The additional graphics power of the pro translates directly into the snappiness of map scaling in ForeFlight. Well worth the small additional cost for me.
Ipad Recommendation
- Thread starter CessnaTom
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The additional graphics power of the pro translates directly into the snappiness of map scaling in ForeFlight. Well worth the small additional cost for me.
simtech
En-Route
I can see that. That's why I said in gaming it shined. Not sure how much more snappier it is in FF and since I don't know, I dont know what I'm missing Hahaha. Coming from the mini 1 and the iPad 3rd gen the 9.7 is light years ahead for me so I saved a few bills and very happy.
CC268
Final Approach
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CC268
ForeFlight is still missing some things on the phone, though. Altitude Advisor, for example.
I use the iPhone, iPad, and web versions, but neither the iPhone nor the web are as capable as the iPad version. They each have their own strengths, but the iPad does it all.
I'm hoping that Apple applies the iPhone X treatment to the iPad. What I mean by that is, the iPhone X screen is slightly larger than the iPhone 8 Plus (the big one), but it's almost exactly the same size as the iPhone 8 (the small one). The parallel to that would be to take the 9.7" iPad, which has a 2048x1536 pixel screen at 264 ppi (thus, 7.76" x 5.82", or 9.7" diagonal), remove the button, insert cameras into the screen area, and end up with a device the size of the Mini, which is 8" x 5.3" external dimensions, just a hair bigger than that 9.7" screen so enough room for rounded edges.
Ya listening, Tim Cook????
I agree...I would not want to use the phone version for my regular flying use. Yea that would be nice if they did what they did to the iPhoneX to the iPads...
simtech
En-Route
That would be nice. The bezel is smaller on the 9.7 than it is on the 3rd gen. Same height but the width is a bit smaller. So it should fit a little better than I thought as I was using my old pad to see how this would fit.
FastEddieB
Touchdown! Greaser!
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Fast Eddie B
I don’t know if WingX7Pro is less demanding than Foreflight, but it runs quite well on my iPad Mini 2.
At home, I use an iPad Air2 which is still perfectly serviceable.
At home, I use an iPad Air2 which is still perfectly serviceable.
simtech
En-Route
Okay got it in and the only thing it blocks from my view is the EGT, Vacuum, and some engine gauges but even then its not as bad as this picture portrays and they are still easily seen when I need to see them. It is of course considerably bigger than the mini I had but I like it like it is for now. Will see if it gets annoying later down the road.
BrianNC
En-Route
Thanks. I wonder what is taking RAM so long to come out with these same mounts for the 10.5"? They've been out a year now.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Blocking the vacuum gauge needs particular care and attention in IMC. Mine also blocked it on the yoke and I decided to move it to the side window. Especially for IFR ops. Nothing out that window that I need to see inside of a cloud.
simtech
En-Route
Agreed, didn't think about that. I do have high and low vacuum lights, though I do know it doesn't take place of seeing the gauge. Ill have to look and see what adjustments I can make next time im out there.
denverpilot
Tied Down
I found if I mounted the iPad a little lower I could see over the top of it on the yoke and that kinda took care of it. But ultimately what really made me move it was turbulence.
The yoke is moving around trying to keep the airplane upright and you’re trying to read a screen that’s moving around or trying to tap on something on it. Drove me nuts.
It moved back to my lap for a while and then I put it in an X-grip on the side window and love it there.
BrianNC
En-Route
Is that the 9.7" or the mini on your side window? If 9.7, think that would work in a 172 on the side?
simtech
En-Route
I can likely move it down slightly but I believe it might start getting to close to my legs. Ill have to see, that's why I mentioned if it will get annoying down the road. Being bigger than my mini it definitely seems to stick out more since its all in front of my yoke. The mini I had it vertically and it fit in between the horns, this one sits out in front of them. I'm sure adjustments will be made at some point. I don't have room to attach it to any window, I thought of that but just no room in a cherokee for that.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Mini. I’m wholly annoyed that Cook and Apple keep making the stupid things bigger because Cook has no real ideas of his own.
BrianNC
En-Route
Yeah. There's no reason to discontinue the mini. I would have already bought one if I knew they were gonna keep making them.
benyflyguy
En-Route
I have the IPad Pro 9.7. Only 32gb. It truly my flipad. I have my ifr king course and 430 king course, foreflight with the pertinent downloads for States I might flight to and ones next to those(east coast). Perfect size for me. Speed is great. I still have plenty of room for the occasional in flight pic or vid.
