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RE: Ipad ? - $$$

F

fstringham7a

Well Known Member
RE: Ipad ? - $$$

Ok so after reading this thread :

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=57257&highlight=ipad

I have concluded that my pocket book is once again going to get lighter:eek:The question is just by how much.

Those of you that have the IPad in hand and have used it in the aircraft ...any advice as to which one you would buy in regards to style...wifi or wifi-3G which dictates $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Plus what is the latest pirep on the machine!!!!

Thanks

Frank @ 1L8 ...RV7A... Flying/Tracken with the RTG
 
outside of the cockpit the ipad is amazing, I have had one for about a month now and hardly ever pick up the real computer anymore. If you enjoy surfin the net and reading VAF then it is perfect. The 3G is amazingly fast as well.
-david
 
If you think you might ever want GPS, that only comes on the 3G version.

I sure like mine. It gets nine hours on the battery, and the 3G capability is good, too. I'm using SkyCharts for the flight GPS, and that gives very good positional awareness, using current Sectional charts.

The size to get depends on the other things you'll use it for, videos, pictures, music or whatever. Allow about four gigs for charts.

The iPad, physically, has hard edges and is surprisingly slippery, so I added a $15 silicone "grip," which improves the external ergonomics considerably.
 
Hi Frank....

...we're crazy about our iPad but since I have a 496 and a 430W in the airplane, I didn't need a third moving map, so we opted for the 32 gig Ipad for $599. So far, my wife has 'claimed' it when we're not flying, and has dowloaded the Wall Street Journal and other news sites/magazines.

It's an amazing device,

Best,
 
Get it Frank

Get now ask later :D Good stuff. A radio, a GPS, a computer and bunch of other functions all-in-one on the go. Also you can use it to tap a AN426AD3 rivet in case you do not have right hammer :D

apple_ipad_1.jpg
 
iPad

Suggest 3G if at all possible. $15/month is working for me and the subscription is monthly-no contract. Love it!
 
It's foolish not to spend the extra 130 and not get the 3g /gps card. You cannot add it later and trying some add on via bluetooth or wifi is insane. You do not need to buy 3g service if you get the 3g so the argument about not wanting to pay the 15 per month is NA.

That being said the new iphone gen4 was announced to have a 3 axis gyro sensor. You can bet next years ipad will have it and a full AHRS app will be on the market....... for entertainment use only ;).

Get the full up 3g or wait for gen2 with the gyro.
 
Back in April I won an Ipad wifi only version at a local charity auction for the homeless. Well, I say won but it really cost me about the same as if I had bought it online. The $ went to a good cause though.........Anyway I love the unit so much I ordered the 3g 64g version a couple of weeks ago. It's already shipped and should be here on the 17th.

I plan to sell my wifi non 3g once I figure out how to get my stuff off it :p
 
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I have a 64 gig ipad with 3g on order. It is supposed to arrive tomorrow, I can hardly wait. Foreflight on the iphone is so good, and I only imagine what it will be on the ipad.
 
Ipad flight GPS pirep please!

Okay, lots of banter here...but is anyone actually using this as their GPS in flight?

there are a couple of apps, such as Air Navigation Pro 3.0.0 and ForeFlight?
..but which is really the closest to a tool?

The charts seem pretty reasonable at $.99, like everything Apple app's seem to be going for....but heavy on the european side. Are there really no Canadian charts available?
....honestly, I DON'T want to see a scan of the current useless sectional, too much clutter!
Hope someone is using this and can clue us in!
....or is it just too new?

thx
 
I got my new 3g unit yesteday and plan to take 'er up for a flight tonight. Will post my findings.

My wifi only unit is already sold. As soon as I posted it on the AOPA board someone snatched it up.
Didn't get a chance to post it over here :eek:
 
flyboy1963 said:
Okay, lots of banter here...but is anyone actually using this as their GPS in flight?

there are a couple of apps, such as Air Navigation Pro 3.0.0 and ForeFlight?

thx
Click to expand...

