Pirep - iPad Mini in yoke mount

[Bennett]

Even though I think that Apple really made an error by releasing the iPad Mini without the Retina display, and the faster processor of the iPad 4, I decided to purchase the current unit. I am sure that Apple will release a newer model in the next six months or so that will include the Retina display at least. So why buy a Mini now?  I wrestled with this for a while, but decided that a Mini in a yoke mount at this point was better than leaving my iPad3 on the co-pilot seat.  I prefer looking forward than sideways, and with my eyes in the plane of looking out the windscreen, with a slightly downward look to the instruments. More than once, I have experienced a touch of vertigo when turning my head to the right and downward to read details on the iPad3 laying on the seat.  When I have had a passenger, holding the iPad, inevitably they will do something to lose the Foreflight app, or change the screen or orientation. When the iPad Mini2 comes out, I will buy the new one, and pass down this Mini to family or friends (following my custom of passing down iPhones and iPads - sort of the case of growing up with siblings). I bought the 16 GB model, with G3 data, to get the GPS version.  I have a Dual GPS Bluetooth unit on the glareshield, but I want redundancy here.

 

I used the Ram iPad Mini yoke mount.  This is the same set of Ram devices that Sporty's sells, but I was able to purchase them at the San Carlos airport aviation shop (great place for aviation supplies).  The yoke fitting itself is typical Ram quality, which is to say, well made and positive in grip to the yoke shaft. The connector is a double ball, spring loaded, connector which is easily connects to the yoke unit and the back of the Ram Mini holder which also has a ball.  With this setup there are quite a few adjustments that can be made in height, distance from the back of the yoke itself, and from side to side to keep the Mini in the center of the yoke.  I am not satisfied with the Ram Mini mount itself. It holds the Mini just fine, but the design appears to be more universal 7" tablet than specific to the very thin Mini. The upper portion of the holder slides up to allow the Mini to be set in and removed, and a built in spring holds the Mini towards the rear of the holder. The thickness of the holder upper and lower clips would allow for a case for the Mini, but I have no interest in a case.  This is a dedicated application for me, and I am annoyed that I have to remove the Mini from the holder to turn it on and off.  While the holder has some empty spaces, top and bottom, for cords, etc, the upper clip covers the Mini on/off button. I would guess that Ram will release a Mini specific holder in the future (or at at least I hope so).

 

Getting back to why I want a yoke mounted Mini. I already have a GTN 750, and an AirGizmo mounted 796 in the panel for moving maps.  They are both wonderful units, and the GTN 750 cross-feeds flight plans and other data to the 796.  I want the GTN 750 to be relatively clutter free, so I use the 796 for XM weather and Zaon traffic display, as well as the 10 minute predictability path. Even though I am Instrument rated, and  have flown instruments in all sorts of IFR conditions for years, at this point in my life I spend a good deal of time just flying VFR for the fun of it. Since San Francisco (Class B, Oakland (Class C) and San Jose (Class C) are all within a few miles of San Carlos Airport, my home base, I am forever choosing distances and altitudes to avoid incursions in these airspaces. Also I frequently fly to the Los Angeles area where airspace is highly complex, not to mention all the Restricted areas in-between.  The GTN 750 shows the flight plans perfectly, and the general outlines of the Class B and C rings (highly distorted and convoluted in the Bay Area), but to get the altitude restrictions, you have to press (touch) the unit twice. Once in the "ring" area to highlight it, and then again to see the altitudes in a descriptive box.  It is far easier to look at Foreflight's Sectional chart display on a Mini or full size iPad. This is really helpful for situation awareness, and I can adjust my flight path - vertical and horizontal, with great certainty that I am outside restricted airspace. Nice to have lots of tools specifically used in optimal ways.  While Jeppesen's Pilot application has an interface that is very similar to the icons of the GTN 750 and 796, I really prefer Foreflight.  When my Foreflight subscription comes due in February, and will again review the features of both programs. The Mini has smaller boarders than the iPad so the actual size of app data is closer than you might expect, and even with the non-Retina display, quite readable.

