iPad mini: It's alive!!!

Huckster79 said:
Anyone use the mini on a knee mount? I fly a C140, love her but very tight cabin so not a lot of mounting options- I dislike yoke mounts.

Now that a new ones out I may get one again, just didn’t want to buy a 4 when I knew it must be getting replaced soon.

I thought my iPhone 6 would work for FF in a small cabin but it’s too tiny, a plus may have cut it but if I can kneee mount it comfortably I may spring for one of these new rigs
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I used a knee mount as a VFR pilot. However, using the iPad for approach plates, it is much better to have it on the yoke or panel to be part of your scan. That's just my personal opinion, however, and you'll find others using theirs for approach plates on a knee mount.
 
KaiGywer said:
I used a knee mount as a VFR pilot. However, using the iPad for approach plates, it is much better to have it on the yoke or panel to be part of your scan. That's just my personal opinion, however, and you'll find others using theirs for approach plates on a knee mount.
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Me nor my metal maiden of the skies is anywhere close to IR so strictly vfr for her and I... only time when she n I fly IFR it’s M-57 over to US 131 and north to M46... if we get lost flying IFR we switch to WTR flying (Water Tower Reading)... but comfortable to use FF wud be nice for the occasional long XC.

Sound like the knee pad wud work for my type of flying
 
Huckster79 said:
Anyone use the mini on a knee mount? I fly a C140, love her but very tight cabin so not a lot of mounting options- I dislike yoke mounts.
Click to expand...

I have a 10.5 Pro I use on a knee mount for VFR and IFR. I just did an IPC and used it on my knee too. But now that the new mini is out I will buy one and mount it on the yoke of the club 172 so it will be right in my view as @KaiGywer said. But knee is fine for VFR for sure. Use it all the time that way. As a matter of fact, if I was only going to use it on the knee I'd get the bigger version instead of a mini.
 
BrianNC said:
I have a 10.5 Pro I use on a knee mount for VFR and IFR. I just did an IPC and used it on my knee too. But now that the new mini is out I will buy one and mount it on the yoke of the club 172 so it will be right in my view as @KaiGywer said. But knee is fine for VFR for sure. Use it all the time that way. As a matter of fact, if I was only going to use it on the knee I'd get the bigger version instead of a mini.
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Ever squeeze into a Cessna 140? Much extension over the width of my knee and I’d be hitting with the Johnson bar getting those monster flaps extended :)

I’ll take our 10.? From the office and set in on my knee sitting in the plane and see how it feels... may want to make sure I don’t undercut myself screensize wise...
 
On that note would the now last gen iPads do fine for vfr FF? As I bet a lot of nice used ones hitting market soon...

I want solid functionality but I’m cheap too! :)
 
Huckster79 said:
On that note would the now last gen iPads do fine for vfr FF? As I bet a lot of nice used ones hitting market soon...

I want solid functionality but I’m cheap too! :)
Click to expand...

Mine runs foreflight pro SV great, IFR & VFR, I dont do the iOS update thing for every iOS release though
 
Hoping to return to flying via Basic Med this Summer. I stopped flying really around 2008 (I have a few hours and a medical since then - but basically nothing).

For a renter, is there a benefit to the mini vs. a tablet like @Hank S has?

Also, do I need the cellular for gps?
 
Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
Hoping to return to flying via Basic Med this Summer. I stopped flying really around 2008 (I have a few hours and a medical since then - but basically nothing).

For a renter, is there a benefit to the mini vs. a tablet like @Hank S has?

Also, do I need the cellular for gps?
Click to expand...

The iPad is a tablet, but it's specifically an Apple tablet running iOS. If you want to use ForeFlight, which I think is the app most of us prefer it will only run on an apple device. There are some options that run on Android based tablets but they're not as popular.

For gps you either need cellular or you can buy a GPS or GPS/ADS-B receiver that you can link to the ipad but the wifi only version on it's own will not have GPS.
 
Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
Hoping to return to flying via Basic Med this Summer. I stopped flying really around 2008 (I have a few hours and a medical since then - but basically nothing).

