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Just thought I would update you all on my "electronic cockpit", consisting
of the Fujitsu LTC-500 tablet computer with flightmap and jeppview.

My airplane was in overhaul for a good three months, so have not used the
system since trying to use it on my knee. I have found this to be a very
unsatisfactory way to use it, because the screen viewing angle and
brightness is very bad, and I found myself constantly trying to angle the
unit to see it. This makes it a "pick up and look at it" system, not
a constant reference thing as plates should be.

Jeppesen still has not really integrated the system properly, but apparently
now says they will. Their catalog says they will add electronic enroute to
jeppview, making that a complete IFR solution. Whether that means that buying
flightmap AND jeppview will be unecessary, I dont know. I use both, and
you have to switch between the two products to get true "takeoff to landing"
electronic charting. Also still unresolved, IMHO, is jeppview and flightdeck.
The products seem to entirely duplicate each other, with jeppview having
some things better than flightdeck, and jeppview apparently unable to show
gps position. Morever, they are charging more for the pair.

After getting really tired of the kneeboard solution, I went yoke mount with
the unit. Yes, I was told not to, nor do they make yoke mounts. But my 172
just has no room elsewhere, and that is the ideal location for plates,
even electronic ones. The concern I heard was the weight of the unit at
2.5 pounds, so I compromised by removing the battery, which made it both
smaller and lighter. It plugs into the lighter socket. The mount was entirely
homemade with alluminum channel.

So far, the results are better, but I encountered another problem, which is
that the screen reflects, so that in daylight, I cannot see the screen if I
am wearing anything but a dark shirt, because that is what I see when I look
down. I am going to check out anti-reflective plastics to solve this.

In actual use, right now I am learning how to use the unit effectively. There
are a lot of (in my opinion unnecessary) pull down menu operations to get it
to work smoothly. Center on aircraft is a pulldown while going through two
menu levels, and anytime you zoom or move the map that mode cancels (of course).
Night mode is similarly a pulldown. This would all probally not be a problem
if Jepp would allow for user customizable toolbars.

One more problem is that when the flight info bars are enabled, on the "portrait
mode" display (unit longwise like an approach plate would be), the flight
bars take up half the display area. The manual implies there is a way to make
them a "tear off" menu, but I havent figgured this one out yet.

So does the unit provide value ? I am not past the "takes more time to fool with
than is safe" mode quite yet, I remember going through that phase with the Garmin
430 before it became second nature. However, it gives what is a slightly low
resolution electronic sectional. As mentioned elsewhere, the map data is spot
on, and in fact shows how badly off the Garmin 430 land data is off (they dont
garantee accurate position of lakes, rivers, hiways, etc). Set properly, the
Jepp stuff gives me a real time position including sectional data, height both
in altimeter and AGL, and side looking profile including mountains. These are
all features lacking in the panel mount GPS.

Right now I would class the daylight reflected glare problem as a showstopper.
I can only use the thing by cupping hands over the part I want to look at,
which is unacceptable. Of course, the Fujitsu LTC-500 was never intended for
aircraft operations, so that problem is not surprising. After I get more
comfortable with the unit, I will try an approach with it.

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