iPad mini - pencil useful?

[AJ88V]

Bought an iPad mini 6 to run ForeFlight.  Touchscreens vice knobs worry me as it is in the cockpit.  Plan to yoke mount.  Is the pencil a useful addition?  I was thinking the palm rejection feature might help, especially when things get bouncy.

Would a simple rubber tipped pen meant for touch-sensitive screens be just as useful (non electronic, not paired)?  I have several of those from conference swag.

Thanks!

[midlifeflyer]

I have used both and the Apple pencil (and it's clones) beat the rubber tipped stuff by several nautical miles.  Much easier to use and less inclined to stick and hit and miss. 

Clones: My history losing things makes me very shy of spending >$100 for a pencil (you want the Gen 2 not the Gen 1). So I uses one of the many clones available on Amazon. They don't all magnetically recharge and some can be annoying when they decide to shut off - I had one that just the normal (for me) action of brushing my thumb over the top would shut it off. 

If you want a recommendation, I'm using this one from Amazon and it's been perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMTCY6ZN/

[hammdo]

Same one I use - even have a backup. 
 

-Don

[bigmo]

I use this same pencil. For just writing down notes and CRAFT it's 100% perfect. My youngest does a ton of art on her iPad and demands a real Apple pencil - I get that. But unless you're spending time in the sky doing detailed photo or graphics work, spend the money on gas!

[toto]

I use an Apple Pencil, and it’s definitely better than using a finger or a cheapo alternative, but the charge doesn’t last super long and I always neglect to charge it. It’s great when it’s charged and working though. 

[midlifeflyer]

1 hour ago, bigmo said:

I use this same pencil. For just writing down notes and CRAFT it's 100% perfect. My youngest does a ton of art on her iPad and demands a real Apple pencil - I get that. But unless you're spending time in the sky doing detailed photo or graphics work, spend the money on gas!

Yeah, the inexpensive alternates usually don’t have pressure sensitivity. They also don’t have some writing functions like crossing things out to delete them.

[Fly Boomer]

1 hour ago, toto said:

I use an Apple Pencil, and it’s definitely better than using a finger or a cheapo alternative, but the charge doesn’t last super long and I always neglect to charge it. It’s great when it’s charged and working though. 

This is my issue.  I have a Gen 1 for my iPad 5, and it seems like the battery is good for about 10 minutes.  Kind of a pain to charge too.

[AJ88V]

18 hours ago, midlifeflyer said:

I have used both and the Apple pencil (and it's clones) beat the rubber tipped stuff by several nautical miles.  Much easier to use and less inclined to stick and hit and miss. 

Clones: My history losing things makes me very shy of spending >$100 for a pencil (you want the Gen 2 not the Gen 1). So I uses one of the many clones available on Amazon. They don't all magnetically recharge and some can be annoying when they decide to shut off - I had one that just the normal (for me) action of brushing my thumb over the top would shut it off. 

If you want a recommendation, I'm using this one from Amazon and it's been perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMTCY6ZN/

Perfect!  Ordered one (plus a $10 backup pen just for grins).  Thanks!

[midlifeflyer]

16 hours ago, toto said:

I use an Apple Pencil, and it’s definitely better than using a finger or a cheapo alternative, but the charge doesn’t last super long and I always neglect to charge it. It’s great when it’s charged and working though. 

The Gen 2 coupled with a compatible iPad attach magnetically to the side of the iPad and recharge via that attachment. 

Some clones do. Some don’t. Some provide both magnetic and usb charging. Even the usb-only ones I’ve used last quite a long time between charges.

[natdm]

The gen2 pencil is great. Though I do hate the magnet. It popped off in pre-flight and I didn’t notice. Fell in the seat rail, and I was wondering why the seat wasn’t locking. Pencils all busted up now. 

I’ve also gotten a change in route and went to get the pencil and noticed too late that it’s vacated the iPad a few times, so I have to write with my finger which always looks illegible. 

[Hank]

9 minutes ago, midlifeflyer said:

The Gen 2 coupled with a compatible iPad attach magnetically to the side of the iPad and recharge via that attachment. 

Some clones do. Some don’t. Some provide both magnetic and usb charging. Even the usb-only ones I’ve used last quite a long time between charges.

Samsung did their pencil right. I bought a new laptop, and surprise! A pencil was in the box. Its apparently magnetic, and no charging is required, or even possible. 

