Smartwatches in the Cockpit: Benefits, Distractions, and Safety Tips

Many pilots (myself included) have embraced wearing smartwatches in the cockpit. Gone are the days when a wristwatch merely told time, today’s smartwatches can display health metrics, weather updates, navigation aids, and even the nearest airports with a flick of the wrist. In this post, I’ll break down the FAA’s latest guidance on using smartwatches aloft and share some personal reflections as a long-time watch enthusiast. We’ll explore how these devices can enhance your flying and how to manage them so they don’t become a distraction.

More Than Just Telling Time: Modern Pilot Watch Features

Aviation-specific smartwatches have evolved into multifaceted tools for pilots. Yes, they still tell time (both local and Zulu time), set alarms, and give you calendar notifications, but that’s just the beginning. High-end models like Garmin’s D2 series offer built-in GPS receivers, altimeters, and compasses, essentially putting a mini navigation display on your wrist. With dedicated “Direct-To” and “Nearest” function buttons, these watches can instantly point you toward the nearest airport or a chosen waypoint in an emergency. Some even feature a moving map display or an HSI (horizontal situation indicator) right on the watch face for quick situational awareness. It’s remarkable to think you can have a full-featured navigation database and GPS in something that small, one early reviewer aptly called it like having a Garmin 296 GPS shrunk down to watch size.

Connectivity is another big plus. For example, Garmin’s aviator watches can integrate with cockpit apps and avionics: you can plan a flight on your tablet and beam it to your watch, which then allows you to follow the flight plan from your wrist. They’ll sync with devices like Garmin Pilot (EFB app) and even connect to an inReach satellite communicator for SOS messaging. The latest Garmin D2 Mach 1 even has a dedicated emergency mode that, when activated, shows you the nearest airport and critical info like glide range to help you reach it. All this tech comes in handy if your panel-mounted avionics or tablet fail, the watch can serve as a last-resort backup navigator. (Of course, no smartwatch is certified for primary navigation, they’re great backups but not a substitute for proper instruments or approved GPS units.)

Health and Wellness Tracking for Pilots

One standout feature of modern smartwatches is the health monitoring capability. As pilots, we know how important it is to stay in good shape and be alert in the cockpit. Smartwatches today can track your heart rate, stress levels, sleep quality, and more. Some even go further: certain models provide ECG (electrocardiogram) functions to detect irregular heart rhythms, and blood oxygen (SpO₂) sensors to gauge your oxygen saturation at altitude. For those of us flying unpressurized or high-altitude legs, that pulse oximeter can be a literal lifesaver, it helps warn of hypoxia if your blood O₂ drops too low. I’ve met pilots who routinely glance at their watch’s SpO₂ reading when cruising at higher altitudes, just to ensure they’re staying oxygenated. Smartwatches can also issue alerts for abnormal vitals; for instance, notifying you if your heart rate is soaring or plummeting out of your set normal range.

Beyond in-flight health, these devices double as fitness companions on the ground. They can log your runs, track hikes, count steps, and even coach you through workouts. As the FAA video noted, a smartwatch can guide interval training or track your performance (be it on an exercise bike or even your golf game’s par), all contributing to better overall fitness for flying. Maintaining good cardiovascular health and managing stress translates to being a sharper, safer pilot. Personally, I love that my smartwatch nudges me to stay active on off-days; it’s like having a tiny CFI on my wrist reminding me that health is part of airmanship too.

The Perils of Distraction: Discipline Is Key

With great power comes great responsibility, and smartwatches, for all their benefits, carry a serious potential downside: distraction. It takes real self-discipline to ignore the constant buzz of incoming texts, emails, or app alerts, especially during critical phases of flight. We’ve all heard (or experienced) the allure of a notification: your wrist vibrates and instinctively you want to glance down. In the cockpit, that momentary distraction can be dangerous. In fact, the FAA’s safety video warns that personal electronic devices have led to fatal distractions in aviation. The NTSB has documented accidents where non-essential use of devices in flight was a factor, for example, a 2011 medevac helicopter crash in Missouri was partly attributed to the pilot texting instead of monitoring his fuel, resulting in fuel exhaustion and a deadly crash. It’s sobering evidence that even experienced pilots are not immune to the lure of a smartphone or smartwatch at the wrong time.