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
And I'm convinced that the only reason they sold poorly is that they were continually bringing out "new" models that had year-plus old technology from day 1. You could never buy a Mini with the same CPU as the mid-size ones available at the same time.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Yeah. :-(
Mine is starting to act fairly slow now.
The new search on ForeFlight absolutely crushes it into freezing for quite a while, with no particular great gain in functionality over the old search.
Really annoying if you accidentally type something into the box, since it starts searching ahead as you type each character.
It’s a great way to completely lock up ForeFlight now for a number of seconds, which seriously sucks in a cockpit.
Skyrys62
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Meet the Fokkers
Maybe we should send them an email.
Surely they will respond immediately and be inclined to offer a solution based on the needs/wants of customers, right?
Surely they will respond immediately and be inclined to offer a solution based on the needs/wants of customers, right?
simtech
En-Route
Yep that's why I had to ditch my mini 1. Traffic, weather, searching just made it all but unusable. I really wanted to buy the mini 4 but I knew it was already old and it's a matter of time it would be the same way. Sooooo....2018 9.7 it is..sigh...I love it though, super fast!
BrianNC
En-Route
So what do you think about buying a new mini 4, load nothing but FF on it and never use it for anything else? Think it would hold up to the software then? As opposed to having had it for awhile like you have and probably loading other things on it, using it for other software, etc.
denverpilot
Tied Down
Just don’t know. If I had to guess, FF is running the iPad out of RAM more than its running it out of CPU. CPU lockups don’t act like the stuff I’ve seen lately. I think it’s “swapping” crap in and out of flash. Which is slooooooowwwwww.
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
Au contraire - You're simply not searching for the things that the new search would find, because you're used to the old search.
ForeFlight, yes. Apple, doubtful.
And even if Apple were listening, the entire pilot population wanting a Mini isn't going to move the needle. They sold 13.2 million iPads in a recent quarter. Even if every pilot used a Mini and replaced it every two years, that would represent only about 70,000 per quarter or a half a percent, not nearly enough to bother with.
A Mini 4 would hold up just fine, as long as you didn't upgrade to iOS 12, 13, 14, etc when they come out. Unfortunately, what will end up happening is that newer versions of ForeFlight will eventually have features that require newer versions of iOS, and then you're toast. Not to mention, all of the security flaws that are found are patched in newer iOS versions, so you might be vulnerable to something there too.
I'm waiting for the iPhone X-ized iPad that I described above. Hopefully they'll have it in a year or two...
denverpilot
Tied Down
Au contraire - You're simply not searching for the things that the new search would find, because you're used to the old search.
“Au contraire” to what? I said the new search crushes the performance of the search and locks up the mini, I didn’t say it can’t search for new things.
bnt83
Final Approach
Well, a brand new mini 4 w/ cellular showed up yesterday. I lost one about a year ago in a dreadful yet somewhat satisfying roadkill accident.
Skyrys62
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Meet the Fokkers
ForeFlight, yes. Apple, doubtful.
And even if Apple were listening, the entire pilot population wanting a Mini isn't going to move the needle. They sold 13.2 million iPads in a recent quarter. Even if every pilot used a Mini and replaced it every two years, that would represent only about 70,000 per quarter or a half a percent, not nearly enough to bother with.
I said that tongue in cheek... we'll all be long gone before that happens.
Aside from that, I bet pilots aren't the only ones using the mini's. Actually I would guess that the percentage of pilots that use mini's is very high, as opposed to the number of mini's used, is by pilots.
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flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
"with no particular great gain in functionality over the old search"
flyingcheesehead
Touchdown! Greaser!
I concur. Unfortunately, most non-Pilot Mini users can probably adapt to a bigger iPad easier than we can.
BrianNC
En-Route
rtk11
Pattern Altitude
I transitioned away from a Mini 2 to an iPad Pro 9.7" The Pro's real estate (screen size) is handy, as is the speed. And it seems to me that it's more heat resistant (my Mini shut down a couple of time due to heat.) Now that I use the Pro regularly, I couldn't go back to the Mini as ForeFlight is much easier to see and use with the bigger screen.
BrianNC
En-Route
Mounted or lap? And if mounted, where and with what mount?
denverpilot
Tied Down
Well, it’s not. Only works when network is available and mostly looks up things nobody needs in a cockpit, ever.
