Recently, a fellow pilot told me that I "must be rich", because I fly our Aero Club's Cessna 182 so often. I fly roughly two to three times per month. I replied that I didn't spend five thousand dollars on a Segway. This conversation took place in the aftermath of an airshow, where the volunteer organization that we both belong to was helping out. My colleague owns a Segway, which he graciously let me drive for a bit, and he told me that he paid five thousand dollars for the machine. He bought it used, by the way.
Several of my fellow pilots have been "encouraging" me to purchase an I-Pad. They're very nice to have in the cockpit, because aeronautical charts can be downloaded into the unit. What's more is that these devices are GPS driven and will give the pilot a "moving map" projection right on the electronic chart display. Still, my eleven year-old portable GPS receiver serves pretty much the same purpose. And, I know how to navigate using paper charts. Mind you, I'm not on an "anti-technology" rant, here. I have a "smart phone". I'm qualified in a "glass-cockpit" airplane. I use a computer. And, I shoot digital photographs.
I-Pads are expensive. I can rent my club's airplane for over three hours for the price of one of these devices. Since I am on a budget, and because I am not rich, I cannot justify buying an I-Pad (or similar device), because that would mean flying less.
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