The good news: there are ways to enjoy your smartwatch without succumbing to distraction. It starts with mindset, treat the smartwatch as a tool, not a toy, in the cockpit. Develop the discipline to silence or ignore notifications when flying. I often remind myself: any message or call can wait until I’m on the ground (or at least in cruise on autopilot, if truly urgent). Pilots should be especially wary of interacting with a watch during takeoffs, landings, low-level maneuvering, or any high-workload moment. As the saying goes, “aviate first, navigate second, communicate third”; note that checking your text messages isn’t anywhere in that priority list!

Preflight Your Smartwatch (Yes, Really)

One of my personal preflight routines now includes my smartwatch. It might sound funny, but it’s a direct takeaway from the FAA’s guidance: “Preflight your watch with the alerts you need before your flight. Consider adding this action to your checklist.” In practical terms, this means configuring your smartwatch before you take off, so that it aids you rather than interrupts you. Here are some tips I’ve found useful:

• Enable Airplane Mode / Do Not Disturb: Just like we do with phones, set your watch to airplane mode or at least a Do Not Disturb focus while flying. This turns off Bluetooth/cellular and silences those irrelevant notifications. You can still use the watch’s aviation features, but you won’t be bothered by an incoming group chat or sports score at the worst time.

• Choose Essential Alerts Only: Customize which alerts you do want during flight. For instance, many aviator watches let you set vibrating reminders or timers, use these for critical tasks. I have my Garmin watch programmed to vibrate for switching fuel tanks and for approaching my planned altitude; these subtle cues can be really helpful. If you’re instrument flying, you might enable a gentle vibrate when approaching the top of descent or when an approach fix is upcoming. And if the watch has a built-in altimeter, you can set an alert at a certain altitude (e.g. to remind you to don oxygen or level off). By contrast, turn off things like social media alerts, news, and non-urgent app notifications.

• Update and Charge: Make sure the watch’s software (database, firmware, etc.) is up to date before flight if you plan to rely on its GPS or airport data. Ensure it’s fully charged or has ample battery life, especially since using GPS and sensors will drain it faster (some pilot watches run ~20-30 hours in full GPS mode, but it’s best to start with a full battery).

• Secure Placement: Most of us wear the smartwatch on our wrist (hence the name), which is usually fine. Just be mindful if you wear it over a thick jacket or if it’s bulky, you don’t want it catching on anything. A few pilots I know actually strap their spare smartwatch to a fixed spot (like on top of the glare shield or yoke) during certain phases, essentially using it like a tiny backup instrument. I typically keep mine on the wrist, but I ensure it’s snug so I can tap it with my free hand without it wobbling or requiring two hands.

• Practice With It (On the Ground): If you’re new to using a particular smartwatch feature, play with it on the ground or during a non-critical phase to get familiar. Learn the menus and button pushes so you’re not heads-down trouble-shooting in flight. For example, practice loading a “Direct-To” airport or pulling up the nearest airports page on the watch while on the ramp, so you know how to do it by feel later.

  
  

Adding “smartwatch, set as needed” to your preflight checklist might save you fumbling later. It’s all about being deliberate: use the watch’s strengths (timers, backup nav, health data) while neutralizing its potential to distract or interrupt.

The Smartwatch vs. Simplicity: A Personal Take

Now comes an interesting confession: even as a techie and an avid watch collector, I sometimes prefer a simple analog watch in the cockpit. 😲 Why? Because with all the amazing capabilities of my smartwatches, I’ve also experienced their downsides. There have been flights where I found myself more heads-down tinkering with a gadget than heads-up looking for traffic. I’ve owned a variety of aviation watches, from the sleek Garmin D2 series to the Apple Watch. I’ve had mixed success with them in real flying.

