Old School or New School for IFR?

Can you legally—and safely—rely upon a tablet to deliver the goods during instrument flight?

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 01:04 PM ET

Verified

Unfolding an IFR enroute chart can enable your flight-planning imagination. [FLYING Archives]

Key Takeaways:

iPads and other tablets are widely adopted and FAA-approved for IFR flight planning and in-flight reference in Part 91 operations.
Despite their convenience, digital devices pose a single point of failure (e.g., battery drain, overheating), making a reliable backup essential for IFR flights.
Pilots can easily acquire free printable charts from online sources like Airnav or AOPA, or purchase inexpensive regional chart booklets, as effective backup solutions.

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No doubt about it: the ability to use an iPad or other tablet for both planning and in-flight reference has changed the way many of us fly.

Approved for limited use by the FAA on airline flight decks since 2011, the iPad specifically feels ubiquitous. And as iPhones and other portables gain in size and acuity, they take on a similar role in an even more compact and powerful manner. For most Part 91 operations, an iPad is a completely legal way to display charts during flight under IFR.