Tablet mounting

[thito01]

After 4 years out of flying, I am back in and moving toward full digital charts. My tablet is a 9" Samsung with Garmin Pilot. (No iPads for me, ever.)
How are you mounting it? On the yoke? On a goose-neck? Strapped to your leg?
Personally, I have never liked to mount plates to my yoke as it blocks my scan. I was thinking of a goose-neck to the left. I kinda want to leave my leg for a scratch-pad to write frequency changes and tank swaps.
I am looking for suggestions for general mounting positions and bracket sources.
TonyT
CSEL
PA32R-300

 

[sarangan]

After 4 years out of flying, I am back in and moving toward full digital charts. My tablet is a 9" Samsung with Garmin Pilot. (No iPads for me, ever.)
How are you mounting it? On the yoke? On a goose-neck? Strapped to your leg?
Personally, I have never liked to mount plates to my yoke as it blocks my scan. I was thinking of a goose-neck to the left. I kinda want to leave my leg for a scratch-pad to write frequency changes and tank swaps.
I am looking for suggestions for general mounting positions and bracket sources.
TonyT
CSEL
PA32R-300

I faced the same issues. I was unsatisfied with all the commercial yoke mount options. They were too bulky, and blocked too much of the panel. In the end I designed and 3D printed a clip that mounts to the front of the yoke. It weighs nothing, and holds my 8-inch Samsung Galaxy against the flat part of the yoke. It also does not block anything on the panel. Attached is the photo. I was not able to attach the stl file because PoA won't allow it, so contact me if you want it.

 

[Dana]

I use an 8" tablet on a homemade wooden kneeboard.

 

[David Megginson]

After 4 years out of flying, I am back in and moving toward full digital charts. My tablet is a 9" Samsung with Garmin Pilot. (No iPads for me, ever.)
How are you mounting it? On the yoke? On a goose-neck? Strapped to your leg?
Personally, I have never liked to mount plates to my yoke as it blocks my scan. I was thinking of a goose-neck to the left. I kinda want to leave my leg for a scratch-pad to write frequency changes and tank swaps.
I am looking for suggestions for general mounting positions and bracket sources.
TonyT
CSEL
PA32R-300

I keep my small (formerly 7", now 8") tablet on the yoke of my PA-28-161, where it doesn't block much, and usually put my 10" tablet on the seat beside me when I bring it along, though I also have a small strap to put it on my lap. I think an extension arm would be even more of a hassle than the yoke mount. But agreed, they're all annoying in some way.

 

[pnancoz]

I used to use a 9.7" ipad on a yoke mount. After an avionics upgrade, I now use an ipad mini on a suction cup mount on the lower corner of the windshield. This is in a C172. Try various options and see what works for you.

 

[MBDiagMan]

For IFR or VFR? For VFR, just get a rubber case of the type used for kids. They stick and won’t slide around in your lap. Then simply set it on your lap. For IFR that is not such a good idea because looking down that far while trying to scan I’ll cause problems. If you are only flying VFR, try my suggestion and I think you’ll like it.

BTW, I don’t really understand the vitriol that people have for one type of pad vs. another. I’ve never understood why some people get so wrapped around the axle in a Ford/Chevy argument either.

 

[midlifeflyer]

The two most popular options seem to be yoke and suction. Personally, I prefer yoke (just as I did when I used paper charts) but am happy with suction, which I use in airplanes without a yoke). If you go for suction, be sure it works in your airplane. In some, window curvature can make finding a suitable location difficult.

That's from the perspective of a non-owner. There are some interesting and creative options for owners where easy probability is not a consideration.

 

[midlifeflyer]

BTW, I don’t really understand the vitriol that people have for one type of pad vs. another. I’ve never understood why some people get so wrapped around the axle in a Ford/Chevy argument either.

Don't you mean high wing/low wing?

but yeah, brainwashing isn't pretty.