For a renter, is there a benefit to the mini vs. a tablet like @Hank S has?

Also, do I need the cellular for gps?
Click to expand...

The basic Samsung wifi tablet has GPS. With apple, GPS is only included in the much more expensive cellular models. Many people's motivation for ipads has been ForeFlight, but since the Boeing buyout, opinions seems to be shifting. I use Avare, a free android EFB instead, including sectionals, low enroutes and automatic airport diagrams [all georeferenced].

Your money, your choice. I'm happily frugal and prefer to eat apples [golden delicious, with or without peanut butter].
 
Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
Hoping to return to flying via Basic Med this Summer. I stopped flying really around 2008 (I have a few hours and a medical since then - but basically nothing).

For a renter, is there a benefit to the mini vs. a tablet like @Hank S has?

Also, do I need the cellular for gps?
Click to expand...

cowman said:
The iPad is a tablet, but it's specifically an Apple tablet running iOS. If you want to use ForeFlight, which I think is the app most of us prefer it will only run on an apple device. There are some options that run on Android based tablets but they're not as popular.

For gps you either need cellular or you can buy a GPS or GPS/ADS-B receiver that you can link to the ipad but the wifi only version on it's own will not have GPS.
Click to expand...

Hank S said:
The basic Samsung wifi tablet has GPS. With apple, GPS is only included in the much more expensive cellular models. Many people's motivation for ipads has been ForeFlight, but since the Boeing buyout, opinions seems to be shifting. I use Avare, a free android EFB instead, including sectionals, low enroutes and automatic airport diagrams [all georeferenced].

Your money, your choice. I'm happily frugal and prefer to eat apples [golden delicious, with or without peanut butter].
Click to expand...

To expand on what cowman and Hank S said. If you have no experience with Foreflight, there is a lesser hurdle to go Android. For those of us using Foreflight (and know it well), it would be a new learning curve for new software switching to an Android based platform. So if you're just starting out, I'd suggest trying to find somebody else around you and play with their software until you find something you like. They come in all flavors, from free to several hundred dollars.
 
Huckster79 said:
On that note would the now last gen iPads do fine for vfr FF? As I bet a lot of nice used ones hitting market soon...

I want solid functionality but I’m cheap too! :)
Click to expand...

The problem is the battery has a limited lifespan, I would not buy a used one unless it was recently refurbished with a new battery, and it would have to be less than $250 for me to even think about it, right now mini 4s are close to the 5 prices.


Tom
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
The problem is the battery has a limited lifespan, I would not buy a used one unless it was recently refurbished with a new battery, and it would have to be less than $250 for me to even think about it, right now mini 4s are close to the 5 prices.


Tom
Click to expand...

Valid point... sometimes us cheapskates save $ by not overbuying and honing in on an underpriced opportunity and sometimes we lose $ by buying cheap upfront not factoring in all the angles...
 
Weirdly, I just tried clicking the "Buy" button for the Mini on both my Mac Mini and iPhone and cannot get to the page. Not ready to buy, but use wanted to see what one cost spec'd out like I liked.
 
Anybody found any good cases for this thing yet?

I like this style but I'm not a fan of the clear.
https://www.amazon.com/AVIDET-Crystal-Anti-Scratches-Compatible-Transparent/dp/B07PMV2XWJ/

I have a nice bright orange & black case for my old mini, makes it easy to spot as I'm prone to setting it down and forgetting where I left it or leaving it in the airplane. Wanted another one like that... or maybe bright green/yellow or something. Might have to wait until they're out in the wild a little longer for someone to roll them out I guess.
 
I just got (last week) a very gently used mini 4, 128gb, lte off ebay for $280.
So far I am happy with it. Battery life seems to last forever compared to what I was used to.
My original ipad air was crashing constantly and my phone lacked a couple of nice to have functions. I have been using it for preplanning and its great. I do find myself defaulting to the even smaller Iphone 8+ in flight though.
 
