iPad and GPS

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 24, 2005
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Display name:
Adam Zucker
So I have an iPad 4 got it last year for work. it has a built in GPS. I use the WiFi at work or home if I need to surf the web, get emails or data. When I'm not in the office or home I have a mobile hotspot with unlimited data that I use as WiFi connection. I have the flt Plan App that I want to use for some flight tracking and use the sectionals for a flight tomorrow.

My question is that since I have the built in GPS ( I have already downloaded the charts and sectionals) do I need the hot spot in the plane? Or will the built in GPS suffice?
 
Adam, what do you mean by "hot spot" ?

Are you referring to a 3G / LTE cellular internet connection ?

You don't need the 3G connection to use the application, but it is very convenient to get weather updates on Foreflight ( doppler radar, ceiling, visibility, metars...)..

But the 3G is not always available during the flight....
 
If the iPad has a built-in GPS (as in, it's one of the 3G/4G Cellular + WiFi models) and you've already downloaded the charts (a necessity in any case), the "hot spot" will not do you any good.

Actually, it wouldn't do you any good anyway! Your hot spot will not provide GPS and it'd be very difficult to get enough service airborne to download charts.

So, enjoy your flight!
 
Thanks Kent. Alon its a verizon jet pack. Sort of like an aircard. so its a 3G connection.
 
Just buy a wireless GPS like bad elf u won't get gps with wifi


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
If your iPad has built-in GPS, I would not buy an external GPS without flight testing first. I have never had any GPS problems or loss of signal with the internal GPS.
 
There is no built in gps in an ipad without 3G or 4g


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
AdamZucker said:
So I have an iPad 4 got it last year for work. it has a built in GPS...
Click to expand...
marcoseddi said:
There is no built in gps in an ipad without 3G or 4g


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Adam's iPad has GPS and 3G, he's wondering if he needs a data connection to use the GPS (and the answer is no).
 
I just upgraded my Ipad from a 2 to a 4 (long story) and again got a 3G enabled Ipad but no data plan.

The built in GPS works perfectly fine and is plenty accurate. The only thing you gain by having a data connection is the ability to see current weather and have the nav log take winds in to account, neither of which are a big deal. If I need to check destination WX I just pull it up on the Iphone.

One thing I do notice about the 4 vs. the 2 is that it goes through battery life much faster, probably because of the display.
 
Sac Arrow said:
One thing I do notice about the 4 vs. the 2 is that it goes through battery life much faster, probably because of the display.
Click to expand...

It shouldn't... Turn your brightness down, turn off Bluetooth if you don't need it, etc. Even though the 4 is newer and has the Retina display, it also has a better battery to offset the increased consumption of the display.

Or, maybe you bought it off someone who used it a lot and it has a bunch of charge/discharge cycles on it already. Li-Ion batteries - Pretty much what every laptop, phone, tablet, and most other gadgets uses these days - wear out pretty quickly if you're always using them, charging them, etc... ~350 charge/discharge cycles will knock the battery down to ~80% of its original capacity.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
It shouldn't... Turn your brightness down, turn off Bluetooth if you don't need it, etc. Even though the 4 is newer and has the Retina display, it also has a better battery to offset the increased consumption of the display.

Or, maybe you bought it off someone who used it a lot and it has a bunch of charge/discharge cycles on it already. Li-Ion batteries - Pretty much what every laptop, phone, tablet, and most other gadgets uses these days - wear out pretty quickly if you're always using them, charging them, etc... ~350 charge/discharge cycles will knock the battery down to ~80% of its original capacity.
Click to expand...

No it's brand new and I already turned bluetooth off. I guess I could try bumping down the brightness.
 
Sac Arrow said:
No it's brand new and I already turned bluetooth off. I guess I could try bumping down the brightness.
Click to expand...

Just run a cord to a 12V socket when flying. Can't help you if you need more battery on the ground though, other than what's already been suggested.

I think the thinner form on the 4 meant a smaller battery, from what I read. Not a huge difference, but about 10%.
 
bullwinkle said:
Just run a cord to a 12V socket when flying. Can't help you if you need more battery on the ground though, other than what's already been suggested.

I think the thinner form on the 4 meant a smaller battery, from what I read. Not a huge difference, but about 10%.
Click to expand...
i bought one of these to keep the devices charged when flying.
http://octo-pod.com/fly/
I find I use it when traveling anywhere, not just in the airplane.
 
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