iPad Frustration

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Pappy

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Pappy
So, I really want to be able to use my ipad productively in the cockpit, but terrible sunlight readability makes this an absolute no-go at this point. If the sun is coming in the front/side windows at all, the reflection off of my shirt, face, sunglasses completely washes out the screen.

I've tried yoke mount, suction cup mount, kneeboard, just holding it...I'm beyond frustrated! Anyone have any suggestions? I'm typically in a 172.
 
Pappy said:
So, I really want to be able to use my ipad productively in the cockpit, but terrible sunlight readability makes this an absolute no-go at this point. If the sun is coming in the front/side windows at all, the reflection off of my shirt, face, sunglasses completely washes out the screen.

I've tried yoke mount, suction cup mount, kneeboard, just holding it...I'm beyond frustrated! Anyone have any suggestions? I'm typically in a 172.
Click to expand...

Fly a high-wing, and fly West in the morning, and East in the afternoon. ;) ;) ;)
 
I put it on my knee ,or against my lower arm rest with no problem. I fly a liberty which is low wing all glass cockpit.
 
Have you put a anti-glare protector on the screen?
 
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EppyGA said:
Have pat a anti-glare protector on the screen?
Click to expand...

No, recommendations? I've got it in an otterbox at the moment...doesn't seem to make it better or worse.
 
I don't keep mine on and stare it the entire trip. Then again, I'm not flying IFR either. That said, I haven't had a problem with it. I turn mine on to check the usual stuff, figure out what town I'm flying over, landmarks, towers, airspace, etc... I just keep it in my lap and close it up when I'm done. I don't want to blow the battery out or get the dang thing to overheat so I use it for a few minutes then close it up. My favorite pair of sunglasses are polarized though so when I'm wearing those I have to make sure to use the iPad in landscape only. :)

I occasionally use my mini attached to the yoke - I've got a contraption I found online that covers it with a clip on it so you can use it to hold paper/chart whatever when it's flipped down then you just flip it up when you want to see the iPad. It works nice because when it's flipped up it's kindof a natural visor so it makes it easier to see.
 
when I max out the brightness, I can see it, but I usually have to slide my sunglasses a bit. mine is a yoke mounted mini in an otterbox.
 
These are the best things I ever bought for my iPad and iPhone to take care of the glare. I've tried every other "anti-glare" system, cover, blah bah blah, and the MediaDevil one's take the cake, eat it, and then take another one.

Now they are in the UK, so shipping took some time, but it's worth the price, and the wait.

I'll never use another anti-glare system as long as these guys are around.

Link: http://mediadevil.com/us/browse-by-product/magicscreen/matte-clear-edition.html


FYI, I have no association with them, just a loyal customer. However, if they ever give us permission to sell them on our store, I'll do it in a heartbeat!
 
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Pappy said:
No, recommendations? I've got it in an otterbox at the moment...doesn't seem to make it better or worse.
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Otter box or any clear screen protector won't do it. You need a UV screen protector to help with the sun.
 
Archammer said:
These are the best things I ever bought for my iPad and iPhone to take care of the glare. I've tried every other "anti-glare" system, cover, blah bah blah, and the MediaDevil one's take the cake, eat it, and then take another one.

Now they are in the UK, so shipping took some time, but it's worth the price, and the wait.

I'll never use another anti-glare system as long as these guys are around.

Link: http://mediadevil.com/us/browse-by-product/magicscreen/matte-clear-edition.html


FYI, I have no association with them, just a loyal customer. However, if they ever give us permission to sell them on our store, I'll do it in a heartbeat!
Click to expand...
What is so special about theirs?

I have had fine results using the basic ones you get off the shelf at Best Buy.
 
Fearless Tower said:
What is so special about theirs?

I have had fine results using the basic ones you get off the shelf at Best Buy.
Click to expand...

Big difference, that's what's so special. Just like our headsets, other one's that look like them may work "ok", but you don't know the difference until you try them.

Just try them and thank me later.
 
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Thanks guys, I'll give the anti-glare protectors a try. Those mediadevil products are available on amazon, so shipping should (hopefully) be pretty quick. I'll post some before/after pics if they actually do the trick.

