IPAD VERSUS ANDROID OR OTHERS, FOREFLIGHT ETC

[jezzie]

Now that I have my Mooney home, it's time to do some serious flying. I have my required paper charts which is OK, but would like some input from users about the following.

Which is best / easiest to use? IPAD or Android or others. I know it gets down to personal preference, however it would be helpful to get opinions from users of these products. Now seems to be a good time to buy with all the sales during this Christmas season. I have read that some ipads get hot or don't have good battery life. How do some of the other generic or similar products perform?

I have seen many threads about what software products work the best. Looks like fore flight now has Canadian charts. Any suggestions regarding software is also appreciated.

Because I have a GTN750 Is it worth while to get some sort of flight following or GPS on any portable device.

Thanks for all your help, I do appreciate it. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone, enjoy your time with your family and friends.

Eldon (JEZZIE)

[aaronk25]

I have been very impressed with the commitment of ForeFlight folks have made toward software on ForeFlight seems to be leading application and considering the cost of what it GTN 750 cost ForeFlight is only a few bucks more than some other options. Those guys really stay on top of it. Is also reckoned a apple product, may cost more but they just seem to work without the other issues non apple products offer.

[PilotDerek]

I think the ipad is still number one. All the aps are made for apple first (or so it seems) with android a distant second. Those with android platform can speak on there behalf. I have the ipad and could not be happier with its versatility.

[timpercarpio]

I have an iPad2 with ForeFlight and I love it. I carry a couple of paper charts for backup, but never have to look at them. We also have a 430W and a 496. Once in a while I lose the GPS signal on the iPad, but it's usually just temporary. I always have all of the charts, approach plates and airport info available all the time. I can't imagine flying without the iPad and ForeFlight.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[carusoam]

Gone all apple...

iPad1 can overheat if kept in direct sun, a real temporary issue. Battery, when used properly, lasts all day. I use it in my office all day long. My longest flights have been 4 hours, no real issues. You can plug it in as well.

WingX sends updates often, improves each time. It is an incredible improvement over paper + you can add a weather receiver for a few bucks more.

iPhone is another source of back up. Text, email, weather, flight planning, navigation and back up.

Sorry for the one sided review. If you are concerned about price, the older iPads work well and are pretty low priced...so are the older iPhones.

You can buy your wife an IPhone 4s for a couple hundred bucks, load your copy of WingX or other on it as well... She'll think your pretty cool and safer for having back up nav data. Better than giving her an old loran!

WingX doesn't end at the border, but I don't see how far it goes either. They are easy enough to contact and ask though...

Best regards,

-a-

[bnicolette]

I have never tried anything on an Android device. However, it seems that most professional aviators and aviation companies are utilizing the iPad for all their EFB needs. That has to be worth something.

I use an iPad 1 for my personal airplane and we use the iPad 2 in our corporate aviation department. I have never had a problem with either. For personal use I use and prefer Foreflight. We use JeppFD in our flight department and I find it way less user friendly than Foreflight, so I generally have my personal iPad when in the cockpit for work and utilize Foreflight.

[DrBill]

I could not justify paying the APPLE PREMIUM. So, I went Android and use the NAVIGATOR application. For $35/year you get GREAT support and all the charts you want.

You can check it out at NAVIATORAPP.COM. The forum is great support often I get answers within 20-30 mins.

I read that many new users are using the NEXUS tablet with GPS and WIFI. I use a year old VIZIO 8 in tablet and just LOVE it.

I really prefer the 8 in tablet to the larger ones especially since I have mine mounted via velcro on the right yoke.

BILL

And I don't have to pay for a 3G or 4G connection.

[aerobat95]

I have the Apple Ipad 2 and Foreflight. Love it. I like the Apple products as I have never had any issues with them. I tried a trial version of Garmin Pilot app. I really liked that too. I think if you go with Foreflight or Garmin Pilot you will be very happy. On a side note with regards to Foreflight. When I purchased the subscription I had some email issues getting the password. I emailed their tech support at 1030PM and got a no kidding response. I believe it was the owner who also gave me his phone number and told me to give a call if the issues were not resolved. Needless to say I was extremely impressed by the customer service. I am going to be purchasing a Apple Ipad mini when the 3G or 4G versions come out. They are the ones with the built in GPS just like the regualar Ipad. The size will be perfect for flying.