 

In flight, I have the yoke mount set so that the top of the Mini is just below the bottom of the HSI.  The only things that are covered are the rocker switches, which still can be easily used.

[cfipilot80]

I also have the mini with the same Ram mount but haven't had a chance to take it out to the plane yet. Can the mini be mounted in landscape mode without obstructing the yoke or portrait mode only?

[BigTex]

Any issues seeing the HSI?

[Seth]

My younger brother flew with me a few days ago and has an iPad Mini.  I asked if I could check something and held it up to my yoke.  It will work fine vertically but I don't think it will work well in the horozonal.  It's just a tad too long and thus your thumbs can't wrap around - maybe if you offset it to block the right side you can fully grasp the left side of the yoke, or if you move it closer to your body you can have it horozontal, but otherwise, I think the Mini is a vertical only mount for now. 

 

I do not have a mount myself - just held it up in flight to see if it would work.  From the angle I sit at, it did not block instruments (HSI). 

 

-Seth

[aviatoreb]

I have a mini iPad on my yoke.  It fits beautiful vertically and it is a tight fit horizontally - I like it vertically.

 

I have a raam mount clipped to the yoke - the one that came with my garmin 396 back when I had a garmin 396.  I removed the part that clips in the 396 which leaves a flat plat - then I just put a big piece of velcro on the back of the iPad mini and on the yoke mount.  It is firm, easy, easy to take on and off by velcro.  And it does sit just a tad past the yoke so horizontal is no big deal - I just like vertical better.

 

It is THE ideal yoke mount efb solution I was dreaming about for years....

[carusoam]

Bennett, I predict the siblings will have to wait. Two iPads are the future of the cockpit, one or two versions apart... Especially as weather and traffic become more relevant... Best regards, -a-

[Bennett]

I flew for several hours today, and the Mini running Foreflight gave me all the supplemental I formation I wanted. I am not impressed with the Mini's battery life, which was about four hours before I got a low battery warning. Nothing other than Foreflight was running, but I do have the brightness at maximum. I hate to drape cables from the 12 volt outlet to the Mini, but I suppose I will have to do this for longer flights. There was quite a bit of glare on the Mini screen, and my

previous experience with glare filters has not been positive-mainly because of a loss in apparent resolution. I'll have to check a couple if the newer filters. I did adjust the height of the unit several times to keep good visibility of the HSI. Now it is set so that the very top of the Mini is right at the bottom of the HSI in cruise from my view - seat fairly forward and high.

[aviatoreb]

I flew for several hours today, and the Mini running Foreflight gave me all the supplemental I formation I wanted. I am not impressed with the Mini's battery life, which was about four hours before I got a low battery warning. Nothing other than Foreflight was running, but I do have the brightness at maximum. I hate to drape cables from the 12 volt outlet to the Mini, but I suppose I will have to do this for longer flights. There was quite a bit of glare on the Mini screen, and my

previous experience with glare filters has not been positive-mainly because of a loss in apparent resolution. I'll have to check a couple if the newer filters. I did adjust the height of the unit several times to keep good visibility of the HSI. Now it is set so that the very top of the Mini is right at the bottom of the HSI in cruise from my view - seat fairly forward and high.

 

I have a cable from the charger to the iPad mini on the yoke - rating the cable behind the panel is very clean.  In that case 4 hours is plenty considering that is only in case of emergency.

[aviatoreb]

Any issues seeing the HSI?

 

I have the same setup almost - ipad mini on the yoke - slightly different mounting.  It does not block the instruments at all.  When you take a photo on the ground, your yoke sits all the way forward since there is no airflow, but remember that in level flight the yoke comes back a fair bit to keep elevators level.  So from where my head sits and in flight, nothing is blocked.  It is really a terrific setup - I flew 0.7 in IMC yesterday and it is much much nicer having the plates right in front of me on the yoke rather than formerly head down to the ipad 1 on my lap.