 

[X3 Skier]

Solo, on the seat. Pax, knee board. I tried yoke and suction on the window but didn’t like either. Tried the side window but fly with it down most of the time (Ercoupe)

Cheers

 

[David Megginson]

For IFR or VFR? For VFR, just get a rubber case of the type used for kids. They stick and won’t slide around in your lap. Then simply set it on your lap. For IFR that is not such a good idea because looking down that far while trying to scan I’ll cause problems. If you are only flying VFR, try my suggestion and I think you’ll like it.

BTW, I don’t really understand the vitriol that people have for one type of pad vs. another. I’ve never understood why some people get so wrapped around the axle in a Ford/Chevy argument either.

If you decide to do that, get a rubber case from Bob-j in Florida (they're available on Amazon for nearly every type of tablet, iOS or Android). I'm on my third one now (3 different mobile devices over the years), and they've all fit perfectly.

 

[MBDiagMan]

Yeah the sticky rubber case is hard to beat for the purpose discussed here.

 

[Ed Haywood]

I like it on a long RAM arm hard mounted to the panel, out of the way of flight controls but in front of me and easy to scan.


I hate Apple and tried to find an Android mini tablet that worked well with Garmin Pilot. Finally gave up and got an iPad mini. GP performance on iPad is superior. Then I got ****ed off at Garmin for not supporting my bricked GDL-50 and switched from GP to iFlyGPS, which works great on Android. So now I'm stuck with an iPad that I only use for flying. I will say iPad has many more options for custom mounts and cases.

 

[masloki]

For IFR I found with some yoke mount wrangling you can get it just below the DG/HSI to avoid the pukesies but not have it interfere with banking or PTT either. I have a clamp with double articulating arms to get it nestled just so. It’s on a full iPad now, but will get the mini when the next version ships because it’s a Mooney and everything should be smaller. Window mounts don’t really work.

 

[SloRoam]

I've had great luck with mygoflight products. They have cases which fit the devices and a quick release that goes to either a yoke or a suction or to a mount that you can permanently attach to your panel, all with a great articulating arm.

 

[Mahneuvers]

...I am looking for suggestions for general mounting positions and bracket sources...

I fly with a 10.5" Galaxy S5e running Garmin Pilot. I purchased this bracket and a triple suction mount but only used them a couple times. When flying solo I found the setup pretty good mounted to the right front window. During instrument training, I got into the habit of keeping the tablet in my lap as I found that easier and the right window setup just isn't a great experience for the right seat passenger. I found a 10.5" tablet mounted on the left front window blocks too much both inside and outside the plane. I haven't used this setup in 1+ years. I forgot how much I paid for them until I pulled the links for you so it looks like I have some eBaying to do this weekend

 

[Jim K]

I use a small RAM claw, a short 1" double ball, two short double sockets, and an x-grip. All available from Amazon and a million other places. This gives me a lot of adjustability and works awesome to put an 8" tablet on the yoke of the pa28's and pa32 i fly. The 4 joints allow it to drop down far enough that it doesn't obstruct any of the panel, but it's still very much in the field of view. Every where else I've tried to put it obstructs either a gauge or the outside view, or is too far away to see/ use.

GP on android has been unreliable for me. I was planning on buying an ipad mini when the new ones come out (strictly for flying as I can't stand an ipad otherwise), but ifly announced recently that they are going to be able to get an adsb data stream out of garmin pretty soon, so if that materializes i may just switch back to them instead. Either way I'm looking forward to not having GP on android crash during every flight.

 

[Mahneuvers]

...I'm looking forward to not having GP on android crash during every flight...

Yep. Crashes happen more often than I would like. Recently I've started rebooting the tablet before each flight and it seems to be better.

 

[David Megginson]

Yep. Crashes happen more often than I would like. Recently I've started rebooting the tablet before each flight and it seems to be better.

