Foreflight and iPad1

[redraider]

Hello All,

 

I am in a quandry about what to do about the obsolescence of my original iPad1 and Foreflight. 

 

From Foreflight:

 

"Apple is introducing iOS development changes soon and we want to make sure you are aware of them. Starting in February, updates submitted to App Store by all app developers will require iOS 6 as a minimum version. After February 1, any app updates we submit to App Store will require iOS 6. Customers running older versions of iOS will continue to be able to download the last supported version of any app for their iOS version, but they will not be able to download new updates with new features. All customers will continue to receive data updates and support for existing features, but new features will only be available on iOS 6 or above.

iOS 6 is supported by iPad 2 and above, and iPhone 3GS and above. However, iPad 1 isn’t able to upgrade to iOS 6. For those of you on iPad 1, we encourage you to consider an upgrade."

 

I currently use Foreflight on the iPad1 with the Bad Elf 30 pin GPS and love it. 

 

I have a Garmin 496 with XM Weather and love it, both the weather and the gps.

 

I have a Garmin 530 waas.

 

To upgrade to the iPad Air means my Bad Elf GPS is obsolete. $700 for the new Ipad Air and another $100 for the new compatible Bad Elf GPS.

 

Or, upgrade to the Stratus ($899) and eliminate the XM weather on the Garmin 496.

 

I was perfectly happy with my current situation but the obsolescence of the iPad1 has caused an expensive domino effect of upgrades.

 

Anyone with experience with this?  Any and all opinions are welcome.  Especially opinions regarding Stratus weather and Stratus in general.

 

I fly a '78 M20J.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[Cabanaboy]

Just try and imagine how much it would be costing us if there was no such thing as an Ipad...We would be paying much more through the nose,The world and aviation has changed with these ipads and its really a small price to pay for what we get with these devices. Maybe you could get the Ipad Mini Retina, Wi-fi/Cellular(-has GPS) 32GB $629($529 for 16GB). My Mini works great with the internal gps. The mini fits much better in the cockpit and can be mounted on the yoke.

 

 

So if you pay 6-700 hundred, your really saving thousands!!!!!!!!

[Parker_Woodruff]

I am very glad I upgraded from my original iPad 1 to an iPad mini a few months ago.

 

I am a fan of buying refurb'd apple iPad products.

 

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

[aggiepilot04]

That's the nature of the beast when it comes to mobile development.  It's very time consuming (and thus expensive) to keep supporting old devices.

 

I can tell you that I have the original Stratus, and I am not a big fan.  Here are my complaints:

1. The charging connection on the back is not secure, so there are times that it unplugs and I don't know it until the Stratus is dead.  It stays disconnected for more than it stays connected, and that's not an exaggeration.
2. When flying on a hot summer day, it overheats on my glareshield and turns itself off.
3. ADS-B coverage is extremely spotty.  I'm usually receiving from no more than 1 station, and sometimes 0.  This is at 6-10,000 feet, not on the ground.
4. No WX during the climb, and none on the ground unless you have a good cellular connection.
5. Radar is low-res, and coverage doesn't extend beyond your region.

Obviously, some of these things are general ADS-B complaints, and some may be based on the fact that I'm in TX.

 

That being said, I am very interested to hear about the Status 2.  I was a very early adopter of the original one, so maybe these things are limited to that device.  I had the 696 for a while, and WX on that was fantastic.  I sold it because I hate the monthly cost of XM, and keeping it up to date costs an arm and a leg.  I really do miss the XM weather though.

 

I would recommend the retina iPad mini over the iPad air, especially in a Mooney.  I couldn't find a good place to mount my old iPad, so it stayed unsecured on my left leg.  Ultimately, I slid my seat over it and broke it...and thus had to switch to the mini.  Despite previously hating having things mounted on the yoke, that's where I have the mini, and I love it.

[kerry]

Yes this has happened to me.  I ditched the Ipad and got a nexus 7 which has a gps that works great.  I use avare  app for navigation and maps which is free.  I couldn't be happier.  I'm glad that the 1st gen ipad doesn't work with foreflight or other aviation apps.  If it did I would have never found avare.

