Lost to the sands of time is the quaint notion that a mechanical E6B or—gasp!—an eraser-equipped pencil were cockpit essentials. Now, it’s not just a question of having a smartphone or a tablet for aviating, but how many. Not kidding here, some owners have and use several.
But which are the best buys? Which platform is the better performer and if you’re an old hand at tablets, is an upgrade worth it? Answering this with accuracy beyond over-the-shoulder dart throwing gives new meaning to the fool’s futile errand. But that’s never stopped us before, so herewith is a glimpse at the current state of play in the app, tablet and smartphone market. No new trends seem to have emerged since last we examined this, but our survey of 947 owners and pilots revealed some nuggets.