Curious as to get opinions from those flying with the newer ipads. I have an old mini 2 right now and am looking to upgrade. Leaning towards the iPad PRo 9.7" but want to yoke mount it. Does anyone have experience mounting the different models and what are your opinions?
Anyone Flying with New iPad?
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James331
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James331
Had a mini 2 on the original IOS, now I have a mini 4 on the stock IOS, not a notable difference in speed, I'd also not recommend mounting a iPad, the mini on in a canvas case with a note pad on the front flip cover is about perfect IMO.
1977Skylane
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1977Skylane
I have a 9.7 . It's in an otter box ,but I've decided it's too big to yoke mount in the Skylane. Would be smaller if I had a slimmer case. I'm interested to see what others say.
arkvet
Line Up and Wait
Have a mini 3 that I used in my PA28 and PA32 ok yoke. Bought a 9.7 pro and have found it to be far superior. The key is a good mount that gives you precise positioning. I'm partial to mygoflight mount. They're not cheap but after using them I won't go back to the ram mounts.
The 9.7" pro screen is much brighter and less glare. Also for IFR app plates I find that full screen on the pro is see everything well. On the mini I found I was straining to see things when plate was full screen.
For simple VFR navigation you'd be happy with either.
In my PA32 the 9.7 pro kinda blocks my view of the lower MP and Tach gauges but I can lean just a hair and see them fine. Nbd to me as I have a JPI 830 up top that I monitor with anyway.
The 9.7" pro screen is much brighter and less glare. Also for IFR app plates I find that full screen on the pro is see everything well. On the mini I found I was straining to see things when plate was full screen.
For simple VFR navigation you'd be happy with either.
In my PA32 the 9.7 pro kinda blocks my view of the lower MP and Tach gauges but I can lean just a hair and see them fine. Nbd to me as I have a JPI 830 up top that I monitor with anyway.
CMongoose
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I can't speak to the new ipad, but can to mounting. I had a yoke mount for my mini 2 for a few years, which was good, but moving to a window suction mount on the left window has dramatically improved both the usability of foreflight, and vis of other gauges.
James331
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James331
How about your view out the window
CMongoose
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CMongoose
Minimal disruption, i was surprised which is why I didn't put it there in the first place. I've placed it low down on the left side of the windshield, I'm in a Cardinal so it affects the small "v" corner to the left of the instrument panel. Not a massive vis area lost. It partially masks the clock on my current panel, but that's not a big deal either and I'm planning to swap it to another location.
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
I have a 9.7 Pro in an Otter box that I use in a yoke mount in a PA28
1977Skylane
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1977Skylane
What kind of yoke mount ? Happy with it?
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Aztec Flyer
Too much nature out there. So much it's sometimes scary.
Much better to remain focused on the magenta line...
MtnMarcus
Pre-takeoff checklist
This is my setup as well and it works great
I had an older iPad 2, then upgraded to the iPad Pro 9.7. Same size, but a huge leap in processing power, which made tho he quicker and smoother.
I put it on my left thigh like a kneeboard. My kneeboard is on my right thigh as I'm right handed. I have a carrier/holder with a strap for it, but it seems to make the iPad hotter, and they don't behave well like that, so I don't use it much.
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denverpilot
Tied Down
Add me as a third who's done this. Even made a convert out of my co-owner. Ram mount low on the lowered area in the window between the panel and the door frame.
I thought it would block more there, but it doesn't. You look over the top of it, and down and almost nothing is blocked.
WAY better than my yoke mount or lap. Only downside is making sure to check the suction cups every so often because the will let loose, and drop the entire rig on your left wrist.
Oh yeah. Dual suction cups required. Ram's traditional setup is one, and it isn't enough. And their dual setup is way overbuilt. Buy a cheap dual plate on eBay and the parts to assemble a second cup from Ram.
I went with the dual short arm with two adjustments on it, but I suspect a single short arm would also work well. I wanted to fiddle with putting it exactly where I wanted it and the most out of the way it can be.
Mine doesn't block anything on the panel, as the little dual arm is "folded back on itself" to shorten it and move the iPad closer to me and also down a little more.
Very solid mount, can be moved to another aircraft easily with minor arm fiddling, and just light years ahead of yoke mounting because it doesn't move.
Can also mount it on the far side of the cockpit if desired. Works okay that far away as a moving map. Not so great for reading approach plates.
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
The mount is all RAM mount pieces. Pretty much this.......http://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-B-121-UN9U
I am happy with it. Only issue I've had is keeping the sun off of it sometimes so it doesn't heat up and shut down. I think the real issue there is keeping it out of the sun before I get in the plane and put it in the mount.