Funnily enough, the west in the morning/east in the evening, wear a black shirt, fly at night solutions all cross my mind. Ridiculous to have my ipad dictate my flying schedule :)

The night solution was the worst of the ideas since my airport doesn't have lights (grass strip). :lol:
 
You can also try wearing polarized sunglasses and viewing the iPad in landscape (long edge horizontal) mode rather that portrait (long edge vertical) mode. Or vice-versa, depending on the glasses.

The display output of the iPad is polarized (easily discovered if you wear polarized sunglasses and orient the wrong way - the display all but vanishes.)

I often wear polarized sun glasses (Maui Jims) when flying in sunlight and I have always had to orient my iPad in landscape mode. I also keep the display brightness high, and don't recall running into glare problems in a C-152 anytime recently. I believe the theory is that most of the glare should become mostly polarized at right angles to the display polarization in most situations of interest, but haven't really checked the circumstance where that is true.
 
+1 for the Zagg screen protectors. I use them on all my devices and they make a HUGE difference in the cockpit....
 
+1 for the zagg solution. It's not perfect but works in most situations.
 
On another site's recommendation, I bought a Moshi iVisor AG for Karen's iPad2 and it does great:

ivisorag_ipad_3rdgen._w_1.jpg


http://store.moshimonde.com/ivisorag-for-the-new-ipad-black.html

Removable and washable, though we have not had to yet.

In use in the Sky Arrow, where the canopy presents a real challenge:

8543377536_61da288f59_c.jpg


A movable sunshade can also help keep direct sun off of the screen.
 
For some reason, the closer I mount a tablet to my eyes, the brighter it seems. Yoke mounting for me.

I normally wear dark clothes. I suppose if I wore a white shirt, that would increase the glare.
 
The iPro Navigator includes a clipboard that can be flipped up on top where it acts as a glare shield. Adding a dark shirt pretty much completes the mix and solves the problem.

The clipboard does not get in the way. If you bump into it from the front, it simply slides back off the tracks. If you bump down on it from the top, it breaks away from the tracks without damaging the mount. Just slide it back on again.

side-view-2.jpg
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I currently use a yoke mount and am going to add a glare shield and wear a darker/single-color shirt.

I was also fooling around in Foreflight last night, and I noticed it has a seperate brightness slider bar in the settings. It was not turned all the way up...so, while the iPad was full brightness, it seems Foreflight was not. I've turned this up to full as well which should also help.

Thanks again for all the responses!
 
The polarized sunglasses thing was an issue for me, till I figured out that my prescription sunglasses were blanking out my iPad screen. Since I have progressive bifocals, I have to wear glasses. Just ordered a pair of non-polarized flip-up glasses that I think will be great. If you're in the market for something similar, check out:

http://www.sunglassrage.com/non-polarized-clip-on-sunglasses/
 
So, if you see a pilot wearing a dark shirt, does that automatically mean he/she is flying an iPad?

David
 
Pappy said:
So, I really want to be able to use my ipad productively in the cockpit, but terrible sunlight readability makes this an absolute no-go at this point. If the sun is coming in the front/side windows at all, the reflection off of my shirt, face, sunglasses completely washes out the screen.

I've tried yoke mount, suction cup mount, kneeboard, just holding it...I'm beyond frustrated! Anyone have any suggestions? I'm typically in a 172.
Click to expand...

Use a yoke mount. Orient it so that you see the reflection of your face, then tilt it down slightly so you're looking at the reflection of your shirt. Wear a black shirt, and you should be good even without anti-glare.

Pappy said:
I was also fooling around in Foreflight last night, and I noticed it has a seperate brightness slider bar in the settings. It was not turned all the way up...so, while the iPad was full brightness, it seems Foreflight was not. I've turned this up to full as well which should also help.
Click to expand...

Help? Yah, that should pretty much solve the problem! The only time ForeFlight should not be at full brightness is when it's nighttime, you already have the iPad's brightness turned all the way down, and the screen is still too bright.
 
flhrci said:
So, if you see a pilot wearing a dark shirt, does that automatically mean he/she is flying an iPad?

David
Click to expand...

Not necessarily.

I always grab a dark shirt when flying my Sky Arrow. iPad or not, a light shirt causes a lot of really distracting reflections.

