Those, unfortunately, are why I do still pay for Garmin Pilot on Android (it lags behind iOS in features, but both FF and GP have wandered so far beyond what anyone needs in their insane marketing featuritis that it makes no practical difference). FltPlan Go, which I use as a backup, does support some weather and traffic sources, but not the one that I have. As soon as it does, I stop paying taxes to Garmin Pilot.
A free Chevy is better than a $$$$ Ford, and a free Ford is better than a $$$$ Chevy. That's what a lot of us are talking about, by recommending FltPlan Go on an Android tablet, instead of a $$$ iOS device + $$ annual ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot tax, since the OP said he didn't need traffic or weather (though FltPlan Go does support weather from some sources).
Quite right, but the dedicated aviation GPSs were tested and debugged in the exact environment they're running in, while the tablet apps can't have been.
It depends. I'm kind-of fond of all the free aviation maps and data that the FAA publishes (then Garmin and Foreflight repackage and sell for hundreds of dollars). I often find Open Source software is better than the commercial stuff, too.
This happens in flight, So do I keep it covered while flying? What's the use in having it then? My Cardinal has a large windshield and lets a lot of sun in I guess.
I'm guessing the problem with overheating is not as wide spread as believed but I did see it happen to my friend while flying in his Commander 112. It wasn't in direct sunlight but we were flying here in SC and it was a hot day.
Nice thing was I could see where we were and it was only about 70 miles back to the home airport. We followed the interstate and could see the upper and lower lakes so it was pretty easy to navigate our way back.
I iPad finally cooled down and worked again but I came to the conclusion that an unreliable set up like that wasn't for me. I use and highly recommend the iFly GPS. Of course opinions are like arm pits ... everyone has a couple that stink.
It depends on if you count internet costs, etc. all the approach plates are available as .pdf files from the FAA here: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/dtpp/
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If you do go with a tablet, the angle makes a difference. I find mine (old Nexus 7, cheap screen) is readable most of the time when it's vertical on the yoke in front of me in my PA-28.
It's a question of value added. FltPlan Go (also, interestingly, now owned by Garmin) passes those charts and databases on for free, with a little value added (flight planning, showing your location on a map or approach plate, etc), and make their revenue from corporate subscriptions for high-end fleet-management services (as well as a few unobtrusive ads). Garmin Pilot and ForeFlight charge a lot for those same charts and databases, with some extra bells and whistles like glide rings, vertical profiles, synthetic vision, etc. Are they adding $200+/year value when the taxpayers in the U.S. and Canada already funded 99% of the work, or are they just enclosing the commons and trying to charge rent on public space, like the old landlords in the Scottish Highlands who drove so many immigrants to North America?
Foreflight ProPlus is $200/year? aera660 is $150/year.
No other Garmin stuff in the plane and I use the iPad for a lot more than just flying. Plus, I really like how easy it is to flight plan on FF and file the plan. For me, the iPad and FF is the clear winner.
Yes indeed. I pay ForeFlight (and before them WingX Pro) for a great deal of convenience. What they do is non-trivial and (in my case) well worth the price. I'm still figuring out what I will do for backup now that my paper subscriptions are done. I don't really count the iPhone as a backup because it's the same SW and platform and a bug that kills one in likely to kill the other. (Also, charts on a phone are really too small for me to read anymore.
Yeah, they're both fine. Lots of people have bluetooth and overheating problems with iOS devices, and lots of people have display problems with Android devices (because there are so many more kinds of displays to test/not test on), but in the end, an iOS device or a higher-end Android device should be good until you drop it or sit on it; depending on the app, though, an older device might become unusable with that specific app just because it has too little memory to run newer, more-bloated versions of it.