It probably depends on the hardware. I've found Garmin Pilot highly stable on my newer Android devices (2018 and later release dates, with decent memory and fast processor), but on my 2013 Nexus 7 it would occasionally freeze up for a few seconds. Upgrading to a 2019 Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (US $145) made the freezes disappear.

The short freezes weren't a problem on my older Nexus 7 a couple of years ago, but recent GP releases have become more demanding, and can easily overwhelm low-end or old hardware.

 

[Deelee]

I struggled mightily with the best way to mount a full-sized iPad Air in the Arrow. Using the RAM mount with the standard claw and small-ish extension, the top part of the PFD was blocked out. Not to mention the MP gauge. Not ideal and a complete mess for IFR (all that looking around and down...). For a while, for VFR, I was just holding it in my lap. For IFR, though, I wanted something more front-and-center that wouldn't require me to look 90* down to my lap to read a plate or take advantage of the moving map.

I had read somewhere (most likely PoA) about someone who mounted their RAM under the yoke... So I bought a couple of extra RAM pieces from amazon (the longer arm and the double ball-joint) and set to experimenting. The setup that worked is pictured below. The top part of the RAM mount sort of latches to the top part of the yoke. I keep it slightly offset to the right side so I get a good grip on the left yoke horn. I can use the right horn, if necessary, but the vast majority of flying is with left hand on yoke. The only thing that is slightly blocked out now is the MP gauge. And all I have to do is move my head slightly to get a view of the top part of it - no severe downward head tilts. Honestly, when this iPad craps out or if I decide I want to light some more money on fire on the sacrificial alter of Apple, I will get a mini. But for now, this works -

 

[Jim K]

I struggled mightily with the best way to mount a full-sized iPad Air in the Arrow. Using the RAM mount with the standard claw and small-ish extension, the top part of the PFD was blocked out. Not to mention the MP gauge. Not ideal and a complete mess for IFR (all that looking around and down...). For a while, for VFR, I was just holding it in my lap. For IFR, though, I wanted something more front-and-center that wouldn't require me to look 90* down to my lap to read a plate or take advantage of the moving map.

I had read somewhere (most likely PoA) about someone who mounted their RAM under the yoke... So I bought a couple of extra RAM pieces from amazon (the longer arm and the double ball-joint) and set to experimenting. The setup that worked is pictured below. The top part of the RAM mount sort of latches to the top part of the yoke. I keep it slightly offset to the right side so I get a good grip on the left yoke horn. I can use the right horn, if necessary, but the vast majority of flying is with left hand on yoke. The only thing that is slightly blocked out now is the MP gauge. And all I have to do is move my head slightly to get a view of the top part of it - no severe downward head tilts. Honestly, when this iPad craps out or if I decide I want to light some more money on fire on the sacrificial alter of Apple, I will get a mini. But for now, this works -
View attachment 98325

That's what ram has on everyone else... flexibility. They make 8.2 million different pieces you can Lego together and put anything, anywhere. It took me a couple iterations to get mine where I'm happy with it, but it's exactly how I want it now.

It probably depends on the hardware. I've found Garmin Pilot highly stable on my newer Android devices (2018 and later release dates, with decent memory and fast processor), but on my 2013 Nexus 7 it would occasionally freeze up for a few seconds. Upgrading to a 2019 Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (US $145) made the freezes disappear.

The short freezes weren't a problem on my older Nexus 7 a couple of years ago, but recent GP releases have become more demanding, and can easily overwhelm low-end or old hardware.

What's weird is it's actually more stable on my older tablet with a slower processor and half the ram. Of course that's the one I cracked the screen on. Sigh.

My tablets are both lenovos that worked great with ifly. Maybe another brand would be more stable, but I'm not willing to throw more money at it to find out.

 

[Coinneach]

iPad (sorry) Mini 5th Gen, RAM case with ball. Airplane has a matching ball mounted on the left side of the panel, and I have a yoke claw mount and a suction mount. Prefer to mount on the yoke with the home button at the top. Doesn't obscure the DG and keeps the iThing out of direct sunlight.