I use mine as my GPS with the SkyCharts app. Haven't tried the ones you mentioned, but there are discussions on this forum that describe them, I think.

Bottom line, SkyCharts and the iPad work fine in the plane. I leave it on the passenger's seat. In-flight data is adequate but minimal and positional awareness is superb. You'll want a "grip" because otherwise the iPad is far too slippery.
 
the debate for me is passed the IPAD and now about cases. Any one can recommend one that is more suited for inside of a RV (the airplane and not a big mobile home) :D
 
I used my wi-fi 3G unit in flight the other day. If you download all the charts and airports you are going to visit it is not necessary to be on the 3g network, i.e. no data plan necessary. The little "airplane" symbol followed the track quite nicely and it was neat to be able to see exactly where you are on a current VFR chart. I am going to purchase one of the inexpensive holders and put a kneeboard type strap on it for airplane use. It is easy to use in flight and the airport information is good and quick to access. As for charts in Canada, if the US charts, in this case Lake Huron, extend into Canada then you are covered. Runway procedures are not available in Canada but are in the US. For a yearly fee of $74.95 ForeFlight rocks. I liked it in my iphone but it fantastic on the ipad. I will still carry some of my old charts, but with this unit I will save hundreds of dollars a year on maps. Direct sunlight visibility is not great, but readable, with any cloud cover or haze it is quite acceptable.
 
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Bavafa said:
the debate for me is passed the IPAD and now about cases. Any one can recommend one that is more suited for inside of a RV (the airplane and not a big mobile home) :D
Click to expand...

The "grip" I got for mine is one of these:
http://cimousa.com/index.php?main_p...ducts_id=137&zenid=3aa1jj1s10lhk3f9vogpjgd7g7

Choose a color to suit. They send it promptly and I've been very satisfied. It would be slightly better if the hole for the plug and the hole for the portrait/landscape lock button were ever so slightly larger, though.
 
Question

David Paule said:
The "grip" I got for mine is one of these:
http://cimousa.com/index.php?main_p...ducts_id=137&zenid=3aa1jj1s10lhk3f9vogpjgd7g7

Choose a color to suit. They send it promptly and I've been very satisfied. It would be slightly better if the hole for the plug and the hole for the portrait/landscape lock button were ever so slightly larger, though.
Click to expand...

It looks from the images that the cover does not wrap around the edge any. Is that correct?

I was thinking about maybe using one to secure the iPad to the panel of my RV9A. Cut some slits in the back and thread some Velcro straps through, but would the iPad fall out the front?

Kent
 
It wraps around all the edges, and has about 1/4 inch overlap on the glass front, always in the black border, not the screen.

It's fine, but the back seems to pick up dirt, and every once in a while I've got to wipe it off.

Incidentally, I chose the black one... Been thinking of getting another color that isn't such a good solar absorber.

I'm using the iPad in the "grip" to write this. Overall, I'm quite satisfied.
 
iCharts ....just $.99???

Tom, thanks for the pirep, and the Canada comment.
Who can we go to for charts? Is skyview using Jeppesen as their database?...or scanning paper sectionals, which suck!
I think just a 'picture' of the chart is pretty limiting, without the active data on airfields, airspace etc.

anyone know where iPad vendors are getting all their chart data?...lots of European ones, which is interesting.
I think this may be on my 'list', just because I really, honestly can't see enough detail on any of the current crop of 5" screens to be useful at arms length.

Hope this technology 'matures' in our favour; less subscriptions, and pay by the chart is ok with me, as I rarely leave the circuit!:)
 
"I think just a 'picture' of the chart is pretty limiting, without the active data on airfields, airspace etc."

I've only used SkyCharts, which has the FAA airport data page for the airports. Double-tap the airport on the chart and the data page pops up. Pretty cool.
 
"the debate for me is passed the IPAD and now about cases. Any one can recommend one that is more suited for inside of a RV (the airplane and not a big mobile home) "
__________________
Mehrdad
RV7A - IO360M1B

My wife sews alot and after sewing the seats, which look great, I knew she was up for the IPAD challenge. She made a sleeve that the IPAD slips into and has an elastic strap with velcro. It secures the IPAD nicely to my thigh.
I told her we could sell a ton of them online. She did not seam very interested in my scheme.
 