For instance, I was initially excited to pair my Apple Watch with popular aviation apps. A few years ago, ForeFlight (a hugely popular electronic flight bag app) had an Apple Watch companion that could show things like nearby airport weather or timers. Unfortunately, that support was discontinued in 2017, leaving Apple Watch pilots like me a bit disappointed. (ForeFlight did bring back a scaled-down Watch app in 2023, but during the interim I had already moved on.) I eventually gravitated to Garmin’s pilot watches, which, while pricey, are purpose-built for aviation. Garmin’s watches integrate beautifully with their ecosystem, syncing flight plans, relaying sensor data, even pushing emergency “Direct-To” instructions to the Garmin Pilot app in your phone/tablet. I’ve found their aviation-specific features more robust than the generalist Apple Watch.

Yet, more tech isn’t always better. There are days I deliberately wear my basic analog pilot watch (with nothing more than a bezel and a sweep-second hand) because I know it will never beep or demand my attention. It just quietly tells me the time, and sometimes simplicity is exactly what I need to stay focused on flying. In a cramped cockpit juggling checklists, radios, and weather, even a slight extra cognitive load from managing gadgets can feel unwelcome. My collection of fancy smartwatches might make me look like a “gadget guy,” but I’ll be the first to say: use whatever level of tech makes you comfortable and enhances your safety, no more, no less.

Some fellow pilots absolutely swear by their smartwatches, citing benefits like automatic time-zone changes (great for professional pilots hopping between coasts), or the convenience of having UTC/Zulu time always visible. Others tried them and went back to “dumb” watches, preferring not to deal with yet another device to manage. Both perspectives are valid. The key is to honestly evaluate whether your smartwatch is a help or a hindrance in your cockpit. If it’s a help, awesome, leverage it. If it’s a hindrance or just redundant (e.g., showing you data you already have on an iPad or glass cockpit in larger format), then don’t feel obligated to use it.

Final Thoughts: Smartwatch as a Cockpit Companion

In summary, a smartwatch can be an indispensable cockpit companion, almost like having an extra multifunction display on your wrist – if used wisely. It can track your health, keep you connected in moderate ways, and even potentially guide you to a safe landing in an emergency. The FAA’s message is that pilots should embrace these benefits while mitigating the risks. That means training yourself to avoid distraction, configuring the device properly, and never relying on it as your sole source of critical information. Many pilot watches are available at various price points, so if you’re looking to buy one, shop for the features that matter to you. Ensure it has an easy “airplane mode” or silencing option, and ideally good battery life and readability in sunlight.

For those interested in more details straight from the source, the FAA Safety Team put out a video “Tips to Safely Use a Smartwatch on the Flight Deck” as part of their Rotorcraft Collective series. (Don’t let the rotorcraft branding fool you, the lessons apply to all pilots, fixed-wing or rotary.)

I highly recommend checking it out. You can watch the FAA’s Smartwatch Safety Video here: FAASafety.gov Smartwatch Video (YouTube). The video and the associated FAA briefing (Notice NOTC4495) underscore much of what we’ve discussed: use the smartwatch as a supplement, not a crutch; stay healthy and take advantage of its fitness tools; and above all, keep your attention on flying the aircraft safely.

Blue skies and safe flying, whether you’re sporting a high-tech wrist computer or a trusty old Timex, the goal is the same: aviate, navigate, communicate (and maybe close your activity rings while you’re at it!). Happy flying, and let me know your own experiences with watches in the cockpit. Have you found them helpful, or just another source of distraction? 😉

Sources & Further Reading:

• FAA Safety Team – Tips to Safely Use a Smartwatch on the Flight Deck (Video transcript and summary, 2025).

• NTSB Safety Alert SA-025 – “Distracting Devices? Turn Them Off!” (2015) – on accidents caused by portable electronics.

• Garmin D2 Pilot Watch review, Plane & Pilot Magazine – features of aviation smartwatches.

• Garmin D2 Mach 1 specs, Sporty’s Pilot Shop – pulse oximeter and aviation tools helping prevent hypoxia.

• ForeFlight Apple Watch App news – AOPA News (Aug 17, 2023), on ForeFlight’s discontinuation and re-introduction of the Apple Watch app.

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