 

[David Megginson]

My tablets are both lenovos that worked great with ifly. Maybe another brand would be more stable, but I'm not willing to throw more money at it to find out.

That's both the strength and weakness of Android. As you know, Android is an open source operating system that runs on a lot of hardware, so you can pick exactly the right device for your needs and budget. That's one reason why Android is the world's most popular operating system: it's possible to build $50 devices for the developing world without paying the Apple tax, but it's also possible to run it on premium $1,200 hardware if that's your groove.

On the other hand, limited choice has its benefits: since iOS developers have only a small number of device variants to target, all from the same vendor, it's much easier for them to test their software on every possible device. That's impractical with Android, because there are probably hundreds of different devices out there. In a sense, iOS is the Model T of computing (Henry Ford used to say that you could get the car in any color you want, as long as it's black).

 

[MBDiagMan]

I struggled mightily with the best way to mount a full-sized iPad Air in the Arrow. Using the RAM mount with the standard claw and small-ish extension, the top part of the PFD was blocked out. Not to mention the MP gauge. Not ideal and a complete mess for IFR (all that looking around and down...). For a while, for VFR, I was just holding it in my lap. For IFR, though, I wanted something more front-and-center that wouldn't require me to look 90* down to my lap to read a plate or take advantage of the moving map.

I had read somewhere (most likely PoA) about someone who mounted their RAM under the yoke... So I bought a couple of extra RAM pieces from amazon (the longer arm and the double ball-joint) and set to experimenting. The setup that worked is pictured below. The top part of the RAM mount sort of latches to the top part of the yoke. I keep it slightly offset to the right side so I get a good grip on the left yoke horn. I can use the right horn, if necessary, but the vast majority of flying is with left hand on yoke. The only thing that is slightly blocked out now is the MP gauge. And all I have to do is move my head slightly to get a view of the top part of it - no severe downward head tilts. Honestly, when this iPad craps out or if I decide I want to light some more money on fire on the sacrificial alter of Apple, I will get a mini. But for now, this works -
View attachment 98325

Thanks for posting this picture Dee. I didn’t know they make a double ended ball shaft to allow use of two mount clamps. This opens up a whole new world of possibility.

 

[Mahneuvers]

...I've found Garmin Pilot highly stable on my newer Android devices...

I purchased my S5e in the fall of 2019 so I don't think I'm running GP on under-powered hardware. I'm not yet ready to abandon GP, but, I'll also keep my mouth shut regarding those deliberating between GP and ForeFlight as I'm sure FF has its issues.

 

[Deelee]

Thanks for posting this picture Dee. I didn’t know they make a double ended ball shaft to allow use of two mount clamps. This opens up a whole new world of possibility.

No problem and let me know if you want the part numbers. I struggled with finding a good fit for some time, so if I can help someone else out I'd be glad to do it.

 

[Cervieres]

After 4 years out of flying, I am back in and moving toward full digital charts. My tablet is a 9" Samsung with Garmin Pilot. (No iPads for me, ever.)
How are you mounting it? On the yoke? On a goose-neck? Strapped to your leg?
Personally, I have never liked to mount plates to my yoke as it blocks my scan. I was thinking of a goose-neck to the left. I kinda want to leave my leg for a scratch-pad to write frequency changes and tank swaps.
I am looking for suggestions for general mounting positions and bracket sources.
TonyT
CSEL
PA32R-300

Window mount with the Ram double suction cup base has worked well for me. Occasionally the suction cups have to be reattached at high altitudes and low OATs, but otherwise the setup is trouble free.

 

[sarangan]

Window mount with the Ram double suction cup base has worked well for me. Occasionally the suction cups have to be reattached at high altitudes and low OATs, but otherwise the setup is trouble free.