This video, 3 different very similar approaches with a GoPro set to different fields of view, shows how much reflection the canopy can cause:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhycU4UV90k
 
FastEddieB said:
On another site's recommendation, I bought a Moshi iVisor AG for Karen's iPad2 and it does great:

ivisorag_ipad_3rdgen._w_1.jpg
Click to expand...

Hey, that's something I didn't try. That looks pretty cool!! So I'll amend my previous statement; "I tried everything, but that..."

I'll check that one out, thanks!
 
I have a hood on my Aera 560 that that helps enhancing the contrast in direct sunlight. Unlike the tablets I can not see my face reflected either on the Aera on 530W.

José
 

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You can fabricate a hood for any device and stick it on with velcro.

Brown or black vinyl or rubber cove base can be a decent material for that sort of thing.

Just be aware of how you use the device - you may need cutouts for your thumbs and fingers for touch screens.
 
FastEddieB said:
Not necessarily.

I always grab a dark shirt when flying my Sky Arrow. iPad or not, a light shirt causes a lot of really distracting reflections.

This video, 3 different very similar approaches with a GoPro set to different fields of view, shows how much reflection the canopy can cause:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhycU4UV90k
Click to expand...


Nothing is better than wearing a dark shirt on a hot summer afternoon in Georgia. :lol:
 
Ok, I got the MediaDevil anti-glare screen protector and slapped it on this evening. It turns out the Otterbox cover screen cover is also highly reflective and no longer needed. ...not sure if I want to cut the screen out and still use the rest of the case or just get a different case...

I'll take it out in the sunlight tomorrow and do some readability tests. Hopefully this could help someone else down the road as well.

Thanks again for all the input!
 
I eventually poked the screen out of my iPhone4 Otterbox when it got scratched up badly enough, then put on a conventional shield - worked fine.

I have a hunch photos might be a tiny bit clearer if not shooting through the extra plastic, so I poked that out as well.
 
Pappy said:
Thanks guys, I'll give the anti-glare protectors a try. Those mediadevil products are available on amazon, so shipping should (hopefully) be pretty quick. I'll post some before/after pics if they actually do the trick.

Funnily enough, the west in the morning/east in the evening, wear a black shirt, fly at night solutions all cross my mind. Ridiculous to have my ipad dictate my flying schedule :)

The night solution was the worst of the ideas since my airport doesn't have lights (grass strip). :lol:
Click to expand...

Make sure you get one that goes on wet.
 
Henning said:
Make sure you get one that goes on wet.
Click to expand...

Dry ones are generally IMPOSSIBLE to get on without at least a grain or two of dust ruining the install, unless you have access to a clean room, and especially if you're a perfectionist.

Have not used a wet one, but if that helps in that department, I second the recommendation.

But the Moshi I recommended and linked to goes on dry, but is rigid enough that it does not cling and trap dust as to other screen protectors. Plus its removable and washable - both highly useful qualities.

There are several reviews on YouTube. Here's one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpx7Lv256vI

Watching that review gave me an idea - they're so easy on and off you could use the clear one for best resolution indoors, then just swap out the anti-glare for outdoor/auto/airplane use. Just a thought.
 
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FastEddieB said:
Dry ones are generally IMPOSSIBLE to get on without at least a grain or two of dust ruining the install, unless you have access to a clean room, and especially if you're a perfectionist.

Have not used a wet one, but if that helps in that department, I second the recommendation.

But the Moshi I recommended and linked to goes on dry, but is rigid enough that it does not cling and trap dust as to other screen protectors. Plus its removable and washable - both highly useful qualities.

There are several reviews on YouTube. Here's one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpx7Lv256vI

Watching that review gave me an idea - they're so easy on and off you could use the clear one for best resolution indoors, then just swap out the anti-glare for outdoor/auto/airplane use. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure I have the Zagg (wet mount) the first one went on perfect. After I damaged it I tried replacing with a 3M (dry mount), that was a travesty of dust and bubbles. Got another Zagg, another perfect application. It works well at what it's supposed to do, but in sunlight the iPad brightness still sucks.
 
The MediaDevil cover I put on is dry, and I got it on without any dust bubbles...so not impossible.

As you apply it, if there is dust, just pull it back a bit and use some scotch tape to grab the dust speck (per the instructions). It took maybe 5-10 minutes to get it on...dust and bubble free.
 
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