Paper charts never need to reboot

The days gone by consisted of paper charts and maps; printed checklists; and at the airlines, flight kits that often topped 40 pounds and led to countless on-the-job injuries and surgeries. Today, the flight bag is largely electronic. Updates and revisions are instantaneous, and the information is all there. There are hotlinks versus having to mark a spot with a finger or pen. Legally, I can go to work with my headset, iPad/charger, and a safety vest for the ramp. The total weight would be about five pounds.

However, not everything has gone electronic. Some airplanes are equipped with an electronic checklist, which is great. The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia had one that was well designed and easy to use. Other regional jets that I used to fly and the Boeing 737s that I now fly do not.

We also have a quick reference handbook that contains all the emergency procedures in a single spiral-bound notebook. Multiple airlines have tried to get rid of the QRH because of printing costs and a desire to save a nickel on fuel. Pilots, however, have fought such attempts vigorously and successfully. The most basic argument is simple: Paper doesn’t break or run out of power.

In a few areas, we still need to supplement the electronic flight bag. In my case, when we fly certain overwater flights known as Class II in which Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards apply, we need to have a printed copy of the flight plan on the flight deck to supplement the PDF on our iPads. This is the updated version of the kind introduced in private pilot training. It has the route, a navigation log, a fuel log, and space to write down estimated and actual segment times and fuel burns, along with all the legal gibberish that accompanies such a document. During a Class II/ETOPS flight—think of a long flight from the northeast to the Caribbean over the western Atlantic or between Hawaii and the Lower 48—we keep track of specific fuel burns and times, and we make position reports, all of which is recorded on the flight plan.

For regular flights, we rely almost exclusively on our iPads. All our charts, company manuals, procedures, and other resources that made up the old 40-pound bags are stored on our iPads, often in multiple apps. This provides a layer of redundancy, which is further enhanced by having a second pilot on board. The data has shown that the probability of both iPads failing at the same time is such that the FAA has signed off on not requiring crews to carry printed charts, books, and so on. In our case, we use the printed QRH and a printed checklist, but that is it.

When I bought my Piper Arrow III, I felt the tug of both old and new. I prefer to carry paper copies of taxi diagrams and approaches in a small spiral notebook. I can write on the paper charts, make notes about unusual pattern procedures/altitudes, and draw the location of the FBO. In theory, I could just rely on my Garmin avionics suite to work, and back it up with ForeFlight. The truth is, I still prefer doing some things the analog way. In general aviation, I’m a one-man show. There is no backup pilot, and no backup source of printed material. The autopilot helps a great deal, but it isn’t there to catch me making a mistake. That’s on me. In a long, low-workload period of cruise, I can pull out the iPad and review information about an airport that won’t be available in my panel.

I still use the screen presentation of approach charts. I’d be crazy not to. The moving map and aircraft symbol provide great situational awareness, but the old way provides comfort. Paper doesn’t run out of power and doesn’t quit unexpectedly. I find that when I am back where I started, I want to keep my old habits, my old comforts, my old certainties close at hand. Before I fly, I print the charts and procedures I may need, I make my notes, put them in my binder, and keep it handy. This, to me, is productive single-pilot engagement, more hands-on flight planning and familiarization with places, options and possible issues. I use my iPad less and less once I’m in the airplane, but I always have it and keep it charged.

I’ve also opted not to use the checklist features in my GPS navigator. I use a paper copy that I keep stored in the pocket next to my seat, so I can always find it. There is no hunting for it on touchscreens, and no wasting battery power and fuel when I can do it faster and just as effectively the way I originally learned. Another consideration is that, if something happens to me, a passenger can grab the checklist and have it right there if they need it. That passenger, unlike a trained pilot, likely has little knowledge of the GPS, but they can read a checklist and understand the concepts.

I often find myself amused how comfortable I am performing the same basic task—flying an airplane—in such different ways with totally different mindsets. It’s a combination of force of habit, personal preference, continuity, and not fixing what isn’t broken. And both work just fine.