Hello,

There exist several ways to see a map while flying: Navigraph in EFB, LNM running at the same time as the simulator, builtin maps on EFB in QW 787. Some are free, some are payware. But what I wonder is, do RW pilots have access to maps while they are flying, taking off and landing, or are these alternatives just eye candy for flight simmers?

I saw a video on YouTube (not recent) where the captain has a tablet with a map where she could see where she was and where she was going. Is this an exception or it is widely available?

Any answers from real-life pilots?

Thanks.

Jean-Pierre Gagné

By map, do you mean a topographic map or an aviation chart?

For airliners, it's my understanding (though I'm not an airline pilot) that pilots will almost universally have access to an EFB that has functionality similar to Navigraph for displaying enroute and terminal charts. Whether these also display topographic maps (as Navigraph does) I'm not sure.

For GA VFR flying (which I do in fact do in real life), it's similarly almost universal to have a tablet computer with an app for displaying VFR charts (ForeFlight and SkyDemon being the most popular in my experience).

Thanks to your reply. By map I meant topographic map. I suspect that many simmers use applications that display where they are, but if pilots do not have such maps, then simmers (such as myself) that want to be "immersed" should not. That is why I do not use outside views of my aircraft when I'm flying because RW pilots can't look at their own aircraft.

Got it.

I don't have any first-hand knowledge of airline EFBs - hopefully an airline pilot will be able to comment - but a lot of airlines use FliteDeck Pro, and I found a fact sheet that includes "limited support of VFR operations with VFR and cultural data layer". I assume this shows the kind of information you're wondering about (roads, railways, cities etc.), so I think referring to a topographic map should be reasonably realistic.

I've just looked at that fact sheet. It seems to me that if the app included such a display, they would highlight it because they have found a multitude of reasons to praise their product. But who knows.

Not sure what you mean - the fact sheet does include the item I mentioned above. It's not featured very prominently because - I assume - it's not very high on the list of priorities for airlines.

I think that general topographic maps are not really used by pilots in their EFBs. They have other layered aeronautical charts that help identify obstacles and terrain.

For me I use the Navigraph charts and the online tracking feature but what I am displaying on the moving map is an en-route chart most of the time for IFR flights and of course the SIDS and STAR/approach charts when flying commercial airliners. The traditional features of topographical maps are not so useful for this type of flying.

I assume you are flying airliners most of the time since you mentioned the B787. VFR may be a different story though.

Agreed that airline pilots would not typically have an operational need for a topographic map. Where I can still see them being used is in the announcements that you sometimes get in cruise: "For those seated on the left of the aircraft, you will have a good view of [some notable geographic feature]". Assuming, of course, that the pilots haven't flown the route enough times to be familiar with these features already. I'd be curious to hear from airline pilots whether they do in fact refer to topographic maps to identify these kinds of features.

There's a video on YouTube that shows an Emirates Cargo T7 flight from Amsterdam to Dubai where the captain shows an iPad with the a/c in the middle as they a approaching the Istanbul FIR. It looks similar to LNM with the Black Sea, airports and the Jetway they are following. So in that case at least, they had a map that showed them where they were. I'm wondering if this is generalised or if it's an exception. (As well, it's a most interesting video).

Jean-Pierre Gagné