ForeFlight on Iphone Or Ipad Mini

Just bought an iPad mini last week and love it. Was previously using a 1st gen iPad. The mini mounts nicely on the yoke without getting in the way. I think this photo was taken at chest level, as I don't recall the instruments being obscured so much.

iPadMiniMounted_sm.jpg
 
With out service you can get a bad elf pro


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evapilotaz said:
Ok if the device has the capabilities for Cell service I wont activate it. Gotcha!

I want GPS flight tracking without having the need for cell service. Verizon already gets plenty of money from me.
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On the family plan my iPad is $10/mo. I originally had no intention of putting it on my plan. But once I did, I couldn't imagine not having it online. I often update weather and file flight plans from remote airports.
 
I had a first gen iPad 3G, then a third-gen iPad with 4G, and now a retina mini with 4G. I love the mini.

A couple points that I want to make clear:
  • If you want a built-in GPS buy the cellular version.
  • You do not need to activate the cellular service to actually use the GPS
  • If you do wish to use the cellular service you actually sign up from the iPad and pay for it month-by-month. No contract, no calling, no store visit, etc. (You can CHOOSE to add it to an existing contract with a family plan if you want to, though.)
  • The built-in GPS in the cellular models works perfectly fine and rarely if ever hiccups for most people, although an external GPS is generally considered more reliable (at the expense of another device which needs to be charged!)
  • Perhaps most importantly, T-Mobile now offers free 200MB data on tablets for life, no strings attached. I bought the T-mobile version of the Retina Mini 4G and created an account on the iPad and immediately had 200MB of data available each month. Obviously it's not enough to watch a movie, but you can definitely check weather, TFRs, and file a flight plan without needing to subscribe to a paid plan or needing to use your phone.
 
We should consider having a "sticky" post, perhaps in the Tech forum, that answers all of the iPad/iPhone/GPS questions...
 
Although I put my IPhone on a yoke mount, it is only for backup to my IPad while in flight. The app is a little bit different and more useful on the IPad. I get the most use of Foreflight on the IPhone, simply because it's always in my pocket and ready to answer questions about different proposed trips, weather, etc. as an always at the ready reference tool.

I also sometimes tether the IPad to the IPhone for a poor mans weather in flight resource. If I am an area with cell service, I can go to a low altitude for an update. I have never actually resorted to this, but every possibility is one that might come in handy some day.
 
David:

I tried the free version on my iPhone, and it worked fine in the air. The iPhone isn't as user friendly as the iPad as far as looking at the sectional, etc., because the iPhone screen is so small. I went ahead and subscribed, but I don't use it a lot in the air. I have a portable Garmin that is a dedicated unit, and I much prefer it. Then again, I was tickled pink when I got my first airplane that had a LORAN installed, and the LORAN only had digital readout of the ETA, course and track, etc. -- no moving map. I am not one of those people that has to have the latest gadget. If what I have works for me, I had rather use my money for Avgas. I also carry paper sectionals because I like to be able to see the big picture better than I can on an electronic device. Foreflight is very handy, though, when going cross country to look up frequencies, etc. It shows radar weather and I have used it, but I can't remember whether or not it gets updated in flight.
 
Thanks for the comments everyone. I think the IPad mini and external GPS would be the ticket. I think my needs will be meet for the type of flying I do. For now I will play with my IPhone until I decide to drop $300+ on a Ip mini.

Now here is the Kicker.

My 19yr son has a IPad mini and I asked him to borrow it for Foreflight. I cannot pry that thing out of his hands :(. He bought it with his own money.
 
LDJones said:
On the family plan my iPad is $10/mo. I originally had no intention of putting it on my plan. But once I did, I couldn't imagine not having it online. I often update weather and file flight plans from remote airports.
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Agreed, same price on my AT&T plan.... worth every penny!


dukeblue219 said:
[*]Perhaps most importantly, T-Mobile now offers free 200MB data on tablets for life, no strings attached. I bought the T-mobile version of the Retina Mini 4G and created an account on the iPad and immediately had 200MB of data available each month. Obviously it's not enough to watch a movie, but you can definitely check weather, TFRs, and file a flight plan without needing to subscribe to a paid plan or needing to use your phone.
[/LIST]
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I tried this and wasn't happy at all with T-mobile's coverage..... I still have the activated sim card though so may try again periodically....

I use way more than 200mb of data on it now though, I really enjoy using the ipad mini over my phone when possible.
 
You may get a discount on the ipad purchase with a contract IF you opt to get a plan too.... it's not all that bad...
 
marcoseddi said:
With out service you can get a bad elf pro
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Let me say this again, with emphasis:

While you do need a cellular-CAPABLE iPad to have GPS, you do not need to ever activate a cellular subscription to use the internal GPS.

