Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen recently announced it had expanded visual flight rules (VFR) coverage of its Mobile FlightDeck electronic flight bag (EFB) in Europe. It now encompasses Scandinavian countries Norway, Sweden and Finland. The company also released a report from German aviation expert attorney Professor Elmar Giemulla concluding that the Mobile FlightDeck app complies with IATA and EASA regulations for private pilots to fly without paper backup charts.

Jeppesen has further enhanced Mobile FlightDeck with a new single installation option for iPads that provides access to both VFR and instrument flight rules (IFR) real-time flight data. For European pilots, that adds up to a more affordable option for those who fly both IFR and VFR. Mike Abbott, director, Jeppesen Navigation & Flight Deck programs said, “The ability to switch between IFR and VFR data through a single installation offers pilots more flexibility in selecting the EFB service that best suits their requirements for flying.”

Other recently added features enable pilots to import route information and third-party flight planning data from sources such as RocketRoute, AvPlan and FltPlan.com. They can also view departure and destination airports for which air traffic control had recently cleared flights, enabling them to plan their own flights with greater confidence in receiving needed clearances.

Finally, Jeppesen (Booth E051) has partnered with audio specialist and headset manufacturer Bose Corporation to add audio warnings to the Mobile FlightDeck VFR app. Pilots can connect their Bose A20 headsets to their iPad or other device through a wireless Bluetooth connection and receive real-time critical airspace and waypoint audio warnings. This adds an aural element to the visual warnings displayed on the device screen.

There is a unique warning sound as well as a voice warning of “airspace” to call out if the aircraft is approaching controlled or restricted airspace. Abbott said of the new airspace and waypoint warnings, “Automated audio warnings in Mobile FlightDeck VFR enhance pilot workflow and reduce ‘head-down’ time and manual interaction with their iPad.” The warnings can be of particular value when flying in congested airspace, such as that found in much of Europe.