[Hank]

I have the same setup almost - ipad mini on the yoke - slightly different mounting.  It does not block the instruments at all.  When you take a photo on the ground, your yoke sits all the way forward since there is no airflow, but remember that in level flight the yoke comes back a fair bit to keep elevators level.  So from where my head sits and in flight, nothing is blocked.  It is really a terrific setup - I flew 0.7 in IMC yesterday and it is much much nicer having the plates right in front of me on the yoke rather than formerly head down to the ipad 1 on my lap.

 

Not so on our Vintage birds up through J's. We sit with elevator level, but the turbo models' elevators all droop to "full down." Besides, I'm addicted to the clock in the center of my yoke to not only count flight time but also to change tanks. Nothing is as easy as watching for the white hands to match up with the red ones to know it's time to flip the selector over. Using a digital on the panel is just not the same [bTDT, don't like it.]

 

It sure would be nice to mount somewhere other than my lap, where I've not found a good spot either, nor a kneeboard that will keep it in a useful location and still leave room to write frequency changes, clearances, etc.

[aviatoreb]

Not so on our Vintage birds up through J's. We sit with elevator level, but the turbo models' elevators all droop to "full down." Besides, I'm addicted to the clock in the center of my yoke to not only count flight time but also to change tanks. Nothing is as easy as watching for the white hands to match up with the red ones to know it's time to flip the selector over. Using a digital on the panel is just not the same [bTDT, don't like it.]

 

It sure would be nice to mount somewhere other than my lap, where I've not found a good spot either, nor a kneeboard that will keep it in a useful location and still leave room to write frequency changes, clearances, etc.

 

I didn't know that about the difference in the elevators and yoke position over the years.  I have only had the one Mooney.

 

Yes, I do love the look of a clock in the center of the yoke.  Very stylish and convenient.  But the foreflight on my yoke is so very very convenient and central to my standard operating procedures that it gets precedence.  I have been thinking of velcro'ing a handheld multifunction aviation clock to the center of the copilot yoke.  I have a narrow sleek model I recently got that is just the right size for the center of the yoke.

[Piloto]

Not to undermine the iPad Mini but if you have a GTN 750 why would you need an iPad Mini?

José

[aviatoreb]

Not to undermine the iPad Mini but if you have a GTN 750 why would you need an iPad Mini?

José

 

Because my iPad mini cost $329.  Installed.

 

Otherwise I don't know.

 

I can say I use my 430 for nav functions and the iPad for efb functions.  Can your 750 do both - and both at the same time?  I would think that even w the 750 I would want an efb.  Its my charts, my plates, and all things that used to be paper.  Even with a 750 I would want the paper at the same moment.

[Bennett]

Piloto: The iPad running Foreflight is a completely independent system, where the GTN 750 crossfeeds data with the 796 and the JPI 830. I like being able to use the iPad Mini for displaying Sectionals, while the Garmin units display their own version charts. As I mentioned in the start of this thread, I fly a good deal of VFR in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas with plenty of complex Class B,C, and D airspace, plus quite a few restricted areas. While the Garmins show the outlines of these airspaces, it take two touches of the screen to get the actual altitudes affected. The iPad Mini running Foreflight make this very easy, and the restrictions and altitudes can be seen at a glance. Just another tool. For what it is worth I have the 430W independent of cross filling as well, and I use it for obtaining alternate airport data, and interim waypoint information without leaving the main GTN 750 Map presentation. What I am trying to accomplish here is to obtain useful data in the easiest , most accurate, and concise manner as possible. Sure you can use one GPS box for everything, just as can use one nav/com, but two digital flip flop nav/coms make life much easier, and in my opinion safer. Even when IFR it is reassuring to see your airplane tracking on a Sectional.

[Piloto]

Bennett

I see your point. I have a similar configuration with the G560 on the yoke and the G530 in the panel. But the reason for the G560 is for functions not available on the G530 like taxiways, airways, weather, airport info and TFRs. I rarely use VFR maps because they are too cluttered for my type of navigation. But if I had the GTN750 I may not have a need for the G560.

José