[toto]

1 hour ago, Hank said:

Samsung did their pencil right. I bought a new laptop, and surprise! A pencil was in the box. Its apparently magnetic, and no charging is required, or even possible. 

This is true of a Surface Pro tablet I have too - I’ve had it for several years, and the pencil has never once needed new batteries. Functionality is similar to the Apple Pencil, which constantly needs to be recharged. I’m not sure what the difference might be, but the Surface Pro came with the pencil (which uses alkaline batteries) and it just lasts forever. 

[toto]

1 hour ago, natdm said:

The gen2 pencil is great. Though I do hate the magnet. It popped off in pre-flight and I didn’t notice. Fell in the seat rail, and I was wondering why the seat wasn’t locking. Pencils all busted up now. 

I’ve also gotten a change in route and went to get the pencil and noticed too late that it’s vacated the iPad a few times, so I have to write with my finger which always looks illegible. 

I have a Mini 5 and a Gen 1 Pencil, so that’s fair. I have an iPad case that stores the Pencil alongside the iPad, but the Pencil is held very securely and it’s nearly impossible for it to depart the case. (But not impossible for me to drop in the cockpit while using )

[Pinecone]

I don't like the pencil.  The combo of the slick screen and the slick tip means no drag at all.  I find it hard to write legibly with no drag.

[toto]

34 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

I don't like the pencil.  The combo of the slick screen and the slick tip means no drag at all.  I find it hard to write legibly with no drag.

That’s the problem these guys are trying to solve. Kind of a niche product but also pretty cool. 

https://remarkable.com/

[McMooney]

I tried using it for writing down clearances, atis and such but i find paper more convenient.    while i do use it a bit for flight planning, its real purpose seems to be making me spend more money when it gets lost.

 

[exM20K]

I had the Apple Pencil first generation with my old Pro 9.7.  Now I have a knock off to use with my new iPad Air. I find if very useful for the reasons stated above, plus this:  my 90% trip is 740 NM, and I send the ForeFlight nav log to Goodnotes to mark down time/fuel for each 100 nm segment and waypoints.  This allows me to see if the winds aloft forecast is correct and catch a trend against me early.

the knock off isn’t as good as the original, and I may spring for an Apple Pencil second generation.  I chose black for the knockoff, and that was a mistake for making notes in ForeFlight. It is hard to see the tip relative to the screen.

-dan

[natdm]

2 hours ago, Pinecone said:

I don't like the pencil.  The combo of the slick screen and the slick tip means no drag at all.  I find it hard to write legibly with no drag.

Anti-glare screen fixes this. Mostly. 

[dkkim73]

Some people really like writing on tablets. I haven't ever really found it that convenient. I prefer writing on the notepad on my kneeboard. The kneeboard has the same backup electrical solution that an old revolver does.  And it's always, 100% of the time, on my right thigh.

But, FWIW I have the Benks pencil (3rd-party but well-reviewed) for the iPad, originally Air gen 5 and now Mini gen 6. The biggest issue is dropping it (or having it dislodged by, oh say, brushing against another physical object). The Pivot hardcase I had for the iPad Air was very beefy and held the pencil with a death grip; I forgot I even had a pencil several times. The newer, lighter Mini gen 6 Pivot case fits in the cockpit better but it really doesn't hold the pencil firmly. Easy to fall below the seat, which is a pain when trying to copy something. 

I do find highlighting approach plates, airport refs, etc, useful on the iPad, but a finger works quite well for that. 

On the through, you might find more uses. I still find the bother of taking out the pencil and re-attaching it makes just using a finger easier. If you are trying to actually write, of course a pencil offers more transferability of your handwriting motor memory. But how often do you really need to on the ground? 

If you do use an electronic pencil in flight, consider also using the Flyboys hand-strap (keeps a writing utenstil on your hand, can rotate out of the way). It's minirly cumbersome but insurance against dropping. I use it more at night. I use a combo pen/pencil, but you could put an electronic pen in it, too, I would think. 

HTH! YMMV. 

 

[Fly Boomer]

On 9/1/2024 at 8:50 AM, toto said:

I have a Mini 5 and a Gen 1 Pencil, so that’s fair. I have an iPad case that stores the Pencil alongside the iPad, but the Pencil is held very securely and it’s nearly impossible for it to depart the case. (But not impossible for me to drop in the cockpit while using )

I got one of these.  Not enough experience yet to comment on utility or longevity:

https://www.amazon.com/EZ-PEN-Retractable-Nurses-Carpenters/dp/B0818D57C8?th=1