[Marauder]

I have both ForeFlight and Garmin pilot on my iPad 2. Both have their merits and disadvantages. With the Garmin 750 in your airplane you will have the charts already available, so the iPad will most likely be nothing more than a backup to the Garmin 750 for charts and for the weather if you elect to buy the antenna.

With a Garmin 650 installed my airplane, I find that the Garmin pilot is a nice complement to the Garmin 650. They use the same format on the Pilot as the GTN, so looking for information will feel the same. I do like the fact that the Garman pilot also give you the ability to do split screen with a variety of information.

Like I mentioned before, I have both applications on my iPad 2 . The reason being is that the cost of both of these applications is still less than what I was paying for the paper charts.

[Txbyker]

A Garmin796 cross filled to your 750 works well with XM Weather and music. Now has Bluetooth if you go with a GDL ADS-B. I still use Foreflight but just for planning and filing. Just my opinion. Subscriptions are high but the 796 works great for approach plates with geo reference. I wish someone like Foreflight or Garmin would come out with a connected panel option so that the iPad could be used to update the 750 like Aspen has. You can still get pretty good trade in values toward 796's.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/stpages/trade.php

[Cruiser]

Everyone loves the application they have. You would get better info by asking what they DON'T like about the product they own.

[Oscar Avalle]

Well I don't like that I can't transfer my flightplans from my Jeppview app on my IPAD to my Garmin 430s and or 795.

[jnisley]

I used the iPad 1 for several years then upgraded to the iPad 2+ this past spring, both have worked great, I started out with using Foreflight, Wingx Pro and JeppFD (Gotta tryim all:) but settled on Foreflight. Although I've never had a problem with the built in GPS chip, on most flight I use the plug in Bad Elf GPS receiver. My ipad 2 overheated one time, but only for a minute or so, it was on my yoke in direct sunlight in a rubberized case, I took it out of the case and never had a problem since.

[Hector]

I'm not an apple fan boy, but for aviation apps they have the lead. I use Foreflight with a yoke mounted iPad mini and my iPhone 5 for backup. In have the Foreflight Pro subscription which gives me geo coded approach plates and its a good backup for my panel mounted GPS.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Becca]

Agreed on iPad. Also, since you are just buying in now, its probably worth considering the iPad mini. Though we don't like to admit how cramped a Mooney cockpit is, its cramped, and a smaller device, especially for on your lap, would really be nice. I'm not planning on spening the money to switch from an iPad to a mini, but if you were making an initial purchase, its a good option.

[Jerry 5TJ]

In the "C" I have a yoke-mounted Garmin Aera 510 which is installed into the old yoke clock mounting holes. It has been fine there for the past 18 months. I do use a glare-shield GPS antenna for it, and the Aera's audio output is hooked to the intercom's music input so I hear the nice lady calling out "Terrain, Terrain" clearly through the headset. Another plus is that the Aera will run for an hour or two on its internal battery if the plane's electrical power fails.

This year I converted to IPad and ForeFlight for charts. At first I carried backup paper but then loaded ForeFlight into a second device and tossed the remaining paper. As I have been flying across the USA several times this year the IPad has already paid for itself versus buying all those enroute charts and approach books four times.

Plus

• I always have up-to-date charts now
  
• I can easily flip between VFR and IFR charts
  
• If I file and brief via ForeFlight the flight plan and briefing is in my IPad email to peruse during flight
  
• The geo-referenced charts are a great advantage to situational awareness
  
• Am able to overlay routes with winds and plot faster or better weather paths graphically
  

Minus

• The IPad is a bit delicate and you can't just toss it down like a chart
  
• Wearing polarized sunglasses makes the display disappear in some orientations
  
• The IPad technology makes me realize how antique the Mooney's systems are
  

[Bennett]

Settled on Foreflight running on an iPad3 for now. The Retina display provides great screen resolution, and I like Foreflight better than the Jepp and Seattle programs, although I really like the Jepp icon approach that mimics the GTN series, and the 796. I'm still on the fence about the Mini. Size is good, but what possessed Apple to use the iPad2's lower screen resolution and slower processor? It would seem logical that the next iteration of the Mini would use the Retina display (newest iPhones and iPads) and the iPad4 processor, and I am most likely to wait for it.