I've used some form of the yoke mount since I've had an iPad. The first one I had was the original model iPad.
The pictures are from an earlier iteration.
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steingar
Taxi to Parking
Mounted an iPad mini something on the yolk of the Mooney. Only a mini fits there. I'm going to be majorly bummed when they don't make those anymore.
Lon33
Pre-takeoff checklist
I use an iPad Pro 9.7 in an xNaut "mounted" with a leg strap. The xNaut prevents the iPad from overheating, even in a low-wing plane on sunny and warm days -- a problem I had a few times before I got the xNaut.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Mini 4 is expected to be end of life this holiday season. The used and refurb market should have them for a while.
I cracked my mini 2 screen and did the Apple "$199" swap for a refurb. Got a perfect one without scratches and new battery and 90 day warranty for that. Hard to beat that price as a complete refresh. Could have bought the parts to do a DIY screen replacement for $30, but $199 is cheap to essentially get to start over with the thing.
Mini 2 doesn't seem too slow for the form factor if you want a cheap spare today. Mini 3 didn't change speed, only added the thumbprint reader. Mini 4 has a slightly faster processor but it's speed limited by temperature and probably trades off a little battery life on processor intensive workloads.
Nevertheless the mini form factor is probably going away. And it's pretty much the best size they ever did for a cockpit.
Caramon13
Pattern Altitude
If FF started supporting Android, there would be so many other options out there for tablets. It really sucks they are only iOS.
I have an ipad Air 2 and while it did fit fine using a mount on my Cherokee 180 it was awkward at times. A mini would have been a better bet. I don't even see the Air 2 on apple's website anymore, maybe end of life already?
I have an ipad Air 2 and while it did fit fine using a mount on my Cherokee 180 it was awkward at times. A mini would have been a better bet. I don't even see the Air 2 on apple's website anymore, maybe end of life already?
denverpilot
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Caramon13
Pattern Altitude
Awesome, thanks!
Indiana_Pilot
Line Up and Wait
I mounted the new iPad Pro 10.5 on the yoke of my Cherokee 180.. it's big but it's screen is so nice!
denverpilot
Tied Down
I really liked my yoke mount until my first flight in continuous light turbulence with occasional moderate for an hour. That flight showed me what mounting to a control device does to readability and I realized that reading an approach plate doing that would get me killed.
I guess I didn't mention that part when I said I love me side suction cup mount. It wiggles in turbulence but is easily damped by a finger.
The yoke has to move in moderate turbulence. And the iPad goes with it.
I guess I didn't mention that part when I said I love me side suction cup mount. It wiggles in turbulence but is easily damped by a finger.
The yoke has to move in moderate turbulence. And the iPad goes with it.
steingar
Taxi to Parking
If I ever hit turbulence that makes the iPad hard to read I can alway remove it from its yoke mount.
CC268
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I think mounting the window would be awesome but I tried it in my Cherokee 140 and it just didn't really work. Sad face.
denverpilot
Tied Down
That is a very small cockpit. I think I'd do the lap thing in there with some way to keep it from flying up and whacking me in the face. In the right seat I like to have it tucked into my spiral steno pad I use to copy things and make student training notes about the flight. That whole thing can be quickly stuffed into a side pocket or put on the floor or in smooth weather will stay put on my lap if I have to grab for the yoke while saying smoothly and professionally "my aircraft" as I'm about to be killed by the student. LOL.
(My CFI has repeated this phrase so many times I can hear it in my sleep... "Never have anything in your hands below 500 AGL, but don't let the student know you're ready to grab the controls. It'll destroy their confidence. Keep those feet lightly on the rudder pedals too.")
I haven't had one hit me in the noggin yet but I've hit the noggin itself on the headliner before in turbulence and I've had the iPad go flying into the back seat or at least down beside it.
At least in the 140 it's not going to slide too far away on the floor!
Worst case scenario is it slides forward and jams the rudder pedals. If that happens the iPad is going to die before l do. Crunch.
I had a fascinating problem once in the Seminole. Thankfully just prior to landing. I put the iPad that was on my lap into the back seat without looking.
What I really did was slide it between the back seat and the carpet into a tiny little one inch tall space between the seat and the floor that has a lip in the front. After we taxied in the iPad was "missing".
Took me a few minutes to realize where it went and a few more to poke fingers and other stuff in there to get it to slide to the side of the aircraft from the middle where it could be retrieved. The paint stirrer that was the fuel dipstick came in quite handy.