[rbridges]

I got an ipad mini as a gift after using an ipad 1 for a long time.  Honestly, I was at the point of switching anyway.  It was obvious that the first gen processor was getting sluggish with the newer software.  On top of that, no more upgrades will be available from foreflight.

 

You can buy a lightning adapter from apple for $30.  It makes the bad elf stick out further but it works.  I had to grind it down a little to make it fit into the otterbox case hole.  

[OR75]

you have a 530W .... get a GDL 88 to get weather and you are done.

keep a handheld for simple GPS position backup and sell the rest of hardware on ebay

tech will always be a moving target .... my ipad 3 will probably be obsolete sooner rather than later

[Danb]

This thread was about a month ago as I stated then it's trial and error based on the iPad platform, being a senior I went from iPad 1 to mini to IPad air.. For me the mini was to small and I was used to the larger size, I have the stratus 2' and seem to like it but not enough to give up my xm Wx on my g-1000...for the $$$ you can't beat the iPad I use foreflight but most of the other programs are great with there pluss..based on all the threads it appears most of us love the iPad whatever size is individual and all the inexpensive stuff we can install on it..things could be worse and the whores at Garmin would have us completely at there shorts!!anyway red rider slip by apple and go for save the bucks on the big elf and save towards a stratus or Garmin ahars

[Danb]

Or75. I could not disagree more...and I sit behind a G-1000

[jnisley]

I flew 40+ of cross country last summer (east central US) using iPad 4, Foreflight, Stratus 2, alongside XM weather displayed on a MX20, overall I would say that ADSB is the winner (ADSB radar is lower resolution, but very sufficient)

Also, in every instance on multiple trips ADSB textual METARS updated 9-16 minutes sooner than XM

[jnisley]

Attached are photos that compare ADS-B and XM in light rain. You can see that the darker green displayed on XM is the only green displayed on ADS-B. The only time it was actually raining was when flying through the darker green.

You can see that the time stamps match.

[jnisley]

More inflight screenshots

[Danb]

John. In regard to not acquiring the Wx on the ground did you find this a problem or basically just pull up the radar etc on your Te. Line on the iPad to use until in flight..great pix supplied...

[jnisley]

Picking up the weather on the ground isn't a problem at all with decent cell service, especially if it's 4G or LTE

I'm still subscribed to XM but am considering canceling it due to the cost.

[larryb]

I have a mini retina. I have never lost GPS signal with its internal receiver. Just upgrade! I also have adsb with a gdl88 and XM with a 796. I still keep the XM service because sometimes the metars are "not available" on adsb but are still there on XM.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[aggiepilot04]

I do agree that ADS-B suffices radar-wise when it's operational...low res is by no means a showstopper.  However, when you're in a dead spot (i.e. not high enough yet)...there's nothing worse than staring at the hashed "no radar" area waiting to pick up an ADS-B station.  This has happened to me twice after waiting on the weather to clear on the ground.  ATC has routed me into an area where the echoes were, but I'm not picking up a station yet...so I don't know whether or not to deviate.  This was departing AUS too, not somewhere in west Texas.  Part of the problem is that there isn't a smooth transition from cell service to the Stratus.  The iPad will attempt to connect to the internet through the Stratus as long as it has a wifi connection....so it's best to leave wifi off until you can pick up an ADS-B station.  The problem is that you don't know when that is until you're connected to the Stratus.  All of this is a pain and a big distraction, especially if you're hand flying (which I do 90% of the time, even with a capable autopilot).  The bottom line for me is that I have to be much more conservative in go/no go's with the Stratus vs. XM weather, because XM is way more reliable.  I really hope that the original Stratus was the problem though, because free WX and traffic is great...especially considering traffic will get more reliable the closer we get to 2020.

 

John, how about we just trade Stratuses for a few weeks, and then I'll report back

[OR75]

Or75. I could not disagree more...and I sit behind a G-1000

actually the G1000 is a different beast since apparently its upgrade to WAAS is $$$. Or I should say $$$$$. A very different platform moving forward.

for ipad upgrade, we are talking $$$ ( less than an amu)

[drewjensen]

I bought an ipad2 used on ebay for $200 & was able to continue using my bad eslf gps. Not a great long term fix, but cheap to buy you a few years.

