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 tablets are widely accepted and convenient for displaying IFR charts in flight but are susceptible to failure from issues like overheating or battery drain.
It is crucial to have a robust backup system, as tablets can be a single point of failure during IFR operations.
Recommended backups include using integrated flight deck displays, printing essential charts, downloading free digital charts from trusted sources like Airnav or AOPA, or purchasing inexpensive physical chart booklets.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.