Future student pilot. Recommend a tablet?

RobertSubnet

RobertSubnet

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
140
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Display Name
Display name:
Robert
Hello all.

Well in January I plan to begin training for my PPL. I was wondering do you think it is necessary or worth the cost to purchase a tablet as part of PPL training? If so what would people recommend? From what I have read on line there seems to be no clear winner. So advice from those who have experience with tablets would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
~Robert
 
Student pilot here. I would wait to buy a tablet until later in your training. Too easy to get used to it and use it as a crutch vs learning the old school way. I am about to take my check ride and just purchased my iPad and Foreflight last week. Won't be using it on my check ride either, just playing around with it at home now to get used to it. My 2 cents on that topic, no refunds either.

As far as what tablet, very subjective. I bought the iPad mini2. Fits on my knee perfectly. Are you looking for something to strap on your knee? just have in the cockpit? Suction cup mounted somewhere?

Hit up some of the instructors at the school you are going to. Seems a lot of them are doing the iPad and FF route these days. Check it out and see if it does what you need.

-Brian
 
As an instructor, I'd echo what Brian said. Don't get caught up in gadgetry early in your training. You need to learn the basics first.
 
Don't get caught up in gadgetry early in your training. You need to learn the basics first.
Click to expand...

That is kind of what I was thinking: best to focus on the "Aviate" first. Other than maps...sorry, charts, I am not even sure what a pilot does with a tablet.
 
Learn to fly the airplane first,worry about technology when you have a firm grip on the flying.
 
As a ATP/CFI, NONE!

All you need is a sectional chart and a watch.

Worry about the toys after you earn your license.

I also have told a few students to leave stuff like that in their car.

There is enough you need to learn, if you time to mess with a tablet at this stage you're forgetting to do something.
 
I agree. I LOVE my IPad with foreflight and don't want to fly without it (I didn't say "can't" so shush)... But glad I waited till AFTER I got my PPL to start flying with it. Gave me a much better understanding of the "why" things are they way they are
 
RobertSubnet said:
Hello all.

Well in January I plan to begin training for my PPL. I was wondering do you think it is necessary or worth the cost to purchase a tablet as part of PPL training? If so what would people recommend? From what I have read on line there seems to be no clear winner. So advice from those who have experience with tablets would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
~Robert
Click to expand...

Garmin Pilot is a full feature program that will work on iOS and most Android devices, IIRC it is the only one that works on both. Both Foreflight and WingX are iOS only platforms for the full feature version if anything at all.

Whether you have one to start out or not is not particularly relevant for the first several flights, you will not have any use for it. However after you solo, navigation starts to come more into play, and you may as well learn how to use it in parallel with the traditional methods which you need to know. I have been known to use both methods simultaneously because some things are just faster and easier to do with a paper chart.

So the next question is "What size?", and that is something I still debate on. If it is going to be used for flying only, or you are young with nimble fingers and good eyes, then I think the 7" units like the Nexus 7 or iPad Mini are the better option because they fit nicely on the yoke and other places without obstructing other important lines of sight. About the only place I have found for my 10.4" iPad that does not annoy my view is in my lap. However I use my iPad for 99% non aviation use, and my old eyes like the bigger screen and I like the extra space for the 'keyboard'.

If I was going to get something just for flying though, I would probably pick up a Nexus 7 and load Garmin pilot.
 
Last edited:
RobertSubnet said:
Hello all.

Well in January I plan to begin training for my PPL. I was wondering do you think it is necessary or worth the cost to purchase a tablet as part of PPL training? If so what would people recommend? From what I have read on line there seems to be no clear winner. So advice from those who have experience with tablets would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
~Robert
Click to expand...

IMO i would not buy a tablet right now. I would atleast wait until you reach your XC stage of your training to purchase one, because there really is no need to have one until you reach this part of your training. Good luck and have fun!
 
