Anyone still using an iPad mini 2 with Foreflight?

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James Darren

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James D
Anyone still using an older iPad mini 2 with Foreflight? If so, have there been any issues or crashes while using it?

I'm an occasional VFR only pilot and trying to avoid buying a new iPad.

Thanks
 
If you have it and it works for you, who cares what someone else thinks?

With a Mini2 you are limited to iOS v.12.X. That also means you are limited to earlier versions of Foreflight which were compatible with it. As n "occasional VFR pilot," that combination might well be feature-rich enough for your needs.
 
Other sounding cool telling people you use ForeFlight, there is zero reason to place a premium EFB app on an IPad mini 2. ForeFlight is expensive, you say you are only going to occasionally use it and putting it on a tablet that is will not run optimally is kinda silly.

For VFR only charts, you can put WingX on the IPad Mini2 for a one time cost on 99 cents and it will run fine. If it doesn’t, you are out 99 cents.
 
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Clip4 said:
Other sounding cool telling people you use ForeFlight, there is zero reason to place a premium EFB app on an IPad mini 2. ForeFlight is expensive, you say you are only going to occasionally use it and putting it on a tablet that is will not run optimally is kinda silly.

For VFR only charts, you can put WingX on the IPad Mini2 for a one time cost on 99 cents and it will run fine. If it doesn’t, you are out 99 cents.
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If you want a free chart you can use FltPlanGo which is the app version of FltPlan.com. The Company I work for used it before we got ForeFlight and I still use it for my personal flying both VFR and IFR.
 
That was my combination until a couple of months ago when I bought a new iPad (because the battery was dying). No crashes or other weird behavior on that combo.
 
Do you have an iphone? I find using the phone in flight and ipad at home
 
The Mini 2 is so old that there haven't even been security updates for it for years, and even with the versions of iOS and ForeFlight that it can run, it's going to be horrifically slow.

If you're an IFR pilot - Don't. As an "occasional VFR only pilot", maybe consider an EFB app on your phone instead?
 
I’m amazed your two works well enough to use for anything. Mine is so slow that I gave up.

Battery still good after 12 years yet all my newer iPhone batteries become marginal like clockwork at 4 years
 
Clip4 said:
Other sounding cool telling people you use ForeFlight, there is zero reason to place a premium EFB app on an IPad mini 2. ForeFlight is expensive, you say you are only going to occasionally use it and putting it on a tablet that is will not run optimally is kinda silly.

For VFR only charts, you can put WingX on the IPad Mini2 for a one time cost on 99 cents and it will run fine. If it doesn’t, you are out 99 cents.
Click to expand...

I don’t get this


ForeFlight is not a resource intensive video editing or gaming program and will run just fine on a non bloated older iPad


On an iPad Mini 2, avoiding the latest bloat iOS update and not having a bunch of stuff running in the background, not junking the memory up will allow FF to perform well.


It may eventually lose support for new app versions, but the meat and potatoes navigation data, comments, logbooks, and charts can still be updated just fine.


If we are being honest the actual operational improvements to FF over the past 10 years have been minimal.


A new iPad is optional if the Mini 2 already runs it adequately.

Security wise, if you’re only going online to update FF, it’s no factor. If do play online with it too but don’t click random sketchy links and open every email or text someone sends you should also be immune from most security issues
 
James Darren said:
Anyone still using an older iPad mini 2 with Foreflight? If so, have there been any issues or crashes while using it?
I'm an occasional VFR only pilot and trying to avoid buying a new iPad.
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I'm also a FF users, and I need to ask if you've looked at other options if you're concerned about the price of upgrading an iPad you've obviously had for a long time.

I think FF is great, but you are paying for the current v18.2.2 while you can only run v12.x on your older iPad. So if you don't have a problem paying for FF, then I'd say you shouldn't have a problem getting a new iPad. :p But if cost is really a consideration, then look around at the other EFBs and see if there is one for your occasional VFR flying. And yes, I get there will be a learning curve... but is that worth the cost savings?

A lot of people seem to like FltPlan Go, so you might want to take a look. https://imageserver.fltplan.com/ipad/FltPlanGoTutorial/fltplanGo.html
 
decalogue said:
ForeFlight is not a resource intensive video editing or gaming program and will run just fine on a non bloated older iPad
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Correct, you can keep getting the DB updates for an older version of FF. But why pay FF prices for the latest and greatest FF software when you are only able to use a software version that was released 7 years ago?

Remember the OP was having problems spending the money for a new iPad, so why spend the money for FF?
 
We have a mini2 running FF on a VFR only airplane. It just barely works. That is, the interface response is so slow that is basically a chart display with GPS.

Mini5 which is around $200 seems to be a good choice at the moment. After that form factor changes so all the mounts have to change. Have two like this. These use all the features including approaches.

All FF minis have nothing else SW-wise and stay with airplane unless being updated.
 
M20K said:
Correct, you can keep getting the DB updates for an older version of FF. But why pay FF prices for the latest and greatest FF software when you are only able to use a software version that was released 7 years ago?

Remember the OP was having problems spending the money for a new iPad, so why spend the money for FF?
Click to expand...

Because

7yr old FF is still vastly better than today’s fltplngo and the other budget options


7yr old FF vs today’s FF there have been very few real improvements anyways

Being able to have custom ownership markers and colors for each plane, have my logbook usually detect if it was a towered landing or not, have the side brief tab thing for the IAP, have tabs for the documents I have open, uhhh not sure what else they really have done over the last decade or so I’ve been using it.

All the major innovation was done way back when before the first sale to Boeing, since then it’s been “oh that’s interesting, anywho” type upgrades to the program.
 
decalogue said:
Because

7yr old FF is still vastly better than today’s fltplngo and the other budget options


7yr old FF vs today’s FF there have been very few real improvements anyways

Being able to have custom ownership markers and colors for each plane, have my logbook usually detect if it was a towered landing or not, have the side brief tab thing for the IAP, have tabs for the documents I have open, uhhh not sure what else they really have done over the last decade or so I’ve been using it.

All the major innovation was done way back when before the first sale to Boeing, since then it’s been “oh that’s interesting, anywho” type upgrades to the program.
Click to expand...
Pretty much true for all software - innovative brilliance (sometimes), some UI improvement and bug fixing, and then endless useless upgrades that probably just exist to defend the existence of some of the support team members. FF user since day one, best features were there and working at launch or within a couple years.

Another example of existence persistence for SW developers - UA iPhone app said needed upgrade to continue; did so. Could no longer scroll past first two visible returned flight options without it immediately snapping back (meaning no way to select them). App does no more or less than five years ago and has probably been "upgraded" 30 times since then.
 
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