iPad mini and IFR

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teethdoc

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teethdoc
At some point i'm going to have to update my ipad 1st gen. I'm toying with an ipad mini to mount on the yoke. Do any of you use it yoke mounted for approach plates? Currently I just sit it in my lap.
 
I've worked with a few iPad mini's, and found that for me, just like my full-size iPad, it works best loose. YMMV, but that's what works for me and most of my trainees. My guess based on experience with opinions on something like this is the only way you'll know for sure is to borrow and try a few different mounts and see what works for you.
 
Ron,

I'm curious as to what activities are happening with your trainees that makes it simpler to have the ipad loose?
 
I've used kneeboards and mounts extensively. For full-sized iPad I prefer a kneeboard. For the mini, though, it's perfect for a yoke mount in most cases. Even with crappy eyesight, I have no trouble seeing it when it's up close and personal like that.

A loose iPad is a bad idea. It's "slippery", it's too easy to apply accidental screen inputs when you handle it, and it can be difficult to get it in and out of stowage unless you have some ideal arrangement already set up for it.
 
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write-stuff said:
A loose iPad is a bad idea.
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Agreed.

I'd think most pilots have, at one time or another, hit "air pockets", sometimes in clear air and without warning. An iPad hitting the ceiling or ending up on the floor or broken or out of reach in the back could be an issue.

As well as if it jammed controls.

None likely on any given flight, but fly long enough...
 
I used my iPad loose for a long time until I started working on my IFR. It's been on the yolk ever since.
 
I find the Nexus 7 (similar size to mini) works well on the yoke. My full size iPad is fine loose when instructing, but I prefer mounting it, too, when flying myself. That's usually through a suction window mount.
 
Yoke mounted.. Works perfect there.
 
I really have no problem whatsoever with a "loose" Ipad. I have a non-slip case for it. Sits on my knee just fine, even in light turbulence.
 
This is how ours gets mounted



6575389d-0432-4023-9788-cfa358d43057_zps5873f9e5.jpg
 
Sac Arrow said:
I really have no problem whatsoever with a "loose" Ipad. I have a non-slip case for it. Sits on my knee just fine, even in light turbulence.
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maybe being new to instrument flying, but I had a tendency to "drop a wing" when I looked down at my ipad, and I didn't like having to reach down to pick it up every time I needed it. I mounted mine on the yoke and love it. Just my own preference.
 
rbridges said:
maybe being new to instrument flying, but I had a tendency to "drop a wing" when I looked down at my ipad, and I didn't like having to reach down to pick it up every time I needed it. I mounted mine on the yoke and love it. Just my own preference.
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Do you have full size? What mount are you using? Got a pick of your setup?
 
teethdoc said:
Do you have full size? What mount are you using? Got a pick of your setup?
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it's a mini. a full size wouldn't fit well b/t my yoke horns. a friend bought it for me as a gift, so I don't know the part #'s, but I do know it's a ram mount. I can get pics tomorrow if you want.
 
For me, I have my iPad 2 yoke mounted running WingX. I love having it on the yoke right in front of me. I had it loose prior to the RAM yoke mount, but it was not as user friendly.
 
Definitely on the yoke. No need to move my head or hands to scan/access my Aera 560, specailly during a bumpy IMC approach.

José
 

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AggieMike88 said:
I'm curious as to what activities are happening with your trainees that makes it simpler to have the ipad loose?
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It's not in the way of your vision of the panel or the outside, it's easier to tap the screen accurately, and it doesn't interfere with movement of the controls.
 
write-stuff said:
A loose iPad is a bad idea. It's "slippery",
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Not if you choose the right case.

it's too easy to apply accidental screen inputs when you handle it,
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I've never had that problem once I learned how to avoid it, and none of my trainees' experiences have been the same.

and it can be difficult to get it in and out of stowage unless you have some ideal arrangement already set up for it.
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I've yet to see an aircraft type where this is a problem, including pretty much all the light C/P/B/G singles out there.

But, as I said, your experience may vary, so try what you are considering before you spend money on it.
 
LDJones said:
I find the Nexus 7 (similar size to mini) works well on the yoke. My full size iPad is fine loose when instructing, but I prefer mounting it, too, when flying myself. That's usually through a suction window mount.
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Do you get that to work on a C172/182 setup?
 
I swore by my iPad Mini Yoke Mount until the FBO where I rent got a new Archer III on the line with a yoke that was too big to fit it. So I flew with the thing in my lap and felt it worked a lot better. The biggest advantage is that the thing doesn't move when I bank the plane!