But it slows down cockpit use also. Wrong design direction.
rtk11
Pattern Altitude
It's in my lap for now. I have a RAM mount for the mini, but I'm considering the X-Naut iPad mount as it'll work with the Ipad Pro, and the fans will definitely keep it cool for a (near) no-concern operation.
I fly a LSA, and my panel has a nice empty spot where I can mount a suction cup mount to the aluminum. I was previously attaching via suction cup to the window in other aircraft (prior to purchasing my plane), and that worked OK, but my SportCruiser's canopy opens upward, so I prefer not to mount to the canopy.
kgruber
Final Approach
How much memory is needed, for say, 1/2 the US.
BrianNC
En-Route
How much disk space will ForeFlight Mobile take up on my device?
https://support.foreflight.com/hc/e...-will-ForeFlight-Mobile-take-up-on-my-device-
denverpilot
Tied Down
Funny. My iPad doesn’t have any disk space at all.
You didn’t get the floppy disk option??
bnt83
Final Approach
If you're buying new, they only sell 128GB ones. I had a 64GB one and never had a problem.
Hang 4
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Mini 4 WIFI 128g is $299 at Best Buy now. That seems a much better deal than 399. If you already have a GPS source like a Stratux, it gets interesting. On the other hand, sometimes you see price drops like that when there is a new model on the way. WWDC is in a couple weeks where a lot of announcements happen. Nothing rumored about the mini so far.
Eric Gleason
Pre-takeoff checklist
This was exactly my strategy. I figured that it was probably a bad practice to let the device I'd depend on in the cockpit to do double duty as the family entertainment device. There's the one I let my kid watch cartoons on and the one in my flight bag, and it only has flying and weather-related apps. It's noticeably quicker.
FWIW, I tried using it like I used a sectional. Open it up when I need it, look at something, then put it away. I didn't like it. Gotta push a couple of buttons to open it up and then get the current area on the screen. Then zoom to what I want to read. Didn't take me long to figure out that I needed it mounted on the yoke. Keeping a kneeboard strapped on feels cumbersome, and an ipad was way worse on my lap.
My challenge is that there are 5 planes in the club, and yoke mount blocks too much in a couple of them. Working on collecting suction cup mounts and things to have more options in each plane.
denverpilot
Tied Down
The real problem with the Mini today is the best processor available in in the Mini 4 is that it's stuck with the A8 processor and 2GB of RAM on board the ARM core. That's just not going to work for much longer with fat-ass apps and fat-ass iOS.
I love my mini, but a mini 4 can't be the replacement for my mini 2... it just isn't going to be viable for much longer.
As an aside, it's interesting to see that Apple had the crap sued out of them for the A8 processor by an alumni association/incubator associated with the University of Wisconsin for patent infringement and Apple was told to pay half a billion dollars. Supposedly in appeal since Oct 2017.
@flyingcheesehead may like that one. Apple doing their usual stealing thing, like all of the big tech companies... Jobs proved it's more profitable to steal and negotiate settlements, than not, long long ago.
To even get to 4GB of RAM, you have to go to the 10.5 iPad Pro 2 right now. None of the 9" models has anything higher than 2GB, but they do have the A9 and A10 processors depending on 2017 or 2018 model years.
Rant: Needing 2GB-4GB of RAM to run a maximum of two apps at the same time and manage a mobile OS is ludicrous, but there's your standard fat-ass coding "standards" these days...
I love my mini, but a mini 4 can't be the replacement for my mini 2... it just isn't going to be viable for much longer.
As an aside, it's interesting to see that Apple had the crap sued out of them for the A8 processor by an alumni association/incubator associated with the University of Wisconsin for patent infringement and Apple was told to pay half a billion dollars. Supposedly in appeal since Oct 2017.
@flyingcheesehead may like that one.
Apple doing their usual stealing thing, like all of the big tech companies... Jobs proved it's more profitable to steal and negotiate settlements, than not, long long ago.To even get to 4GB of RAM, you have to go to the 10.5 iPad Pro 2 right now. None of the 9" models has anything higher than 2GB, but they do have the A9 and A10 processors depending on 2017 or 2018 model years.
Rant: Needing 2GB-4GB of RAM to run a maximum of two apps at the same time and manage a mobile OS is ludicrous, but there's your standard fat-ass coding "standards" these days...