Apple iPad - ideal aviation companion?
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: .
Age: 37
Posts: 649
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes, I suppose there is much to be jealous of not having the idiotPad. 
Like the stupidity of wasting >£500 (i.e. about the same cost as my car) on a load of pointless overhyped arse that in a couple of years will be yesterday's geek gadget. Or the way that it seems to regress the mental age of its owners back to pre-school years, in pouring over its pointless capabilities, attempting to find some sort of futile justification for its use, or their self-appointed sense of superiority over the rest of Humanity who are non-idiotPad owners. Or the prattish "apps" that seem to have the same intelligence-destroying effect... 
Smithy
Tongue firmly in cheek of course (in case any idiotPad drivers get overly upset)
Like the stupidity of wasting >£500 (i.e. about the same cost as my car) on a load of pointless overhyped arse that in a couple of years will be yesterday's geek gadget. Or the way that it seems to regress the mental age of its owners back to pre-school years, in pouring over its pointless capabilities, attempting to find some sort of futile justification for its use, or their self-appointed sense of superiority over the rest of Humanity who are non-idiotPad owners. Or the prattish "apps" that seem to have the same intelligence-destroying effect... Smithy
Tongue firmly in cheek of course (in case any idiotPad drivers get overly upset)
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London
Age: 68
Posts: 1,269
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Am I relieved at reading the last sentence
(even though it was hard, given the small letters of that last sentence and how these are displayed on my beloved iPad, which I have owned since 9th April 2010, as a friend bought it for me very early in the morning in Phoenix Arizona, and which I've loved ever since, I'll spare you the reasons why)
(even though it was hard, given the small letters of that last sentence and how these are displayed on my beloved iPad, which I have owned since 9th April 2010, as a friend bought it for me very early in the morning in Phoenix Arizona, and which I've loved ever since, I'll spare you the reasons why)
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For in-flight PDF/document display (which is the main thing the Ipad can be used for in the European context) I would go for the Kindle DX every time. Total readability in all cockpit light conditions, and almost no heat dissipation / heat sensitivity, and really light. And it's cheaper 
Last edited by IO540; 5th Aug 2010 at 17:13.
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: UK,Twighlight Zone
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Problem with the Kindle is it is dog slow. It is meant to return a single document which is then viewed serially. I hardly use mine now other then when sat by the pool in strong sunlight reading the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. For everything else only iPad will do.........
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: london
Age: 49
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Increasing interest w/iPad & flying
Hi - am a new PPL w/ c. 80hours and am just concentrating on hour building and this involves planning trips. I have started to use my iPad in the planning phase of these - basically I am trying to plan trips with the minimum amount of fuss and all from one source and the iPad is ideal for this ie notams and weather. It is a shame that Foreflight is not yet available for Europe as I checked the services available to US users and despite the price it is immense (anybody got an idea when europe comes online with Foreflight?) . I have noticed in this months Pilot and Flyer Magazines there are articles on flying and iPads, and I certainly think this will catch on. I was wondering if ppl wanted to share ipad hints tips about apps etc on the iPad on this thread.
Lastly does anybody have any experience with Memory Map (as per the Flyer article this month) - I use it to synch with the Garmin 495 but ahve no experience with the iPad - anybody got any tips (plus I have all the CDs can I get them on the iPad?!)
Peregrine
Lastly does anybody have any experience with Memory Map (as per the Flyer article this month) - I use it to synch with the Garmin 495 but ahve no experience with the iPad - anybody got any tips (plus I have all the CDs can I get them on the iPad?!)
Peregrine
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk
Age: 68
Posts: 799
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had a play the other day with the iPad. A nice piece of kit, but from an aviation point of view not terribly useful, when you compare it with a laptop or netbook. The biggest problem is fairly obvious: all available flight planning software for the UK runs on windows - yes I know MemoryMap now runs on the iPAd, but it cannot be regarded as flight planning software. The iPAd for some reason does not run flash, which severely limits the sites it can access.
If you are looking at portable solutions, the portability of the iPad is defeated by having to have a laptop as well. The best solution seems to me to be a laptop/net book which can upload routes etc to a dedicated aviation GPS. The other problem, already mentioned, is the screen, though you can get a screen protector - I am not sure how good it is in sunlight.
If you are looking at portable solutions, the portability of the iPad is defeated by having to have a laptop as well. The best solution seems to me to be a laptop/net book which can upload routes etc to a dedicated aviation GPS. The other problem, already mentioned, is the screen, though you can get a screen protector - I am not sure how good it is in sunlight.
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A lot has been written on this topic here and everywhere else but my view is that the "IT requirement" needs to be clearly separated into two tasks: ground and airborne.
For ground stuff you more or less need a Windows computer. All the common flight planning software runs under windoze only: Navbox, Jepp stuff, and the new Skydemon too. A £300 laptop, with a bluetooth connection to a phone, will give you all this and mobile internet for getting weather, notams, flight plan filing, etc. I don't know if the AFPEx flight plan filing application runs on an Ipad but I know of people running it over a remote desktop (on an Ipad) which suggests that it doesn't, so you need a laptop for that too.
For air stuff you need to decide carefully what you actually want when up there... The Ipad has the potential for displaying IFR approach plates, but I don't think the screen is sufficiently sunlight readable.
For ground stuff you more or less need a Windows computer. All the common flight planning software runs under windoze only: Navbox, Jepp stuff, and the new Skydemon too. A £300 laptop, with a bluetooth connection to a phone, will give you all this and mobile internet for getting weather, notams, flight plan filing, etc. I don't know if the AFPEx flight plan filing application runs on an Ipad but I know of people running it over a remote desktop (on an Ipad) which suggests that it doesn't, so you need a laptop for that too.