I'd say go ahead and buy the tablet. Use what you would use after you get your license. But, like others have said, don't get caught up with all the technology. You have to know how to plan an x country, do weight and balance, and calculate TAS, GS, pressure altitude, timing, etc without all that stuff.
 
I just got my PPL - I used a tablet almost exclusively for checklists but for the checkride I didn't use any electronics because you can count on the DPE considering it failed as soon as you take off. It's useful to keep multiple POH's for studying and looking up weather but things like the FAR/AIM are so much better in a real book.

It's up to you to have one but you honestly shouldn't get used to using it until you've mastered the methods that will work regardless of electricity, AKA paper charts, plates, books.
 
I bought one pretty early in my training and acclimated myself to it - but never used it in the cockpit until later on. I did my required XC's with the maps but I did a couple more for fun (and I had to fly to my checkride twice) and I used FF on those to get more of a 'real world' scenario in action.

My DPE was a fan of FF and technology in general and we talked quite a bit about it (we had a Stratus and he had a ton of questions about it...). He also asked me to bring up the current charts in FF and that's what we based our weather discussion on. We used the good ol' sectional for everything else.

You typically won't get to use any GPS type gadgetry on the checkride until you've demonstrated your ability to navigate without it. After the diversion and all the maneuvers he told me to go GPS direct back to the airfield for our last few landings. At some point they'll ask you to use what's in the plane. We have a single axis AP and we didn't turn it on but he asked me about how to use it and how to override it if it was acting up and the controls weren't working.

So, do what you want - but recognize that you won't be using it in the cockpit for quite some time. If you bring it early on your CFI will likely tell you to leave it in the bag. During my PPL I mostly used FF to plot all the trips I wanted to take after I got my license. :)
 
The N7 is discontinued now, replaced by the N9. So far, Garmin hasn't figured out how to get GP to run on the N9 yet. The Nexus tablets have a pretty good built-in GPS, dunno about the iPads.

Unless you are already in the market for a general purpose tablet, you might as well wait until after the check ride.
 
iPad mini with ForeFlight and a kneeboard holder / leg strap for it.

You can (and I think should) start using it right away if that is how you envision yourself operating in the future. They're tools and you have to know how to use them, and have a backup tool/technique/systems (and be proficient at it) for when it breaks. Stuff as simple as grabbing the right chart can get irritating if you aren't prepared.

You can be average and start off with just a chart, pen, timer, E6B, etc, or you can be advanced and deliberately practice with both those and a tablet. Choose for yourself.
 
Last edited:
Robert,

Congratulations on your decision to begin flight training.

My suggestion is to focus your money, your time and your mind on the flying part. Don't get the cart in front of the horse by worrying about buying gadgets, headsets or the like until at least past the solo stage. If you want to multitask, get a study guide for your written test and maybe a few good books on aviation and read those during your training phase. Then just go fly and enjoy yourself.

My $0.02,
 
Give yourself one as a congratulations on the first solo present. They are an incredible tool. You may not fly with it for a while, but it's great for chair flying and planning hypothetical routes.
I use garmin pilot on a nexus 7.
 
turbofan said:
iPad mini with ForeFlight and a kneeboard holder / leg strap for it.

You can (and I think should) start using it right away if that is how you envision yourself operating in the future. They're tools and you have to know how to use them, and have a backup tool/technique/systems (and be proficient at it) for when it breaks. Stuff as simple as grabbing the right chart can get irritating if you aren't prepared.

You can be average and start off with just a chart, pen, timer, E6B, etc, or you can be advanced and deliberately practice with both those and a tablet. Choose for yourself.
Click to expand...

The thing is, you don't need the chart, pen, time, E6B, etc until you get into the cross country phase of your training and that doesn't normally come until after solo. Until then you have no need of a tablet either so there is no need to rush. More advanced students and instructors where he trains will have various devices that he can ask questions about and see demonstrated and make an informed decision on what he wants. Heck, he may use an iPad next to a Garmin 796 and buy a good dedicated unit with a bright screen.