Personally, I find those window mounts to block too much of the important peripheral view. In the old days when we used paper charts, it was held by a binder clip on the yoke. A small tablet could be mounted the same way. I discourage my students from using large screens that block the panel or outside view.

 

[Sluggo63]

We use Pivot cases at work and I think they're a great option. You can use whatever Ram mounting option you like but where it attaches to the case is just a small plastic square. I liked them so much, I bought a Pivot case for my mini to use in the Seneca. I bring my work iPad along as a backup and if the mini dies for some reason (or overheats ) I can quickly change to the standard iPad if I need.

https://pivotcase.com/

 

[Skyrys62]

Recently experimented with a kneeboard, and came up with this contraption.
Mounts anywhere but I have it on the yoke right now.
It lets me keep the iPad in the case, which I like. Lightweight, and holds surprisingly well.
Also left a little extra room in the bottom bend to allow for a notepad and/or printed approach plates to sit behind the iPad if I want, just in case...
Plus, still have the quick reference (vfr) sheet that came on the kneeboard for those hard to remember light signals

 

[David Megginson]

Personally, I find those window mounts to block too much of the important peripheral view. In the old days when we used paper charts, it was held by a binder clip on the yoke. A small tablet could be mounted the same way. I discourage my students from using large screens that block the panel or outside view.

Agreed. I bought one, but that little window just beside the panel is very important for me, especially in the circuit, and blocking any of it seemed like a poor trade-off.

 

[EdFred]

Drill 1/2" hole in center of panel insert. Use deburring tool to slightly over 1/2"
Drill 3/8" hole off set to one of the panel insert corners.
Use a die to thread the bracket shaft at 1/2-20
Put a couple washers spacing on the bracket shaft.
Insert bracket shaft through center hole and tighten to panel insert from the back with a 1/2" nut.
Snake power cord through 3/8" hole.
Screw panel insert back into panel and connect power to the 9V power jack hidden behind the panel.
Place iFly tablet on bracket.

No cords, no looking down during scan, nothing on the yoke.



The lone cord in the picture is keeping my phone charged.

 

[Rgbeard]

I used to use a 9.7" ipad on a yoke mount. After an avionics upgrade, I now use an ipad mini on a suction cup mount on the lower corner of the windshield. This is in a C172. Try various options and see what works for you.
View attachment 98057 View attachment 98058

Wow! A C172 with a 650, dual G5s and a Garmin AP as well, plus more? OMG.

 

[EdFred]

Wow! A C172 with a 650, dual G5s and a Garmin AP as well, plus more? OMG.

Well, when you spend 6 hours going 400 miles, you want all the best goodies in the plane.

 

[MBDiagMan]

No problem and let me know if you want the part numbers. I struggled with finding a good fit for some time, so if I can help someone else out I'd be glad to do it.

I would love to have the part numbers and if you post them here maybe it will be helpful for others also.

 

[Deelee]

I would love to have the part numbers

Ask and ye shall receive -
(even better than le parte numbers... the links to the amazing online jobber Amazon!) -

RAM double socket arm (long arm): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WJA5ZY/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

RAM double ball adapter (lol for some reason....): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ES5D5Y/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is in addition to the original RAM mount kit I got from Marv Golden -

RAM Universal Tough-Claw Mount for Large iPads - https://www.marvgolden.com/ram-universal-tough-claw-mount-for-large-ipads.html

Hope this helps!

 

[MBDiagMan]

Thanks a bunch Dee! I have the iPad mount and even a few different arms, but had not seen the double ball item. I think this will be helpful for many.

 

[sourdough44]

I have an IPad mini. I looked at a lot, ended up with a leg mount, with tilt. Here are some supporting reasons.

Especially now with the mounted GPS-175, there’s no reason to be staring at the iPad, more so for reference., WX, and the like. The Velcro leg mount is cheap, my iPad comes & goes a lot too.

At one time I was hot on a ‘real’ mount. I got the leg mount for the interim, been happy with it.