ForeFlight 5.3 Released

[bnicolette]

José

 

I think that however you slice it this is the future for portables.  I don't think you'll see Garmin put out another portable unit and just like their panel mount units.......how long will they support their portables?

 

I hope for your sake and others out there that they will come up with a solution that will benefit you all too.  But for those of us here that operate in US and Canada, it is perfect.   Even a lot of corporate operators are giving up their U.S. & Canada Jepp subscriptions in lieu of Foreflight.   It's just hard to beat for functionality and cost.

 

And really all we need is an ipad and FF ($550 in your equation).  The internal GPS of the ipad works great for me even through heated windshields with 5m accuracy.  Add the Stratus to that and the accuracy goes to <1m and the ability to get weather.  Phenomenal!!

 

I just don't think that you can even compare what the iPad has brought to our cockpits to the Garmin portables anymore (for folks in the US).  But you're right in that it is not a great all in one solution for folks in your position.  Give it some time and I'm sure it will be addressed.

[N601RX]

One of the biggest advantages to me is that I own the Ipad already, always have internet available, and don't have to bring a laptop with me when I travel.

[midlifeflyer]

Good point. I switched mine to IFR to take a look. At my opacity setting (less transparent than yours) it was still usable but definitely more crowded. Bumping it up slightly took care of that and still allowed me to see weather.  But given the IFR approach workload, perhaps the opacity for this plate should be further up in the settings group.

 

Edit: I made the suggestion to FF to move the chart opacity setting "above the fold" in the dropdown.

...and it's in an update released today. I doubt if I was the only one who mentioned it.

[carusoam]

Where is the suggested place to get the reman ipad3?

Looking to add to my Ifleet....

Best regards,

-a-

[Piloto]

On the Garmin portables (560 & 796) you have the option to select AC-U-KWIK instead of AOPA for airport information. Were AOPA has no foreign data AC-U-KWIK provides a lot of detail information on foreign and US airports, I myself have a 560 that use it on ferries to SA. The terrain depiction and alerts are superb for deviating around weather along the Andes. You can get satellite weather on your smart phone while in flight due to cell towers on mountain tops over 15,000ft. The Andes and the Amazon jungle have very few suitable places for emergency landings. Lakes and rivers are your best option and they are very well shown on the Garmin units.

 

José  

[Piloto]

Maybe I am too naive on this subject of tablets apps. But where is a Bad Elf GPS used?. My Samsung S3 and previous iPhone 4 had GPS buit-in that works very well. And now I know that tablets have built-in GPS also.

 

José

[MARZ]

Where is the suggested place to get the reman ipad3?

Looking to add to my Ifleet....

Best regards,

-a-

I really like the ipad mini for the greater variety of mount options.

[carusoam]

José,

The bad elf was a spectacular way to upgrade an Idevice to have GPS with a simple $100 plug in module, back in the day...

Today, The ADSB devices include the GPS with waas and connect via wifi...

On board gps devices have become standard for most high-end phones and tablets

Wait two weeks and the technology will improve again. Fortunately, the Istuff seems to maintain a fair amount of compatibility without a requirement to be technically sharp, or learn a new system. (challenges for me as my brain has recently aged)

The iPad1 still works, but a refurb ipad3 will have better capabillities, like track up and weather overlay...

But you knew this already? What did I miss?

Best regards,

-a-

And Jim types faster than me!

[Piloto]

Guys thanks for the GPS info. I think it would be better to get a tablet with built-in GPS to avoid carrying another gadget. BTW I am really impress with the road GPS on my Samsung S3. I gave up carrying the Garmin Nuvi on my car rentals. The battery on the Samsung last longer.

 

José

[Marauder]

For those snoozing... 5.3.1 and 5.3.2 were released the last couple of days to fix some bugs.

[midlifeflyer]

Guys thanks for the GPS info. I think it would be better to get a tablet with built-in GPS to avoid carrying another gadget. BTW I am really impress with the road GPS on my Samsung S3. I gave up carrying the Garmin Nuvi on my car rentals. The battery on the Samsung last longer.

 

José

it depends. Some people report good results in the air with the built in GPS. Others have had issues.

Yes, I get good results with my Droid Razr in my car. But I also know it's assisted by wifi location services (which works even if you are not connected) so I opted for external GPS for my iPad.

Btw, on the price list, a good yoke mount is less than $100 if you want one, Stratus is only required if you want in flight weather and, even then you can still pay a bit less for the 1st gen which is still available. And if you want to forego geo-referenced approach charts, taxi diagrams and some other "pro" features, you can still get the less feature rich FF version for half the price. Ultimately the biggest required investment is the decision to go ipad. I did solely for FF but have used it for so many other things.

[midlifeflyer]

For those snoozing... 5.3.1 and 5.3.2 were released the last couple of days to fix some bugs.

you mean like mentioned in post 29?

[usafhaynes1]

Now they just need to slave forefight data into flight director with synthetic vision on the stratus horizon app. Then...zen.

[carusoam]

Gps antennae that are on your lap, may not receive signals. So having the sky radar antenna up on the windshield may be helpful as well...

-a-

[midlifeflyer]

Gps antennae that are on your lap, may not receive signals. So having the sky radar antenna up on the windshield may be helpful as well...

-a-

I think the original BadElf is the only external iPad GPS that would be near ones lap (plugged into the iPad). The rest connect via bluetooth or wifi and sit nicely on the glareshield.

[bnicolette]

I have put in my vote for getting a vertical guidance box in their instrument options.  These folks definitely listen to their customers so those of you that would like that option also, please shoot them an email:  team@foreflight.com