I just got mine today, the foreflight charts are slooowly downloading. So far it is pretty much what I expected- a significantly faster and somewhat lighter version of the ipad I already had and liked. The few things that jumped out at me over the mini 2: no more mute/screen orientation switch, it's thinner/lighter(although some of that might be the current lack of a case), and the speakers seem to work a lot better.
 
cowman said:
I just got mine today, the foreflight charts are slooowly downloading. So far it is pretty much what I expected- a significantly faster and somewhat lighter version of the ipad I already had and liked. The few things that jumped out at me over the mini 2: no more mute/screen orientation switch, it's thinner/lighter(although some of that might be the current lack of a case), and the speakers seem to work a lot better.
Click to expand...
I've been trying to buy it, but I have found that the LTE version is not available anywhere, yet the Wifi version I can pick up at Best Buy right away.
 
I got mine yesterday. It is slightly thinner than my mini 2, but it doesn't fit in the mini-2 case. I might be able to squeeze it in, but the buttons and switches are in the wrong places.

And it IS significantly faster.
 
I just got mine - has anyone found a decent case yet? I bought the DTTO one, but I don't love it (handle is odd)
 
KaiGywer said:
I've been trying to buy it, but I have found that the LTE version is not available anywhere, yet the Wifi version I can pick up at Best Buy right away.
Click to expand...
You can order direct from apple.
https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-ipad/ipad-mini/64gb-space-gray-wifi-cellular

nj-pilot said:
I just got mine - has anyone found a decent case yet? I bought the DTTO one, but I don't love it (handle is odd)
Click to expand...
I ordered this but it still hasn't arrived yet.... I guess they're out of stock or something now.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PVHNLSY
 
Ordered mine on Amazon Thursday morning, paid for overnight shipping. It shipped today and will allegedly arrive Monday. Also ordered a rubber case for it, since I want it to be easy to take in and out for mounting in the RAM mount in the plane. Which I guess I'll find out if it'll fit or not since my mount simply says "iPad Mini" on it and no model number, so I can't verify on their website.
 
murphey said:
The LTE models (GPS) are being shipped from China...

View attachment 72994
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Yeah that's not unusual for apple, especially with a newly released product. I think they just ship it direct from where it's made rather than route it through another distribution center. I know when it's something big like a new iPhone they have it set up through the shippers so that if you pre-order it gets to your door on the release date(which makes waiting in the lines that much more silly).
 
cowman said:
Yeah that's not unusual for apple, especially with a newly released product. I think they just ship it direct from where it's made rather than route it through another distribution center. I know when it's something big like a new iPhone they have it set up through the shippers so that if you pre-order it gets to your door on the release date(which makes waiting in the lines that much more silly).
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Yup. It's fun to track them too. Usually a new iPhone release results in a small fleet of 747s crossing the Pacific. Usually at least one going to each big FedEx and UPS hub in the ConUS.
 
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I'm noticing that the battery life is good, not great - anyone else seeing that?
Felt like the iPad Air and Pro had better life.
 
Getting closer...really want it for this weekend's flying.
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Silly silly silly....Landed in Alaska, then sent across the continent to Kentucky. All they had to do was drop it out the door of the airplane when it flew over Colorado....
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This is way too much fun!

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Yes, I'm this bored right now. About to take the dog for his last walk of the evening.
 
last time I watched the delivery truck trying to get to my house, I watched him do about 6 cloverleaf patterns centered around a King Soopers/Starbux parking lot a few miles from my house. Either he was picking up loads from a truck in the lot, or he had to keep going back for more coffee.
 
This one is much more interesting....
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cowman said:
If you sign up with UPS you'll get an email the day it's out for delivery and you can even watch the delivery truck on a map!
https://www.ups.com/mychoice/welcome.html
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Watching the truck now....UPS delivers business first. Really annoying because the truck was 1 block from my house an hour ago but residential deliveries are last. Which means I'll be at the university when it gets delivered. Need to ask my neighbor to grab the box when it shows up.

Not a big deal, I'm on hold with Garmin to talk to one of the engineers about SL30/175 integration.
 
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