Recently, I've been corresponding with listener and reader Captain Airshack (Twitter) ("AirShack" on Instagram), a pilot on a major airline and a geek who must remain anonymous. Anyway, the more I talk to Captain Airshack, the more I get interested in how he is getting things done. How does someone that spends a great deal of time in the air and on the road organize his iPad and iPhone? Captain Airshack was kind enough to explain. So Captain, show us your home screen.

Since I travel around three days a week, I’m interested in apps which keep me connected, informed, and entertained. You never know when the next thunderstorm is going to roll in and create another two hour delay before takeoff. I must always be prepared for the unexpected in this business.

As far as packing goes, I get one standard roller-bag to pack for a three or four day trip. As you can imagine, I don’t want to carry: books, exercise DVDs, flight publications, notepads, a journal, newspapers, magazines, coursework, lesson plans, etc.

Gone are the days when I had to decide which form of entertainment I’ll pack. These days I have everything I need for cognitive stimulation stored in my iPad. It’s amazing really. Once, back in Desert Storm, I packed all the items listed above plus a short wave radio. Now it’s all on my iPad/iPhone!. Technology has clearly liberated me!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE APPS?

Flipboard has replaced newspapers for me. I use it at home as well. When mated with Pocket I’m able to build a daily newspaper and upload the stories to Pocket for reading while I’m waiting at the airport or commuting to my next assignment. Most often I read in the back of the aircraft or hotel van. IMPORTANT NOTE: I do not use Pocket to read while flying. Please keep me in good standing with the FAA by presenting this fact.

I use Audible to listen to audio books during daily workouts or whenever I’m too tired to read. Listening to music bores me on long runs. I prefer audio books as I feel I’m exercising my mind as well as my body. Slipping on a Bose noise canceling headset and firing up an audio book is one guilty pleasure after a long day of piloting. I’ve been an Audible listener since 2007.

1Password helps me keep in touch with all of my online activity. Back home I’ve dispensed of the multiple post-it-note password security system. It’s always nice to know I have access to banking and finances on the road. In case I experience a lost or stolen wallet, I have all of my credit card and membership information stored in this handy virtual wallet.

lynda.com is my virtual classroom. The Lynda iPad and iPhone apps work to provide me with a chance to educate myself anywhere I can find an internet connection. Nothing against Midland, Texas; but lynda.com has transformed the experience of spending twenty hours of any day in Midland.

Kindle keeps me from carrying magazines, books and newspapers. Last year after the Superbowl, I downloaded the major newspapers from both Seattle and Denver. The two takes on the game provided solid entertainment. This technique can be used for any major world event. How great is it to have access to so many books and all the world’s newspapers? I travel with a virtual library. What a luxury to read whatever I want, whenever I want. This is probably the most valued app on my iPad. I find the iPhone screen too small for enjoyable reading.

Hey Captain, what about iBooks? I know there are a few good books exlusively in there. -D

Overcast is a new podcast player. I prefer it to the others because of its clever Voice Boost feature. I’m often listening to podcasts along with conditions producing lots of background noise: aircraft cabin noise, loud music and televisions in gyms, city traffic sounds during runs. This Voice Boost feature helps me hear the podcasts clearly in noisy environments.

8tracks is my go-to music streaming app because it’s free and I love discovering new music. To me, unless it’s The Beatles, it gets stale quickly. This app is my modern era version of that buddy whom makes me mix tapes for whatever mood I’m in. Legal mix-tapes! With this app one can become an amateur DJ and share mixes. IMHO 8tracks is strong on social and discovery.

Tweetbot is what I prefer for twitter.

DayOne is my favorite journal app. It’s simple and fast which makes it more likely for me to use. Also, this app constantly nags me to write in my journal which is, in this case, a welcome annoyance. Whenever I have emergencies (not often) or deviations due to weather or mechanical issues, I journal the details for future review. It’s just so handy as a note taking app. Also, I like how I can easily incorporate my photos into my journal.

MyCloud is a Western Digital app that actually doesn’t suck. On the road I have access to all of my stored movies, documents, etc; via my own virtual secure cloudspace. MyCloud talks to my WD 4TB Personal Cloud Storage -NAS. Guess what? It actually works well with Macs as well as with my Xbox 360. I can stream movies at home or on the road effortlessly.

Pages is my default word processing app because I’m not interested in a subscription model.

Fantastical is easier and prettier than iCal. Easy and Pretty are good.

