supplementary GPS was available for around £100 if needed, but I did not want to buy one unless it became clear I needed it.

My friends, Steve and Mike, regularly fly their helicopter from Barton, and Steve invited me along on a flight so I could test my new system in flight.

On a very cold Sunday morning in December, we met up at the Barton heliport and pulled the MD500 ‘copter from the hangar. Checks complete, we strapped in with me sat behind Steve and Mike, and prepared to fly down to Halfpenny Green aerodrome for breakfast. I created a route on SkyDemon that followed the Low Level Corridor down to Winsford and then headed directly to our destination. The weather and notams were available to me via tabs on the right of the screen, and after I pressed “Go Flying”, the aircraft symbol appeared showing our position on the map. My position symbol showed a fixed wing plane, but I could have changed it to a helicopter, had I wished. Looking good so far!

Mike lifted us into a hover and we departed towards Warrington. The ipad showed our ground speed and altitude, the forecast wind, as well as distances to run to my waypoints with estimates for time of arrival. When we were established in the cruise, Mike read off speed, position and altitude data from the cockpit instruments and they tallied very closely to the iPad. I had a feature enabled that allows review of the actual track followed and will show maximum speed achieved and altitude flown, plus the time airborne. This “breadcrumb” line trails the flight as it progresses and is a neat feature, especially when examining it later at home.

North Up Orientation

Track Up Orientation

Test ride: MD500

 

I wanted to be sure the iPad’s displayed GPS position was correct and saw we were approaching the town of Newport, with its lake making a good feature to confirm a positive fix. I looked forward past Mike’s shoulder and was pleased to see Newport on the nose as depicted on the iPad. During the flight there and back, the GPS had a positive lock and did not lose our position once.

The wealth of information available via Sky Demon is superb. Hold a finger on an airport, or notam or section of airspace and up pops more information about it. Brilliant! As the destination is approached, extended runway centerlines are available to give enhanced situational awareness. If you prefer North Up or track up on the screen, this is available along with many other ways to set airspace and aerodrome parameters.

We landed at Halfpenny Green after a flight of 37 minutes covering 62nm, the highest altitude flown was 1,395 ft, the highest speed 114 kts with an average speed of 100 kts. This system is very good indeed, and will enhance my flying in both the Arrow and Seneca. I would also have it switched on in the Twinstar and G1000 Cessna as a backup to the certified units. I would certainly use this as a means of providing a redundant navigation system, but not as primary navigation.

After a sausage bap and a cup of coffee we headed back to Barton and the iPad was again faultless on the journey. Two flights are good to get an initial impression, but further operational use and testing will follow over the next year. Sat in the back of the helicopter, I had the iPad on my knee, so I need to look at how I could mount it in the Arrow. This may or may not be practical, as a mount could obscure the aircraft’s own flight instruments. I may have to keep it on my knee and glance down to cross check against the conventional instrumentation in the panel.

One of the issues when you are in a group owning an aeroplane, is that it can be difficult to get agreement on upgrading avionics. G-HALC’s panel is unchanged over the ten years or so I have owned my share and it’s not for the want of trying to improve it. Individual members have bought their own portable devices and see no need to pay for upgrading to say a Garmin 430 or 530. I can see their point, but it is frustrating for those of us who wish to improve our equipment. When, like me, you’ve been flying Cirrus aircraft with Avidyne displays, or Twinstars and G1000 equipped Cessnas, you long for a higher specification on your own flight panel. SkyDemon and iPad does not alleviate that wanting, but it goes a considerable way towards doing so.

If you are thinking of using an iPad as I have done, you will need to purchase the 3G/Wifi model that includes GPS functions. You do not need to obtain a data contract for the system to work. For weather downloads you need to connect to Wifi or do what I do: tether your iphone to the iPad. My network allows this for no extra charge and my 1mb of data is way more than I ever use.

Good luck.