[jnisley]

I do agree that ADS-B suffices radar-wise when it's operational...low res is by no means a showstopper.  However, when you're in a dead spot (i.e. not high enough yet)...there's nothing worse than staring at the hashed "no radar" area waiting to pick up an ADS-B station.  This has happened to me twice after waiting on the weather to clear on the ground.  ATC has routed me into an area where the echoes were, but I'm not picking up a station yet...so I don't know whether or not to deviate.  This was departing AUS too, not somewhere in west Texas.  Part of the problem is that there isn't a smooth transition from cell service to the Stratus.  The iPad will attempt to connect to the internet through the Stratus as long as it has a wifi connection....so it's best to leave wifi off until you can pick up an ADS-B station.  The problem is that you don't know when that is until you're connected to the Stratus.  All of this is a pain and a big distraction, especially if you're hand flying (which I do 90% of the time, even with a capable autopilot).  The bottom line for me is that I have to be much more conservative in go/no go's with the Stratus vs. XM weather, because XM is way more reliable.  I really hope that the original Stratus was the problem though, because free WX and traffic is great...especially considering traffic will get more reliable the closer we get to 2020.

 

John, how about we just trade Stratuses for a few weeks, and then I'll report back

I can see that what you described could be a problem, not sure that the Stratus 2 would do any better??

-5 degrees f here this morning, wondering if the Stratus 3 will come with a cabin heater?:-/

[Danb]

Or75 I was really trying to compare your 530 to the iPad. I should not have mentioned the g1000. Still a great and useful thread

[BorealOne]

IPad mini Retina and don't look back.

[DAVIDWH]

Although Foreflight is great software and I never leave the runway without it, just wondering why the software geeks are unwilling to put a "Nearest Airport" and a "Direct To" button in the program?

 

  And while they are writing, a "Back Button and Home Button" would be most appreciated.  (Oh yea, where is that elusive home page anyway)   I know nearest and direct to functions are on the Garmin GPS watch, but a new watch coupled with my new card compass is over the top, tech. overload.

 

A little help from Foreflight would be appreciated here.  So far, they are totally stonewalling my e-mails.  (Or in political terms, kicking the can down the road)

 

Now, if they could just hire a Garmin tech guy????

[aggiepilot04]

Although Foreflight is great software and I never leave the runway without it, just wondering why the software geeks are unwilling to put a "Nearest Airport" and a "Direct To" button in the program?

 

  And while they are writing, a "Back Button and Home Button" would be most appreciated.  (Oh yea, where is that elusive home page anyway)   I know nearest and direct to functions are on the Garmin GPS watch, but a new watch coupled with my new card compass is over the top, tech. overload.

 

A little help from Foreflight would be appreciated here.  So far, they are totally stonewalling my e-mails.  (Or in political terms, kicking the can down the road)

 

Now, if they could just hire a Garmin tech guy????

 

Great questions.  I generally use my 530 for the nearest feature though.  And, while we're on feature requests, I'd like a way to push my flight plan from the app to the 530 wirelessly.

[DAVIDWH]

The Enigma code is broken.

 

Thanks for your decryption skills.

 

Now if I could just find the home page and the back button.

[aggiepilot04]

 Perhaps I misunderstand your comment?

 

1) No Direct? In Foreflight map view - at the center top tap the "Hide Show/Nav Log" button then ... you may select any point on the route (touch the far left column) a window will pop-up on the map offering a direct route. Tap that and direct you shall go!

 

2) No nearest airport? In Map view tap the HUD button(at center top just right of Nav Log Button) Tap any HUD Instrument to select "Nearest Airport."  Anytime the HUD is displayed the nearest airport will show!

 

I guess I did know that Direct To existed.  Rather than do this in the nav log, it's easier to just search for the airport by identifier, then tap the orange Direct button on the left.

 

I had no idea that the Nearest feature existed.  That's a fairly important feature to have buried the way it is.