iPad recommendations

NHWannabe

NHWannabe

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
887
Location
New Hampshire
Display Name
Display name:
NHWannabe
Getting ready to make the jump to Foreflight or Fiveflight depending on the best deal I can get.

iPad would be for flying only as I have a company issued laptop and personal laptop.
Fly a rental 172 mostly solo but have an occasional pax.

Looking for thoughts/experience/recommendations on iPad size, mounts, etc.

TIA
 
  • Mini
  • 64MB will do okay if you don’t load it up with space hungry apps, movies, or your entire life’s music library
  • Cell data service, you don’t have to get any SIM card or activate cell data, but you get the GPS chip set
  • RAM mounts provide lots of options.
 
I'm a primary student, and one of my first purchases was an iPad Mini that I strap to my thigh vertically with a kneeboard I got from Amazon for about $20. My wife ordered the iPad since she is the techy one in our relationship, but it is whatever the most current one you can buy as of two months ago.

It runs Foreflight very well, probably my only complaint is that in a vertical orientation you have to hit "more" at the bottom to get to the scratchpad. Not a problem when I use it horizontally when flight planning. If I wanted to annotate the airport diagram with weather and my clearance instead of insisting on the scratchpad, I could probably avoid that "hassle".

I use the Mini exclusively for Foreflight and it lives in my flightbag. I hear if you have a lot of other resource hungry apps running, the Mini can start to bog down. Hence, the exclusivity.

My CFI uses a normal sized iPad (not the really big one) and has a yoke mount. In an Archer, it strikes his knee when testing flight controls during run up, but it is not a problem in flight. On that basis alone, I went with the Mini since it could easily fit on a kneeboard. I'm pretty tall and come in at well over 2 bills, so someone more fit than I am may have room to have a non-Mini iPad on his knee - just not me!

Sorry for the total lack of technical terms with respect to iPads.
 
There a rumors that a improved form factor and many other enhancements will happen with next design. When that happens is unknown. But historically iPads got their release in the spring.
 
iPad Mini, with a min of 64gb of storage. If budget is a concern, I would go on to Swappa and find one there. I've had very good luck in the past both buying and selling devices
 
Don't overthink it. Buy what you think is the right answer today. Live with if for a short while, if you need to change, upgrade, your sunk costs will be minimized.
 
I like screen size and went with the larger iPad version and realized that was a mistake. Still carry it as a back up and for planning and other stuff but ended up buying the new Mini. It’s perfect for a 172 (and a Tiger and I’m sure most other aircraft) with RAM mounting. I use the yoke mount. I know other pilots use a window mount. That’s going to be personal preference. I’ll take a picture tomorrow if you want to see how it fits. Caution: if the sun is on them they shut down quick. This afternoon in Page, AZ it didn’t last from parking to taxiway. Had to remove it and put it on the back floor for a while.

I went with the non-cellular version and connect with a Sentry.
 
I carry two Ipad Pros 9.7 in my Warrior. You really need two for redundancy. There is nothing worse than having an IPad overheat just when you are trying to stay out of Class C airspace or have received clearance for your approach. I do not get the cell versions and rely on ADS-B for GPS service. I use a RAM mount underneath my yoke so that it does not block instruments. I generally get mine through Blinq because of their good prices.
 
I have a Mini 4 and an older Air 2. I have a Ram mount cradle for each of them, but I only carry the one for the Mini in the plane, the 9.7 pretty much only gets used for flight simming or for flight planning/reading.
 
I fly with an ipad mini and an 11" ipad pro, actually hate the pro. They have more processing power than I need and it overheats ALL the time, pretty much not even usable in the summer. The ipad mini never overheats. Just my experience, but I regret buying the pro.
 
NHWannabe said:
Getting ready to make the jump to Foreflight or Fiveflight depending on the best deal I can get.

iPad would be for flying only as I have a company issued laptop and personal laptop.
Fly a rental 172 mostly solo but have an occasional pax.

Looking for thoughts/experience/recommendations on iPad size, mounts, etc.

TIA
Click to expand...
I use an 11 inch iPad Pro. The 13 inch iPad Pro was too big and the Mini was too small. Very bright, great battery. I use 256 g but 128 would probably be OK. I do have a cell account for it so that it can update or hit the internet from the air (usually). Perfect size (9.7 x 7 inches) to mount (vertically) on the left windshield of a 172 using a single suction cup Ram mount on a, iPad Pro cradle. Very solid. I use an Apple pencil with it for notes and map annotations. Never had an overheat. I do carry my iPhone running Foreflight as a backup, but I've never used it.
 
woodchucker said:
I like screen size and went with the larger iPad version and realized that was a mistake. Still carry it as a back up and for planning and other stuff but ended up buying the new Mini. It’s perfect for a 172 (and a Tiger and I’m sure most other aircraft) with RAM mounting. I use the yoke mount. I know other pilots use a window mount. That’s going to be personal preference. I’ll take a picture tomorrow if you want to see how it fits. Caution: if the sun is on them they shut down quick. This afternoon in Page, AZ it didn’t last from parking to taxiway. Had to remove it and put it on the back floor for a while.

I went with the non-cellular version and connect with a Sentry.
Click to expand...
A pic would be great thanks!
 
