Heads-up, hands-free: How to use iPad audio alerts for safer flights
iPad Pilot News
The iPad is an engaging visual tool, but many pilots forget about its many audio uses. Especially for those pilots who worry about spending too much “heads-down” time with the iPad, it’s worth understanding how apps use audio to make flying more efficient and safe. Let’s look at some of the options, and how to set up an audio connection to your headset.
ForeFlight can display many pop-up alerts to provide time-sensitive, location-based information. These alerts include runway proximity, traffic, cabin altitude, destination weather, terrain, airspace and TFRs, carbon monoxide and more. There’s even an alert for weight and balance when your center of gravity is out of limits. Many pilots may not realize that ForeFlight also provides audio alerts with these notifications. Here’s a rundown of what you might hear.
AIRSPACE ALERTS
TFR Alerts – Alerts when the present track is forecast to go inside, over, or under a known TFR within the next 5 minutes, even if the TFR map layer is turned on. The four different alerts that are possible based on the position relative to the TFR are:
- TFR Ahead
- TFR Below
- TFR Above
- Inside TFR
Transition Altitude – Alerts when climbing or descending through the transition altitude.
IN-FLIGHT ALERTS
500’ AGL Alerts – Alerts when descending through 500 ft. AGL after having been above 1,000 ft. AGL. The alert will only sound once every 60 seconds and is automatically disabled if groundspeed is less than 40 knots.
Cabin Pressure Altitude – Alerts when the aircraft cabin pressure altitude passes 12,000 ft. MSL and 25,000 ft. MSL. This alert requires an iPad, iPhone, or external device equipped with a barometric sensor.
Destination WX Frequency Alerts – Alerts when nearing the destination airport. The destination weather frequency callout provides the destination airport weather frequency (ATIS, AWOS, or ASOS).
Sink Rate – Alerts as follows:
- When above 2,500 ft. AGL (or when AGL is unknown), the descent rate exceeds 4,000 ft. per minute.
- When at 2,500 ft. AGL and the descent rate exceeds 3,000 ft. per minute.
- When between 2,500 ft. and 500ft. AGL, the descent rate is between 3000 ft. and 1500 ft. per minute. The sink rate value used to trigger the alerts is calculated on a linear scale starting at 2500 ft. AGL and 3000′ ft. per minute down to 500′ ft. at 1500 ft. per minute AGL.
Terrain/Obstacle Alerts – Alerts when GPS accuracy is good and a potential conflict with Terrain/Obstacle is detected. The alert provides visual and audible alerts that display app-wide and not just on the Maps view. When near airports, the alert sensitivity automatically adjusts to reduce nuisance alerts. This alert requires a Pro Plus subscription or higher and having the Obstacle data and Terrain data downloaded.
RUNWAY ALERTS
Runways – Alerts when nearing or entering a runway.
Runway Final Approach Alert – Alerts when approaching any runway, based on altitude, vertical speed, track, and when within 4 nm of the runway threshold.
TRAFFIC ALERTS
Airborne Traffic – Alerts when ForeFlight determines a traffic target will be within 1.3 nm and +/- 1,200 ft. in less than 25 seconds. Audible traffic alerts require ForeFlight to detect ADS-B Ownship. ADS-B Ownship is the process of identifying a traffic target as your aircraft. ADS-B Ownship detection requires an ADS-B receiver or onboard Wi-Fi.
Traffic On Runway – Alerts when approaching to land on a runway, and ForeFlight detects another aircraft on that runway. An audible alert plays the message “Traffic on Runway” and specifies the runway number and airport. For this alert to work, ForeFlight must detect ADS-B Ownship for both your aircraft and the traffic target.
Traffic On Short Final – Alerts when on a runway, and ForeFlight detects another aircraft on a short final approach to that runway. An audible alert plays the message “Traffic on Short Final” and specifies the runway number and airport. For this alert to work, ForeFlight must detect ADS-B Ownship for both your aircraft and the traffic target.
Unknown Traffic – Alerts when traffic targets not broadcasting altitude information are assumed to be at your altitude and are expected to be within 1.3 nm of your GPS position within 25 seconds. When triggered, the alert will display (and speak if enabled) the relationship, distance, and the message “Altitude Unknown.”
OTHER ALERTS
Device Disconnect – Alerts when the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection to a portable or panel-mounted device that ForeFlight supports is lost. This allows pilots to take appropriate action to restore the connection, switch to a backup device, or continue the flight knowing that the previously connected device is no longer available. The alert is only triggered when groundspeed is above 40 knots or the connected device does not have a GPS fix.
