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IPad (altitude limitations)

wrongway john

Well Known Member
I have a IPad Pro that should arrive this week. I understand there is a certain limitation on altitude of 10,000'. But I'm curious if this is a conservative figure. Naturally in pressurized cabins, no problem. I understand due to the thin air, heat isn't going to disspate as quick, many talk about how hard drives have a thin area of air it rides on, and you don't want the head and platter touching one another. But I understand these are not really hard drives, so is this aspect still a concern? What about the screen? I only have a few brief areas of 12,500 I have to go up to to avoid certain MOA's and mtn's going to CO, and I have my Garmin 696 as a back up. Please don't tell me that actually has an altitude limitation too.

What's your experience with IPad and high altitude, and your other electronic doodads. Any issues?
 
altitude

I fly with my iPad Mini at well over 10,000 routinely. I've had it up to 17,500 a few times and never had an issue with it.
 
I have a IPad Pro that should arrive this week. I understand there is a certain limitation on altitude of 10,000'. But I'm curious if this is a conservative figure. Naturally in pressurized cabins, no problem. I understand due to the thin air, heat isn't going to disspate as quick, many talk about how hard drives have a thin area of air it rides on, and you don't want the head and platter touching one another. But I understand these are not really hard drives, so is this aspect still a concern? What about the screen? I only have a few brief areas of 12,500 I have to go up to to avoid certain MOA's and mtn's going to CO, and I have my Garmin 696 as a back up. Please don't tell me that actually has an altitude limitation too.

What's your experience with IPad and high altitude, and your other electronic doodads. Any issues?

There is no hard drive so to speak in the iPad. It's a solid state device with no moving parts. My older iPad made it to 15,500 once. I routinely cruised at 11,500 or 12,500 and it had zero problems. The only problem it had in an RV-8 was overheating when in direct sunlight on hot days, but that was more at lower altitudes with the screen on full bright on a hot sunny day. At altitude in cool air, especially with shade, I don't think you'll have a problem. Fwiw, people have successfully used iPhones (also has a 10,000 ft limitation) at the top of Everest. I wouldn't sweat it.
 
The only issues that I've ever heard of with iPads is overheating when in direct sun light. I've never heard of any limitations and never experienced any either. I've used mine several times over 10K feet as well.
 
So, I guess it's a conservative estimate after all. I'll make note of keeping it out of the sunlight, definitely don't want to burn this thing up, as expensive as they are. Hope to hear from more, but looks like 12,500' for such short durations will not be an issue for me.
 
Lots of commercial pilots use iPads for their chart data. Saves a lot of weight over paper charts.
 
I worked for the Solar Impulse Project ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse ) and there we also used a IPad in the unpressurized unheated cabin. We flew routinely at FL280 without any problems.

BUT: We had some issues with capacitors in the autopilot servos! Those "exploded" above a certain altitude (I can`t remember at which altitude). We had to replace them with different ones..

Cheers Yves
 
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Good to hear, if it spent some time at FL280, I'm not near as concerned about my FL 125 anymore. Might be premature on my part, but figured I'd already heard from others telling me not to exceed their 10,000' altitude limit, and would have horror stories to tell.
 
I have a IPad Pro that should arrive this week. I understand there is a certain limitation on altitude of 10,000'. But I'm curious if this is a conservative figure. Naturally in pressurized cabins, no problem. I understand due to the thin air, heat isn't going to disspate as quick, many talk about how hard drives have a thin area of air it rides on, and you don't want the head and platter touching one another. But I understand these are not really hard drives, so is this aspect still a concern? What about the screen? I only have a few brief areas of 12,500 I have to go up to to avoid certain MOA's and mtn's going to CO, and I have my Garmin 696 as a back up. Please don't tell me that actually has an altitude limitation too.

What's your experience with IPad and high altitude, and your other electronic doodads. Any issues?

No problem. Here is a screen snap of my 9.5" iPad Pro cruising along at 11,500'.

2018-03-31_13.29.51_copy.jpg
 
In general... All of the comments before are correct. Not only do I routinely fly my RV in the mid teens, but my day job for a large aircraft manufacturer has me routinely depressurizing the aircraft to 15k feet. My iPad has never had an issue...

Now, there is a chance of a build defect. We have had a couple over the years that the screen will separate or crack on one of their initial flights, due to trapped air.
 
ForeFlight does come up with a message when you are above a certain altitude, but I have flown regularly as high as 17,500 without any problems whatsoever.
 
Good to hear, if it spent some time at FL280, I'm not near as concerned about my FL 125 anymore. Might be premature on my part, but figured I'd already heard from others telling me not to exceed their 10,000' altitude limit, and would have horror stories to tell.

But what scared me personally was the issue with the capacitors.. As those servos were nearly the same (except the gears) as the ones we install in our RV`s. I do not want to blame the manufacturer but there was no altitude limit stated? So better watch out for other things if you go really high!
 
Ipad Issues

Only problem I have had w my ipad is loss of signal under cloud coverage or under heavy IMC. all the rest...good to go
 
I-Pad air 2.

We have an I-Pad air two 9.5". I have had it up to 18,500 in the RV. And just last week we had gone to Omaha on South West. I sat in a widow seat both ways. With Garmin Pilot pulled up it show the flight all the way there and back with only a two or three second drop out from time to time. FL-400 on the way and FL-370 coming home. I sat it on the tray table and watched it with an accessional pinch in or out to look at stuff along the way. I thought it was good for an internal GPS. I use it as my cross check of the G3X system, while in the RV, placed on my left knee and my old trusty knee board on the right knee.
Don't know that this will help, as there are a lot of pads out these days.
Yours, R.E.A. III #80888
 
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Altitude issue really only applies to non-pressurized airplanes. Cabin altitude is what applies.
 
Had my I-phone up to 13500 worked fine. Used an IPad across the country from Fl to Wa up to 13,500 and it too worked great. Only caveat was that cell service declines the higher you are, so download your charts before leaving. Keep the air blowing on the back of the IPAD to keep it cool.
 
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