A mini is what I’m using in the plane. RAM mount to the control column Which helps keep it cool. I use FlyQ which has a mode specific for the mini and works great.
 
How can an IPad only have 64 GB of storage but my phone has 512 GB?
 
I have an older I pad pro 9.6. It is on the verge of being too large. You can still get one from Gazelle probably.

The new I pad minis I would think would be the right size. Sightly smaller than the 9.6 I pad pro.

Get a RAM mount, 6 foot lightening cord to plug into your pane power source. I also got a back up battery pack as another back up. I got the fan cooling mount to guard against over heating
 
Mine is old (Air 2), but I want to weigh in on size. I'm 6'3" 215lbs and wear that 9.7" on my right knee in a 172 without much trouble, so I"m not sure who all these people are that can't fit one that size in the cockpit with them (the air 2 is old, so don't buy one, just saying that you don't necessarily have to stay as small as a mini to be happy).

Further, since its on my kneeboard, it takes 0% away from viewing out the windows.

Disclaimer: I'm VFR for now, for an IFR flight you might want to not have to move your head and look at your leg and back up all the time as it might make flying stably more difficult. That would change the equation to make you want one that could be yoke or window mounted and not interfere with motion or viewing.
 
MIFlyer said:
Mine is old (Air 2), but I want to weigh in on size. I'm 6'3" 215lbs and wear that 9.7" on my right knee in a 172 without much trouble, so I"m not sure who all these people are that can't fit one that size in the cockpit with them (the air 2 is old, so don't buy one, just saying that you don't necessarily have to stay as small as a mini to be happy).

Further, since its on my kneeboard, it takes 0% away from viewing out the windows.

Disclaimer: I'm VFR for now, for an IFR flight you might want to not have to move your head and look at your leg and back up all the time as it might make flying stably more difficult. That would change the equation to make you want one that could be yoke or window mounted and not interfere with motion or viewing.
Click to expand...

Thanks I'm a little shorter than you but a little heavier :) and for the next few months will be VFR as well. I'm hoping to start IFR later this fall or early next year.
 
I tried the knee pad but found it hard to use and view. I use a suction cup ram mount on windshield - fly a Skyhawk and a tiger

Go with what works for you
 
iPad Pro 10.5", (gen 1) for flight planning and bluetoothing flight plans to the plane. When doing IFR training, mounted Mini to window, full-sized iPad was too big for that. Now use mini as backup, but mostly use Garmin screens in plane during flight.
 
Get the I pad with the cell service option as it has the built in gps. Will make it more useful when not using it flying.

A modern transponder will be able to connect to your I pad - it will use the Wass in the transponder when showing your location, traffic, etc.
 
JScarry said:
Save the $150 and spend it on a Sentry instead.
Click to expand...
You can. But what to do when the Sentry runs out of power during flight and you didn’t bring your battery brick or charge cable?

(Nonetheless, I have a Sentry and really like it. Especially when flying older aircraft with transponders so old, Bluetooth to them is what your incisors look like after eating blueberry pie)
 
AggieMike88 said:
You can. But what to do when the Sentry runs out of power during flight and you didn’t bring your battery brick or charge cable?
Click to expand...
Use the GPS in the plane? Use dead reckoning? Always have spare cables in your flight bag?

I did have my GPS overheat when I left it on the windshield in Fresno, so I just flew west until I saw the ocean and then turned left. :)
 
Skyrys62 said:
I didn't know this.. I'll look when I get home, but where is the setting?
Click to expand...

it’s actually automatic. Just a better screen setup for the smaller iPad Mini screen. That said, the dual screen with a larger iPad is nice but I find it to take up too much real estate in the cockpit
 
The one thing about the mini and the RAM mount is that you need to mount it upside down if you want to charge it while in the air. Which is fine but then the lightning cable sticks up further into your view of the panel. They should have designed the mount so the charging cable can fit from underneath.
 
woodchucker said:
The one thing about the mini and the RAM mount is that you need to mount it upside down if you want to charge it while in the air. Which is fine but then the lightning cable sticks up further into your view of the panel. They should have designed the mount so the charging cable can fit from underneath.
Click to expand...

Can you drill or cut a hole? It only needs to be 1/3”.
 
I use an iPad mini mounted upside down in an "X-Naut" cooling frame (also upside down) with the charging port on the "top". A RAM mount secures the mounting frame AND a 12 VDC to dual 5 VDC converter on the back of the X-Naut. One 5 VDC cord runs the X-Naut (to preserve its internal batteries) and the other charges the iPad mini. I use a Bad Elf right-angle "lightning" cord for charging to eliminate the issue of the charging cord sticking up in the field of view. The X-Naut does a great job at keeping the iPad mini cool.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
Can you drill or cut a hole? It only needs to be 1/3”.
Click to expand...

@Sierra_Hotel pointed out what I have. There is a slot but it’s not quite wide enough for the cable I use. Would just need a few millimeters to make it work either shaved off the cable housing or the mount itself. I’m okay with what I’m doing without modifying anything. I rarely fly long enough to need to charge it, and while VFR XC there really isn’t a need to keep it on the entire time.
 
Weird. Your cable doesn't fit with it mounted like this?

ram-b-202-ap20u.jpg
 
Is that how yours is set up? Can you show a picture of the mounting pieces and how they are arranged?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top