Flight Plan Auto Update – Alerts when ForeFlight receives and loads a new flight plan from the panel avionics. The alert will display a “New Flight Plan Loaded From Panel” message. This alert requires a connection to installed avionics that can send flight plans to ForeFlight (such as Garmin Connext devices), and “Auto-Receive Panel Flight Plans” is enabled in More > Settings.
Weight & Balance – Alerts when a change is made to a weight & balance calculation and the CG falls within or outside the CG limits. The alert tone will vary based on the condition.
A sample audio alert can be triggered by tapping More > Settings and then toggling “Speak All Alerts” Off and back On. When the alert is playing, press the Volume Up or Volume Down toggle on the side of the iPad or iPhone to adjust the volume of the alert.
Another option in ForeFlight is the ability to hear a verbal checklist. Go to the More tab, then Checklist and notice the Speak button at the bottom. Tap this and the app will read your checklist to you, complete with any modifications to the text you’ve made. There are options to go faster/slower or to pause the audio, and you can even have the app read the full challenge and response (Mixture – Rich) format or just the challenge (Mixture). This is accessed in the Settings menu from the More page.
Other audio apps
In addition to alerts in your EFB app, there are some other audio apps worth trying. An audio-centric app called Goose Digital Copilot brings a high-tech audio checklist to the iPad. Integrating voice controls and voice recognition provides a heads-up and hands-free way to run normal and emergency checklists in flight, turning your iPad into a virtual copilot.
Bose offers a free app called Connect, which works with the company’s ProFlight series of lightweight headsets. The most interesting feature here is called Music Share, which allows you to pair two ProFlight headsets to one device, so a pilot and passenger can both listen to the same audio.
Likewise, Lightspeed offers several free companion apps. The free FlightLink app, which is compatible with all Lightspeed headsets manufactured since 2012, allows you to record all activity over the intercom, including ATC and cockpit conversation, and playback the last two minutes of transmissions. There’s also a scratchpad tool to copy clearances as you listen.
If you fly with the newer Lightspeed Delta Zulu, there’s a separate Lightspeed App designed specifically for this advanced headset. It includes the same audio recording and playback features as the original FlightLink app, but also includes CO monitoring and alerting via sensors in the headset, and allows you to customize the EQ and boost certain frequencies to help compensate for hearing loss.
Headsets and adapters
All of these alerts and audio-based apps are a real benefit for pilots – no matter what you’re doing or what screen the app is on, you get important notifications when you need them. What can be problematic, though, is that the sounds coming from the iPad’s small 
speaker are typically drowned out by your airplane’s engine noise.
Fortunately, most modern aviation headsets have audio inputs allowing you to route audio alerts directly into them to help get your attention. If you have a headset that offers Bluetooth audio compatibility, like the the Bose A30, all Lightspeed headsets, the David Clark One-X, or the new Faro Stealth 2 line, you can wirelessly connect it to your iPad. Passengers love this feature for music, but it’s valuable for pilots, too.
To do this, first activate the Bluetooth pairing function on the control module (usually using the button with the Bluetooth “B” symbol on it), and you’ll see a status light flash on the headset control module. Next, go to the Settings app on your iPad, select Bluetooth from the list at the top left, and set the switch to on. You’ll soon see the name of your headset in the devices list – tap it, and your headset will “pair” with your iPad and establish the wireless connection. The term pair here is important because you can only connect one headset to your iPad at a time. Now all the audio that you would normally hear through the iPad speaker will play through your headset.
You still have options if your headset is lacking a Bluetooth music interface. Many still feature an auxiliary audio input that allows you to connect an audio cable to the headphone jack on your iPad. This requires another wire, but it’s simple and reliable.
Alternatively, you can add a small Bluetooth adapter to the audio input of your headset to add wireless capability. The Faro Stealth Audio Link is compatible with any twin-plug headset and is an easy way to add Bluetooth to that older Bose or David Clark headset. This works for both phone and audio. And keep in mind that many audio panels also include auxiliary inputs that allow you to connect your iPad or other audio sources directly into your intercom, either with a wire or via Bluetooth.
The post Heads-up, hands-free: How to use iPad audio alerts for safer flights first appeared on iPad Pilot News.
The post Heads-up, hands-free: How to use iPad audio alerts for safer flights appeared first on iPad Pilot News.
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