I swore for a couple of minutes there I was going to have to ask the CFI how the back seats came out so we could get to it. LOL.
CC268
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That is a very small cockpit. I think I'd do the lap thing in there with some way to keep it from flying up and whacking me in the face. In the right seat I like to have it tucked into my spiral steno pad I use to copy things and make student training notes about the flight. That whole thing can be quickly stuffed into a side pocket or put on the floor or in smooth weather will stay put on my lap if I have to grab for the yoke while saying smoothly and professionally "my aircraft" as I'm about to be killed by the student. LOL.
(My CFI has repeated this phrase so many times I can hear it in my sleep... "Never have anything in your hands below 500 AGL, but don't let the student know you're ready to grab the controls. It'll destroy their confidence. Keep those feet lightly on the rudder pedals too.")
I haven't had one hit me in the noggin yet but I've hit the noggin itself on the headliner before in turbulence and I've had the iPad go flying into the back seat or at least down beside it.
At least in the 140 it's not going to slide too far away on the floor!
Worst case scenario is it slides forward and jams the rudder pedals. If that happens the iPad is going to die before l do. Crunch.
I had a fascinating problem once in the Seminole. Thankfully just prior to landing. I put the iPad that was on my lap into the back seat without looking.
What I really did was slide it between the back seat and the carpet into a tiny little one inch tall space between the seat and the floor that has a lip in the front. After we taxied in the iPad was "missing".
Took me a few minutes to realize where it went and a few more to poke fingers and other stuff in there to get it to slide to the side of the aircraft from the middle where it could be retrieved. The paint stirrer that was the fuel dipstick came in quite handy.
I swore for a couple of minutes there I was going to have to ask the CFI how the back seats came out so we could get to it. LOL.
The yoke mount has worked very well but I also have an iPad mini kneeboard from ForPilotsOnly but I've never used it as I thought it would be harder to read it being on my knee than the yoke. Maybe I should give it a shot sometime.
BrianNC
En-Route
I just got the 10.5 and bought a kneepad for it, but it got somewhat in the way of the yoke movement with the way I like my seat configured, so I took it off. Wonder how that mount of Eppy's would work in a 172? Anybody side mounted the 10.5 or 9.7 on the left side of the windshield that bends around?
BrianNC
En-Route
Got a pic? What yoke mount?
Indiana_Pilot
Line Up and Wait
I can still see the DG fine just not from the angle in the picture.. I've probably have flown 10 hours or so with it here and it's really not bad at all.. I used a mini on the yoke for 400+ hours and can honestly say I don't have to zoom in at all to see this for plates.. pretty nice and crisp screen!
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BrianNC
En-Route
I can still see the DG fine just not from the angle in the picture.. I've probably have flown 10 hours or so with it here and it's really not bad at all.. I used a mini on the yoke for 400+ hours and can honestly say I don't have to zoom in at all to see this for plates.. pretty nice and crisp screen!
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Nice. What yoke mount? So far the 2 that have the big one mounted are both in Pipers. Wonder how those with the yoke mounts fit in a 172. I guess I could always order one and find out. If it doesn't work just send it back.
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
The basic difference is the horns on a Piper yoke are wide enough to fit the iPad between so it can be laid back. The huge center portion of a Cessna yoke is not likely to accommodate that.
lancie00
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I have an ipad 2 that's yoke mounted in the Arrow. It's ok but is big and blocks some of the gauges.
In the LSA I use my iphone on a scosche magnetic mount.
I love it but I'm not reading approach plates on it either.
In the LSA I use my iphone on a scosche magnetic mount.
I love it but I'm not reading approach plates on it either.
BrianNC
En-Route
I'm not so much concerned about that as still having room to grasp the yoke. I guess it could be tilted to the right side a little to allow more room to grab the yoke on the left. I think you could still see it pretty good even if you couldn't get it tilted back real far.
Don't you belong to the flying club up at LZU? Could you take it and see how it fits in their Skyhawk with the iPad attached?
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
I'm not so much concerned about that as still having room to grasp the yoke. I guess it could be tilted to the right side a little to allow more room to grab the yoke on the left. I think you could still see it pretty good even if you couldn't get it tilted back real far.
Don't you belong to the flying club up at LZU? Could you take it and see how it fits in their Skyhawk with the iPad attached?
I don't belong to the club. John Post is on my Board of Directors in the EAA chapter. I'm in a partnership on a Warrior shown in my avatar picture.