I thought the purpose of an EFB was to reduce paperwork and to streamline the workload for pilots once in the cockpit, which is what this "in-sim" tool will do. It seems utterly pedantic to argue the difference between a tablet and EFB at this point but then again we have shimmied closer to the event horizon of arguing about this product on a daily basis so I'm not surprised. What next? People don't like the colour?

I'm looking forward to having take off calculations and the use of Navigraph next to me in the cockpit for the forseeable. It's a free update and who am I to complain. It will only add to the immersion and that's a good thing for everyone.

It’s silly really as an EFB irl is usualy an iPad and has various functions and some aircraft also have an integrated efb where the FMC and the efb can communicate between them some aircraft have an integrated efb which is actually fixed to the aircraft like the 787s 

 

In the sim though efb is just generic term for a tablet with a variety of functions some are realistic like take off performance and charts some aren't like ground services or pushback or some systems functions etc but for the nature of the sim an EFB makes some IRL tasks easier as you can’t actually call the ground crew etc or talk to the refueller and nobody actually brings you a Loadsheet or asks when you want passengers etc. so an EFB in the sim also makes these functions more elegant as they can’t really be replicated due to limitations of a sim. 

 

Everyone would call this PMDG device an EFB so calling it something else is great but it currently doesn’t even do what most EFBs do, so it’s far from being better than an EFB if that’s what they’re trying to convey. 
 

Perhaps PMDG are now trying to start differentiating devices between what a real EFB does and what a sim EFB device does but as usual it’s overly verbose a bit self important and not very well communicated. 

 

 

Edited October 23, 20232 yr by g-liner

39 minutes ago, jarmstro said:

So have I got this right? The tablet isn't linked to the FMC? If so what's the point of it? Have I still got to fiddle though tens of pages of FMC settings and paste a sim brief flight plan into a sub folder deep within the community folder?  

Apparently, at the moment, aircraft options are still set via the FMC menus, but will be coming to the EFB at some point. You will definitely be able to download your Simbrief OFP into the EFB to display it. It is not clear from RSR’s post if it can be loaded into the FMC from the EFB. I guess we’ll know after the 30th.

48 minutes ago, jarmstro said:

Edited October 23, 20232 yr by JRBarrett
Duplicate post

44 minutes ago, El Diablito said:

It's a free update and who am I to complain

It would be a free update, hadn't it been a soon-to-come part of the original product (which was appropriately called "early access").
It's like you buy a car without a radio and the dealer promises you that it will "soon" get the radio, and then after 18 months the radio finally arrives... would you say "Hey great, it's a free update!" or rather "Hey great you finally completed the product I paid for 18 months ago...".

33 minutes ago, Fiorentoni said:

It's like you buy a car without a radio and the dealer promises you that it will "soon" get the radio, and then after 18 months the radio finally arrives...

Tbh I don't think of it like that at all, as my purchase of the aircraft initially had nothing to do with my need for the EFB in the 1st place. I'm just glad I'll have it for "free" as an extra to this amazing cockpit. 

The only issue I had with PMDG and this EFB was the constant redundant updates that bordered on trolling. I appreciate the hard work that must've gone on in the background for this and I can also appreciate the long standing issues people may have with PMDG but I'm a new customer, my experience in terms of what I purchased has been marvellous.

You had the option of waiting to purchase until the EFB was released.......

1 hour ago, jarmstro said:

So have I got this right? The tablet isn't linked to the FMC? If so what's the point of it? Have I still got to fiddle though tens of pages of FMC settings and paste a sim brief flight plan into a sub folder deep within the community folder?  

I can set up a flight in the 737 in about 5 minutes including Simbrief downloader which is one click. Why are you making it sound so complicated. 

2 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

I can set up a flight in the 737 in about 5 minutes including Simbrief downloader which is one click. Why are you making it sound so complicated. 

Because it could be so much easier and user friendly as per the Fenix. Not to mention finding where a particular setting is located amongst the endless  menu branches. Now be honest, can you remember off the top of your head where to find the setting to change lbs into kg's. No, neither can I.

2 hours ago, micstatic said:

Most 737 sim pilots in the US do not use an integrated EFB.  They use ipads.  Those are the airlines that I personally fly in the sim.  The To/From FMC is not something I utilize regardless. 

Yes, I am aware and you are of course right regarding the 737. I have not even found evidence that there is a single airline/737 with an integrated EFB. Therefore I mentioned the 777 in my first post. For the 737, the tablet is 100% realistic of course (but without the data syncing capability!). For the 777 however, a supplementary tablet looks a bit 737ish so to speak and is not representative for the majority of worldwide 777's.

 

1 hour ago, jarmstro said:

So have I got this right? The tablet isn't linked to the FMC? If so what's the point of it? Have I still got to fiddle though tens of pages of FMC settings and paste a sim brief flight plan into a sub folder deep within the community folder?  

No, the PMDG tablet does copy but my point was, that this would not be realistic. It is a shortcut from realism and if you go that route you could as well take any shortcut from realism. E.g. complaining about LVFR and then go and sync data between a tablet and the FMC inside a PMDG plane in principle is applying double standards (just on a different scale).

12 minutes ago, fsiscool said:

No, the PMDG tablet does copy but my point was, that this would not be realistic. It is a shortcut from realism and if you go that route you could as well take any shortcut from realism. E.g. complaining about LVFR and then go and sync data between a tablet and the FMC inside a PMDG plane in principle is applying double standards (just on a different scale).

But this is a sim. With the EFB linked to the FMC, which most users would welcome, if you wanted absolute realism you could simply not use the feature.   From what I can see, as it is, the PMDG EFB is completely pointless? I already have Navigraph charts available in the sim and SimBrief on an iPad.

Edited October 23, 20232 yr by jarmstro

17 minutes ago, jarmstro said:

From what I can see, as it is, the PMDG EFB is completely pointless?

Having the FMC and the EFB linked so that it streamlines the sim experience is fine but isn't the EFB streamlining this for me now by having Navi charts right there without the need to tab to an app, and the use of a performance calculator so that I don't have to pay for Topcat? If it's going to make my in sim experience better than how can it be completely pointless? and not a little bit pointless but completely pointless? There seems to be a contradiction here.

Most of the complaints are completely pointless, let's have it right.

Edited October 23, 20232 yr by El Diablito

11 minutes ago, El Diablito said:

Having the FMC and the EFB linked so that it streamlines the sim experience is fine but isn't the EFB streamlining this for me now by having Navi charts right there without the need to tab to an app, and the use of a performance calculator so that I don't have to pay for Topcat? If it's going to make my in sim experience better than how can it be completely pointless? and not a little bit pointless but completely pointless? There seems to be a contradiction here.

Most of the complaints are completely pointless, let's have it right.

If every Avsim member got an email tomorrow, saying that Avsim was going to send them $10,000 cash, I am positive that some people would be complaining about how the amount was too low, or why cash, and not a money order, or how about Paypal only. etc.. etc. etc. 

PMDG is definitely created a hype! I haven't seen so many pages dedicated to EFB for Fenix or Leonardo or Just Flight LOL

25 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

If every Avsim member got an email tomorrow, saying that Avsim was going to send them $10,000 cash, I am positive that some people would be complaining about how the amount was too low, or why cash, and not a money order, or how about Paypal only. etc.. etc. etc. 

Not so much complaining for my part. With its very limited functionality it's just disappointing. Though it's not the first time I've been led up the garden path and won't be the last!😀