Flight training is a complex orchestration of skill building and it helps if you concentrate on the score. The system is run as it is because there are multiple levels of interdependent skills, so you need to have a solid grasp on the last level before proceeding to the next.

In the presolo phase you are learning to manage energy in three dimensions when most people only have experience dealing in two, so you have to learn how to manage the acceleration of Gravity by balancing kinetic energy, motor energy, lift, and aerodynamic drag. There is absolutely nothing on an iPad that will help you with that outside maybe an accelerometer display.

Concentrate on the present, the future will come of its own accord.
 
Last edited:
Henning said:
The thing is, you don't need the chart, pen, time, E6B, etc until you get into the cross country phase of your training and that doesn't normally come until after solo. Until then you have no need of a tablet either so there is no need to rush. More advanced students and instructors where he trains will have various devices that he can ask questions about and see demonstrated and make an informed decision on what he wants. Heck, he may use an iPad next to a Garmin 796 and buy a good dedicated unit with a bright screen.

In the presolo phase you are learning to manage energy in three dimensions when most people only have experience dealing in two, so you have to learn how to manage the acceleration of Gravity by balancing kinetic energy, motor energy, lift, and aerodynamic drag. There is absolutely nothing on an iPad that will help you with that outside maybe an accelerometer display.

Concentrate on the present, the future will come of its own accord.
Click to expand...

I think that if you know you'll be using something in the future then you should try and incorporate it into your habit patterns right away. Every hour that you spend doing things different than how you will in the future is lost opportunity to build proficiency and expertise.

I'd concede that that yeah, there wouldn't be much use for it early on as there would be later. However, you could use it for checklists or if you're going to a different field use it for pulling up field information. It'd be useful to help developing the finger mechanics and habit patterns of pulling information and going between pages on it early on so that when you have to do it when it matters / in extremis you aren't finger ****ing the display.
 
I'd go with iPad Air 2. Many like the mini, but the bigger screen is a huge plus in and out of the cockpit. If I can find room for it in the LSA I fly, most folks can also.
 
turbofan said:
I think that if you know you'll be using something in the future then you should try and incorporate it into your habit patterns right away. Every hour that you spend doing things different than how you will in the future is lost opportunity to build proficiency and expertise.

I'd concede that that yeah, there wouldn't be much use for it early on as there would be later. However, you could use it for checklists or if you're going to a different field use it for pulling up field information. It'd be useful to help developing the finger mechanics and habit patterns of pulling information and going between pages on it early on so that when you have to do it when it matters / in extremis you aren't finger ****ing the display.
Click to expand...

The presolo hours you won't be doing it differently, you won't be doing it at all. It's no big deal to study ahead, but to buy the stuff you're going to use in the future when you haven't even had your first lesson and try to figure out how to use it when you don't know why or what for yet, well, that's not really the optimal way to go about it. Lots of wasted energy.
 
I (as a part of the electronic generation, no less!) have to agree to learn the old fashioned way first. Learn the basics, anything else is a convenience. Nothing like showing up to get a sparsely equipped plane after you get your license, figuring out your tablet is dead, and having to get back home with a backup paper sectional and a compass (ask me how I know) :D

After passing that point, I love the iPad Mini personally
 
If you can afford it without interrupting your flight training, go for it. A tablet is incredibly invaluable even if you don't use it in the plane. The greatest part for me is having the FAR/AIM, ebooks, PHAK, POHs, study guides etc. all electronic. I can read up and study anywhere I have the tablet and not carry books everywhere.

During presolo training, I never used a tablet. It just wasn't needed. Out of the plane, though, it was great for easily staying up-to-date on preflight information (weather, notams, etc.).

During XC training, I used ForeFlight just the same as learning anything else: We did the basics first (pilotage, dead reckoning, VOR nav) and then did it with ForeFlight as an additional data source.

I'll echo the caveats from most others: Learn how to do things without it so you understand how things work and don't become dependent on it. It's like using a calculator for math - if you understand what's going on in the background, you'll more easily recognize incorrect numbers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top