To keep it from sliding, I bought the standard Apple Smart Cover. Adds just enough friction and not too much bulk.
 
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I have it loose and a few flights ago while landing in stiff winds it slipped off my leg where it was resting on final approach and ended up near the rudder pedals! It could have been bad and I ended up landing a bit sideways because I was squeezing my legs together to prevent the iPad mini from going fully under the pedals.

I'll consider a mount after this incident but I do still like the freedom of having it not attached. Unusually rest it on the passenger seat if I'm alone. I ingot someone along for the ride I ask the to pass it to me when I need it and hand it to them right before landing.
 
jspilot said:
I have it loose and a few flights ago while landing in stiff winds it slipped off my leg where it was resting on final approach and ended up near the rudder pedals! It could have been bad and I ended up landing a bit sideways because I was squeezing my legs together to prevent the iPad mini from going fully under the pedals.
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This would be my fear.

It might stay in place in "light turbulence", as someone testified, but jolts are not always predictable and can appear out of nowhere. And planes have been rolled inverted by wingtip vortices with no warning.

A link to a scary, and fatal, situation hit my mailbox overnight. Not an exact parallel, but it does point out how unforgiving aviation can be and how little things can rise up to smite us.

http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources...ose.aspx?WT.mc_sect=sap&WT.mc_id=140110epilot

As an aside, the cropdusters I ferried had no floors, per se. Just aluminum platforms for my feet. If I dropped anything it would end up out of reach in the belly of the aircraft for the remainder of the flight. It was then that I got in the habit of tethering essentials to my kneeboard or my person, usually using stainless fishing "leaders".

I mention that because if anyone really, really likes their tablet "loose", some sort of improvised tether would still be a good idea.

Edited to add: I see Tom beat me to it - I had not yet read all the posts.
 
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jhinman said:
The biggest advantage is that the thing doesn't move when I bank the plane!
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My prior Cirrus and now my Sky Arrow both have sidesticks, so yoke mounts are not an option.

What is an option is suction cup mounts, or a RAM ball properly mounted somewhere. Suction cups work well*, and configured properly can result in a very rigid mount.

That said, when I did use a yoke mount on my Tiger I never did find control movement distracting. But different strokes...


* Just beware they can let go at inopportune times, so try to keep them clear of important stuff - like controls.
 
us AAirways said:
Do the airlines use a case or yoke mount?
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You can see in this video they're mounted to the side, near the window. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R0CViDUBFs



Mine is on the yoke. When I first got it about a year ago (wow, have I been paperless a whole year?!) it was mounted on the right yoke so it wouldn't get in my way, and I had it facing towards me. Now though, I'm pretty much exclusively flying in the right seat since boyfriend hasn't started his CFI yet and it's right in front of me now. I really like where it is. I can use it as a sturdy surface too if I write something on paper. I find it easier with it being closer to me. But I think it also depends on ehat kind of airplane you're flying. In the 182 there is plenty of room for it and to fly totally normally with it.
 
To bolster my point, this from a recent FAA Safety Bulletin:

"Once you’ve ensured the proper installation, the next step is to ensure that all devices used for in-flight photography are safely secured. Never place a camera, GPS, or any other mobile device in a location where it could literally be a flying hazard (e.g., freely flying around the cockpit in the event of turbulence). Even if an unsecured device doesn’t hit anything, it inevitably creates a distraction from flying duties."

http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2014/media/JanFeb2014.pdf#page30
 
teethdoc said:
At some point i'm going to have to update my ipad 1st gen. I'm toying with an ipad mini to mount on the yoke. Do any of you use it yoke mounted for approach plates? Currently I just sit it in my lap.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm just an old guy in a rut, but after flying for years and developing a scan pattern with my plates clipped on the yoke it just seemed a natural progression to mount my mini there. I use FF Pro and having a geo-referenced plate right where I am used to looking is a huge plus. YMMV.
 
I have tried attaching my mini to the glare shield and windshield on both sides and found the yoke mount to be the best when instrument scanning. It seems to require the least amount head movement and puts it right where I would clip a paper approach chart anyway.

Another gotcha I ran into was major interference with the compass when mounting the ipad on the glare shield so be careful. I think it was from the magnetic flip cover....

I also found some radio interference when we would lay an ipad on the dash while it was on in my buddies piper arrow.

But my final vote is a ram mount for my mini running fore flight linked to a stratus 2

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
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