For those interested in this thread, the current (Dec, 2011) Aviation Consumer article comparing the iPad + apps to the Aera 795/6 answers some of the Q's in this thread and gives a nice 'shopping comparison' that's driven by the user's needs. It's also nice to see AC starting to devote some space in the 'features matrix' to comparative subscription costs. Some big differences there...

Jack
 
I used an iPad in flight for many months. I have the 3G but do not subscribe to any data service. I wanted the 3G unit for it's GPS. I HAVE THE 32GB model and it is enough for me. I often exceed 16GB so I chose wisely (or got lucky).

HOWEVER

I no longer use the iPad as my in flight GPS.

Fiesta, it was too big to be convenient in my RV-8. I tried two different knee board options as well as RAM mounts in three different locations. I found not find a place that didn't either cover some flight instruments or interfere with my flying the plane.

Side-by-side plane, like your RV-7A, have more room. Planes with less cluttered panels have more room.

The iPad screen is good but not great. After of fee months, I could no longer put up with continually relocation and repositioning the screen to get good visibility and minimize glare. I even tried a very good glare screen protector.

The final straw was I wanted a GPS that controlled my autopilot. So, even if the iPad had been perfect in all other respects, I still had another GPS and had to load flight plans twice.

I still love the ipad and still have the it with me on flights but it is mostly a pre-flight device now and its there as my EFB and as a backup solution.

My primary GPS is now a Garmin 696. With the 796 out, the 696 units are more affordable. The size works for me. The screen is always readable. I can flight plan and it drives the autopilot when I need it to.

As with most things, this is just one person's experience. YMMV.
 
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I have only had mine a week or so but love it! I had tried Foreflight previously, but am on the free trial of WingX, and will definitely subscribe when my free time is up.
I went to Ebay for mine, 64gb, 3g and wifi, $380.00 and does all and more than I want it to. Inflight movies, thousands of songs, and a great moving map with lots of good stuff.
 
wow

I am a couple of years from flying my 8, I'm thinking by then. An Ipad will be all I need for a gps and mapping. So now, I'm looking at maybe a dynon 180 for my efis and ems, a radio-mgl with built in intercom, and a mode c transponder and I have my nice day/night vfr panel. No clutter, except maybe an altimeter, airspeed and compass for backup, thats it. Should have some panel space left over!! OH yes one other thing, vertical power to eliminate all those breakers/fuses.

bird
 
We are using an IPAD with 32 gb and foreflight and a dual xgps150 bluetooth gps.
I have used this in my buddies rv6 but are using it to replace 2400 dollars worth of jeppesen manuals for the Challenger I fly. At first we had an issue above FL300 as the gps (dual) would stop tracking. The built in gps will not work with heated windshields ,.. But going back to the issue was a firmware upgrade to the dual xgps150 to get it up to version 34. Now it works fantastic. The geo cashing on the approach charts is like having candy. VFR or IFR watching yourself come down a gps approach is great..
Geocashing does not work on stars or sids

Works great on airport taxiways such as KPDK where were based.
With being able to pull up all the weather, sectionals, or IFR charts
In our case for 149.00 per year you'd be crazy to be a pilot and not have this.
The situation awareness and using it for your cockpit resource management is great.

What program to run... Jeppesen quoted us 700 a year and they are not totally up and running way too much. But Boeing needs the money.
Foreflight which were using is great
Fltplan.com. (new) free. A little hard to use but free ( for how long .)
Skycharts .. I like and have it installed on my ipad too. It was the first one i used. Foreflight is just a little more advance.
X wing i hear is good and now has synthetic vision too.

What is nice you can use one this year and try another next year.

Have fun and fly safe

Smilin' Jack
RV7. (N507H) reserved
N204JK my living
N800EM also my living

You can google the N numbers
 
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