For air stuff you need to decide carefully what you actually want when up there... The Ipad has the potential for displaying IFR approach plates, but I don't think the screen is sufficiently sunlight readable.
Join Date: May 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 4,631
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There is a good article in Flying this month reviewing the apps currently on the market and suggesting they are only the start.
It is fair to say the review is pretty glowing.
However, it will take a while for the app writers to catch up this side of the Pond in rendering some of the more desirable airborne apps suitable for our airspace.
IO - I know you dont like the screen readability - but honestly it is pretty good - not perfect I grant but how often do we get bright sunny days in this part of the world when flying an approach for example? The two seem mutually exclusive. Whether you should be relying on an iPad to display your approach during such a critical phase of the flight is I grant perhaps another debate.
It is fair to say the review is pretty glowing.
However, it will take a while for the app writers to catch up this side of the Pond in rendering some of the more desirable airborne apps suitable for our airspace.
IO - I know you dont like the screen readability - but honestly it is pretty good - not perfect I grant but how often do we get bright sunny days in this part of the world when flying an approach for example? The two seem mutually exclusive. Whether you should be relying on an iPad to display your approach during such a critical phase of the flight is I grant perhaps another debate.
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk
Age: 68
Posts: 799
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
IO - I know you dont like the screen readability - but honestly it is pretty good
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Oxford
Posts: 2,042
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
pouring over its pointless capabilities
I know the post was tongue in cheek, but have you actually played with one? I think you might be converted...
Tim
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
how often do we get bright sunny days in this part of the world when flying an approach for example? The two seem mutually exclusive.
Today I flew 850nm of which all but the first 10 mins was in bright sunshine.
Any 'glossy' LCD is practically unreadable in those conditions. My ageing LS800 is not great but it way way better than any consumer product I have seen.
Oddly enough a Garmin 1000 is not a lot better but it gets away with it because, when mounted, it is at around 90 degrees so the sunlight doesn't reflect into the reader's eyes. I flew a TBM850 the other week and the very high degree of reflection was evident in the photos taken.
Whether you should be relying on an iPad to display your approach during such a critical phase of the flight is I grant perhaps another debate.
But I think everyone needs to decide on the value of a 'gadget' versus the hassle of carrying it, charging it, carrying the charger, loading data into it, etc.
If the device was 100% reliable then it would save a few trees over the years, but it clearly isn't, and I am sticking to printed plates because they don't need backing up. It would still be good for unplanned diversions but there are other ways to hack that which also have other useful functions. Currently, in Europe, an Ipad has few useful functions for aviation apart from acting as a PDF document reader, and a half decent laptop will beat it to dust for ground based tasks (which then include not just aviation but all the other stuff one does on the ground e.g. email, www, etc).
From what I have seen, the Ipad is an excellent PDF document reader.
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: UK,Twighlight Zone
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flew the entire length of Spain day before yesterday at 20,000ft in 2:05 minutes and that was in beer bright sunshine. Sat and read the IAPs on the flight deck with mo problem at all. Humberside, guernsey and Santander the day before.
Today I am in the welsh mountains sat in the sun writing this and using multimap and last night I watched Sherlock homes. No laptop in sight. Amazing device the iPad.
Today I am in the welsh mountains sat in the sun writing this and using multimap and last night I watched Sherlock homes. No laptop in sight. Amazing device the iPad.
Join Date: May 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 4,631
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have to agree with Bose.
I have never had a problem with g1000 or avidyne in any conditions.
Prop the iPad anywhere out of direct sunshine falling on the screen and it is as good. Being so light and compact it is no where near as unweildy as a notebook.
I think you have to use one to make a proper assessment.
I have never had a problem with g1000 or avidyne in any conditions.
Prop the iPad anywhere out of direct sunshine falling on the screen and it is as good. Being so light and compact it is no where near as unweildy as a notebook.
I think you have to use one to make a proper assessment.
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: MANCHESTER
Age: 62
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
IPad in cockpit
I used my ipad running MemoryMap with CAA charts in the cockpit for the first time yesterday. Flew from Barton Manchester to Crossland Moor Huddersfield. I have to say it performed excellently, rapid GPS fix & signal held throughout trip there & back, even without Assisted fix as I have not put a simcard in it yet. Flew to max of 2500' with solid fix, very accurate position portayal on moving quarter mill map. Easy to read in all but brightest direct sun. Have bought a silicon case that clips around back of ipad, cut two slots in the silicon and fed Velcro strap thru so it can strap to my knee. Paid £20 for software thru iTunes (now only £10...doh!) and imported existing CAA charts that I used in PC version. Only trouble is, the charts are £20 a pop which I think is excessive. Now with multitasking update, you can exit M/map to open another app eg notepad or finger drawing app to jot down joining info, readbacks, atis info etc & then go back to M/map which has continued to track your position! Battery life...30 minutes Barton to Huddersfield, 100% charge had dropped to 93%... not bad! No indication of excessive heating as is always evident when I run M/map on my iPhone 3GS.
I will continue to evaluate ipad/mem map in the cockpit & post my experiences.
I will continue to evaluate ipad/mem map in the cockpit & post my experiences.
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: St Gallen
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ILblog
*
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Prague
Posts: 63
JeppView VFR charts (bottlang) on iPad?
Hi
Has anyone confirmed, that Jeppesen VFR airport charts (so called Bottlang airfield manual) work in JeppView mobile on iPad too?
*
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Prague
Posts: 63
JeppView VFR charts (bottlang) on iPad?
Hi
Has anyone confirmed, that Jeppesen VFR airport charts (so called Bottlang airfield manual) work in JeppView mobile on iPad too?