No service, no external GPS, no problem. You only need an external GPS if you buy a Wi-Fi only iPad.
 
Isn't it better to use a Bad Elf like this?
It's WAAS, and you don't have to worry about charging another device since it uses the iPad power.
Is there any advantage over the internal GPS?
 
Johann said:
Isn't it better to use a Bad Elf like this?
It's WAAS, and you don't have to worry about charging another device since it uses the iPad power.
Is there any advantage over the internal GPS?
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Well, you nailed it. It's WAAS. That doesn't really give you much, though - non-WAAS internal is going to give you 5-10m accuracy vs. the 1m accuracy of WAAS, but there's nowhere in an EFB where you'll see the difference. WAAS is most useful for shooting LPV approaches, and that's gotta be panel mounted gear.

The only thing I don't like about the Bad Elf is that I'm afraid I'd snap the connector off of it.

I just don't want anyone to think they NEED one. IMO, a cellular-capable iPad is a better way to go because you don't have anything that can snap off (Bad Elf) and you don't have anything else to charge (any of the Bluetooth/WiFi GPS units), AND you can hook up a cell connection to get weather where there's no WiFi in a pinch. In fact, that T-Mobile thing is a heckuva good deal for anyone looking into an EFB who doesn't necessarily want cell service. It's free, and even if the coverage isn't as good as AT&T and Verizon, it's still better than WiFi-only.
 
And if you have a Cellular-capable ipad, you JUST might find that the feature extremely useful:)

Mine is non-subscription with Verizon... I just add 2 gigs at a time as I use it. It's wi-fi'd to my network here at home so it takes me quite a while to burn through 2 gigs of data.

I guess I wasted my money on the Dual GPS reciever, but I had read that the internal GPS can be unreliable at altitude. I guess I should do some more testing to see if that's true for me, or not. Maybe Sporty's is just trying to sell more external recievers LOL.
 
evapilotaz said:
I have to check with Verizon and see what it would cost to add an Ipad Mini. I can handle $10 more.
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I'm on the Verizon Family Share a Plan and it's $10 to add a tablet device sharing your data plan. Great deal.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I guess I wasted my money on the Dual GPS reciever, but I had read that the internal GPS can be unreliable at altitude. I guess I should do some more testing to see if that's true for me, or not. Maybe Sporty's is just trying to sell more external recievers LOL.
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Perhaps the early iPads had issues....I had wifi-only on my first iPad 2... But the iPad 3 & 4 I've owned with internal GPS have been excellent. Even on commercial flights they've locked on and held position. And they locked on almost instantly.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I guess I wasted my money on the Dual GPS reciever, but I had read that the internal GPS can be unreliable at altitude. I guess I should do some more testing to see if that's true for me, or not. Maybe Sporty's is just trying to sell more external recievers LOL.
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Ya think? ;)
 
LDJones said:
Perhaps the early iPads had issues....I had wifi-only on my first iPad 2... But the iPad 3 & 4 I've owned with internal GPS have been excellent. Even on commercial flights they've locked on and held position. And they locked on almost instantly.
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I had the original iPad, and had a GPS problem with it exactly ONCE, that was solved by a reboot.

The ForeFlight guys said they were seeing problems at 250+ knots and 25000+ feet on the original iPad back then, but I believe that was the error correction in the software at the time throwing correct results out because nobody could possibly be going that fast. :rofl:
 
I have a 4G iPad mini from Australia and don't even have a SIM card for it. The GPS is always spot on. I used it on a dark and stormy night departure out of Nashville on southwest. It tracked the departure plate perfectly.


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flyingcheesehead said:
Ya think? ;)
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Used my iPad mini for both flights yesterday and cloud ahoy recorded both flights perfectly.

I'm thinking I might want to put the dual GPS reciever in the classifieds unless there is a compelling reason to keep it.

Is the internal GPS in the iPhone 5s comparable?
 
ScottM said:
I use my Foreflight on a MAXiPad and a MINiPad when in the airplane. I use it on my iPhone mostly to just check something out quickly before I am at the airport and sometimes to file a IFR flight plan. The iPhone version has it uses, but not as an inflight navigation tool IMHO
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Say what..?:lol:
 
The mini fits in my map pockets. The full size ipad does not and I find it a little cumbersome to deal with in the cockpit.
 
How much do pilots of glass-panel airplanes use this?
 
spiderweb said:
How much do pilots of glass-panel airplanes use this?
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Plenty! :D

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In all seriousness, they're different beasts. Yes, you get a moving map display - But the iPad is an EFB, not a navigator. It's for charts and info. Most of what you can get on the iPad you can get on the G1000, especially if you pay for JeppView or FliteCharts but IMO it's handy to have them separate.
 
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