Eye-Fi is an app to wirelessly download photos from my aged Nikon camera’s Mobe Eye-Fi SD card. This card transfers files to my Macbook as well. It’s ingenious really. A wireless router inside an SD card! This is completely independent of wifi so I can use it to transfer photos from my camera to the iPad/Macbook - for editing - wherever I happen to be.

Flickr Studio is simply the best way to manage and enjoy your Flickr account on an iPad. Much has been made of the latest Flickr app which, to me, seems like an instagram clone. Flickr Studio has a powerful all-inclusive feature set.

ink Cards is an app to transform digital photo images into super high quality postcards. I’ve used many of the competitors apps (sorry Bill Atkinson), and I always come back to ink Cards. Why buy postcards at the airport? With this app you can send a fabulous custom postcard for a reasonable fee. This is a great way to stay in touch of those you’re thinking about while traveling.

Jepp-FD Pro replaces a hefty lawyer-sized briefcase full of instrument approach plates and manuals. Pilots love the zoom feature which makes these documents more readable under nighttime lighting conditions. I’m now able to hook a cooler full of nutritious food to my roller bag in place of the old “pubs kit.” This helps improve my quality of life on the road.

FlightTrack PRO was my favorite flight tracking app but I’ve recently discovered the new UI is unpopular with many users. I’ll stick with the outdated version as it suites my needs.

MyRadar is the best app to figure out if you’re going to have a bumpy flight. I use this app to brief my flight attendants and passengers on expected conditions. This MyRadar application provides real-time turbulence reports and associated warnings with a few in-app purchases.

YouNeedAMap Trust me! Get this for your iPad and fire it up on your next flight. You’ll never fly over another unknown: US city, river, lake, village, road, point of interest such as Indian lands, buildings, county lines, state borders, road names, etc; without knowing EXACTLY what it is your looking at. This way you can let the commuting pilot, in that seat next to you sleep for a change. Everyone should download this GPS enabled app before boarding an aircraft!

WHAT APP ARE YOU STILL MISSING?

The iPhone/iPad app which tells the wifi searching feature of OS X to stop looking for wifi stations if I’m above 10,000ft and forgot to turn my phone off! This has resulted in many a careless aircrews (even passengers) phones to arrive at their destinations dead.

How many time a day do you use….?

Pilots and Flight Attendants are out of touch with the world during flights. We’re not permitted to use the wifi as our passengers are. Therefor, we activate our cell service on our phones in between flights for mostly: email, finances, Facebook, and much texting. Of course, we pilots are using the iPads in the cockpit constantly for route navigation - GPS/no wifi. Many of our manuals are available on the iPad as well. Also, during commutes -in the back- we manage our flight schedules via our iPhones and iPads. Trip trading is a popular activity amongst the aircrew to enhance quality of life.

What’s your Favorite Feature?

When I began my aviation career in 1987 people used calling cards at phone booths to communicate with their wives and children. Now we keep up constantly with: FaceTime, Facebook, Skype, Instagram, and Twitter; to name a few sources. Thankfully, my two daughters find it necessary to document their lives using social media. The ability to check-up on my family before crashing to sleep in a hotel at 2am is my favorite feature. It’s nice to have the technology keep us close while I’m away.

If you were in charge at Apple, what would you change?

I’d defer to Tim Cook. This company does so much right. Back in 1982, I left my Apple ][+’s modem plugged into a power outlet. I lived in Texas which is the home of the giant thunderstorm. Of course, over time a thunderstorm hit a transformer near my home which created a modem killing zap! Kill my modem it did.

I boxed the modem up and wrote a note to Apple stating that I failed to follow the users guide directions which clearly stated I should remove the modem from the wall outlet between uses. Additionally, I told them I couldn’t afford to buy a new modem since I was in college - the truth. I asked them if they would fix it for me. Two weeks after sending Apple my modem with attached pathetic plea, a package arrived. Inside the box was a brand new Apple modem. Customer and loyalist for life.

What’s your wallpaper and why?

I usually have a relaxing seasonal photograph as my background wallpaper. Right now it’s a nice water/beach shot.

My lock screen wallpaper is more functional. Before each pairing (a series of flights I’m assigned over a multi-day period) I’ll take a screenshot of my schedule and set that as my lock screen wallpaper. That way I always have quick access to my schedule with a flick of my iPhone’s power button.

Anything else you’d like to share?

That last Apple story is one I haven’t told in a while. Their generosity saved me countless drives to the computer lab which was 30 minutes from my home.

Oh Yes! One last thing… I have a secret dream to someday produce a podcast of my own.

Thanks Captain.