[Hector]

Settled on Foreflight running on an iPad3 for now. The Retina display provides great screen resolution, and I like Foreflight better than the Jepp and Seattle programs, although I really like the Jepp icon approach that mimics the GTN series, and the 796. I'm still on the fence about the Mini. Size is good, but what possessed Apple to use the iPad2's lower screen resolution and slower processor? It would seem logical that the next iteration of the Mini would use the Retina display (newest iPhones and iPads) and the iPad4 processor, and I am most likely to wait for it.

Agree, Apple should have not gone cheap and used the retina display in the mini, however, bear in mind that because it has the same screen resolution as the iPad 2 in a smaller screen it actually looks better than the iPad 2 (same number of pixels in a smaller screen = sharper text). The same processor as the iPad 2 is also not an issue at least for Foreflight. I'm sure the next version of the mini will likely have the retina screen and better processor. That's how apple works. They give you just enough to make you want to buy it and then enough upgrades in the next version to make you buy it again. The regular iPad was just too large in my M20C. The mini is just the perfect size for me and with the yoke mount the charts and approach plates are exactly where they need to be.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Gone]

Eldon:

iPad 2 for me with Foreflight with the combined US and Canada subscription. Next year I am getting pro version to allow geo referencing the plates as someone else has also mentioned.

I have three GPS in my Mooney. The one in the panel is connected to the autopilot and its job is to guide the aircraft.

The one on the yolk mount is for my situational awareness. Where is the nearest....? Terrain awareness and (someday) weather.

The one on my lap (AvPad kneeboard system) is my iPad and it is used for flight planning and my EFB (approach plates, way points, frequencies, boundaries, E6B, etc.).

[jezzie]

Thanks for all the info, went out and bought an ipad 4, seems like the best choice. I'll let you know how I made out,

[carusoam]

Jezzie,

You should be able to load up apps that will give you a feel before buying...

Garmin, wingX, foreflight etc...

I think they offer about 30 days for free.

Just remember, it can be like using a cell phone while driving, very distracting, but not as bad as paper charts!

Enjoy,

-a-

[danb35]

I haven't seen anyone mention this--in the US, paper charts aren't mandatory. In fact, you aren't required to carry any charts or other nav data on board at all. Canadian rules may differ on this, but it's a common misconception that current charts are required here when they aren't.

[Gone]

Dan:

Some form of chart is required in Canada for all VFR night flying, VFR over the top flying and IFR. Here is the quote from the CARs (Canadian Aviation Regulations). Regular daytime VFR is not mentioned here. Note that it does not specify that the charts must be paper.

CAR 602.60

(1) No person shall conduct a take-off in a power-driven aircraft, other than an ultra-light aeroplane, unless the following operational and emergency equipment is carried on board:

(a) a checklist or placards...

( b ) where the aircraft is operated in VFR OTT, night VFR flight or IFR flight, all of the necessary current aeronautical charts and publications covering the route of the proposed flight and any probable diversionary route;

( c ) a hand-held fire extinguisher in the cockpit ...

(d) a timepiece that is readily available to each flight crew member;

(e) where the aircraft is operated at night, a flashlight that is readily available to each crew member; and

(f) a first aid kit.

[mooniac58]

I reluctantly support the Apple Empire in the cockpit, and only the cockpit. The only reason being that for the time being Aspen Connected Panel only works in ForeFlight and that app is only available on the iOS (as is the Aspen CP app for that matter). I have spend a lot of time on a buddies Google Nexus 7" tablet and it is far superior to any iPad but at the moment but unfortunately there are really no good Android EFB apps and of course none that work with Aspen CP.

[KSMooniac]

I've been using an Android Xoom for 18 months now and like it as a tablet. I use Avilution's app for charts and plates, and am very satisfied with it. I don't do any flight planning with that app.... I only use it as a chart/plate server and it works great. I'm not fond of Apple's policies and behavior in general, but if I were to do it over I would regrettably choose an iPad of some flavor since there is 10x the development going on in that arena vs. Android. I still hope Android catches up, though. I don't have an Aspen yet, but that is on my long-range upgrade list and if/when I get there if Android isn't supported with Connected Panel then I'll likely switch at that time.