Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

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bagarre
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Re: Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

Post by bagarre »

OK. I mis-understood.
But with ForeFlight (and all the aviation apps I've played with), the maps can be downloaded and cached on the system.

With the bigger screen, I prefer the Sectional map tho.
ucfcheez
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Re: Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

Post by ucfcheez »

At the risk of a social faux pas on my initial posting, I'm going to jump in here and offer a link:

http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/sh ... hp?t=40704

As a '48 170 owner for the past 18 months, I finally joined at Sun n Fun. I've been searching for an upgrade for the Garmin 295 (no updates anymore) and, having a Droid, thought that such a powerful machine could combine a moving map with the built-in GPS and display it on the 4.3 inch screen. No dice (yet). The thread noted above does discuss apps currently available for Android: rMaps and AirWX are apps that I use every day.

At this point I'm considering the iFly 700; uses sectionals on a 7 inch screen for my 41 year old eyes, which is nice and, being close to the Miami/Jacksonville sectional line, saves me from doing the sectional-folding dance as part of my preflight!

Scott
ole' blue
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Re: Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

Post by ole' blue »

Not to beat a dead horse (I see this is a month old), but I use my Ipad 2 with Foreflight exclusively for in cockpit GPS. The old Nav unit in the plane hasn't functioned since I bought it, so it was a good excuse to tell my wife that I needed to get an Ipad :)
Anyhoo, I absolutely love it! There are a few oddities, but overall it's very good. There was a recent update to the program which added several features that were previously missing. Now, if you have made a flight plan (you don't have to file the plan, just draw it on your map), you can see your distance to the next destination, time in route, fuel burn, etc. As I continue using it, I continue learning more things that it can do. I have flown from anchorage to Denali park, the Wrangell St. Elias park, and around the Kenai peninsula, and it has never lost signal yet (using just the internal GPS).
What it can't do:
DME- it only gives you distance to the next waypoint, so you can't just ask it how far away something is
Moving Map- the map doesn't move on its own, you have to move it or you will fly off the screen
Cook inflight meals- I read somewhere that this was an option, but I think you have to buy an adapter or something...
Actually, I'm using my ipad to type this. With a Bluetooth keyboard, it types really well. The onscreen keyboard is only good for about 3 sentences before you get pissed off at it. As a bonus, I have installed Numbers (excel), and I track my fuel and oil burn, as well as all mx due and such. Its easy to input the info right at the fuel pump so you don't forget it. (I burn 6.75 gallons/hr using tach time). I also fill in the price of fuel, and it tracks how much I spend and the plane's overall cost/hr (a feature many people would rather not use!).
All in all, it's a great option if you want multi-functionality. I don't have a Garmin so I can't really compare it to anything else. The inflight touch screen can be a pain in moderate turbulence. A lap-strap is a must to hold it to your leg.
Kevin
futr_alaskaflyer
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Re: Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

Post by futr_alaskaflyer »

ole' blue wrote:Not to beat a dead horse (I see this is a month old), but I use my Ipad 2 with Foreflight exclusively for in cockpit GPS.
What it can't do:
DME- it only gives you distance to the next waypoint, so you can't just ask it how far away something is
Moving Map- the map doesn't move on its own, you have to move it or you will fly off the screen
I don't have a Garmin so I can't really compare it to anything else. The inflight touch screen can be a pain in moderate turbulence. A lap-strap is a must to hold it to your leg.
Kevin
Actually it does function as a "moving map" you have to touch the little "radar scope" looking icon button. On the iPhone, on the map screen, it is located on the lower left. On the iPad it is located at the upper right. When it is highlighted blue your location will remain in the middle of the screen and the map will move with you, north up. Unfortunately there is no track up feature. If you drag the map it will deselect and you will need to touch the button again to reactivate the locate/moving map feature.

Like you said there is no "DME" similar to the scrolling directional arrows on a Garmin handheld (as an example.) There is no easy-peasy way to determine your current distance from any spot on the map. However there is a workaround. Add a point to your route (touch on a spot or a feature, choose to add it to your route) then it will tell you the distance as part of your plan. Then delete it if you no longer want it as part of your route.

The next release of the software update will make the map screen a bit less sensitive to an accidental touch - you will need to press and hold for a moment to select a new waypoint (this is actually rolling the software back to the way it was in a previous version, for this feature.)

I personally don't like kneeboards. RAM mount systems makes several versions of a suction cup mount and bracket for the iPad which I definitely recommend. Also a yoke mount.
Richard
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blueldr
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Re: Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

Post by blueldr »

In reading about all of these new elecrtonic devices we have available to us today, I can't help but wonder if it wasn't just dumb luck that I managed to complete a flight from Fairbanks, Alaska, to San Antonio, Texas, back in 1951.
I was a Master Sergeant in the Air Force and was transferred from Ladd AFB in Fairbanks to Randolph AFB near San Antonio and
my travel was authorized by private aircraft in lieu of a private automobile, which I did not have. The trip took about a week, what with weather and the generous young ladies at various stops along the way. (I was unencumbered with a wife and was much younger in those days.)
My navigation was accomplished with strip maps and sectional and regional maps generously supplies by my uncle,Sam. My mount for the trip was my trusty Stinson L-5G, NC63970, an old friend that I still have fond memories of to this day. My "electronics" consisted of an ARN 274N transmitter converted to transmit crystal controlled to 3105 kcs only, the standard transmitting frequency for ALL civil aircraft, and a "Coffee Grinder" type receiver for the 200 to 500 kc range to tune the four legged radio range stations to communicate with the CAA flight service stations.
In Alaska, our standard Air Force practice was to send a position report to AACS every thirty minutes. As a result, I made it a practice to do the same to flight service when flying my own airplane. There was, of course, no radar flight following in those days. Based on thirty minute intervals, I want to tell you that there are a hell of a lot of position reports between Fairbanks and San Antonio flying at about 105 MPH. My old military radios never failed me even once in my regular thirty minute position reports. I filed and closed a flight plan on every leg of the trip.
The weather man finally managed to screw me between Wichita Falls and san Antonio, the last leg of the trip. As I approached SAT, a squall line of really ugly thunderstorms blocked my way. As a result, I diverted easterly and managed to land in a deluge at San Marcos AAF which was in the process of just being reopened to train Army Liaison Pilots. I was met on the ramp by a young second lieutenant who was on duty that day. He took me to base operations to close my flight plan filed with Wichita Falls radio. I had been completely unable to use my aircraft radios due to the static interference from the thunderatorms. (Thats one of the reasons they switched to VHF frequencies later on,) Base operations did not yet have any telephone service installed.
They did, however, have a "squawk box" to military flight service in Fort Worth. The diapatcher gave me a yellow tablet on which I wrote down all the information to close my flight plan with Wichita Falls radio. I asked him to please send it to military flight service to be passed to the center and forwarded to Wichita Falls Radio.
Unfortunately, the system failed and my flight plan did not get closed. The next day when I was riding in my fiancees car, I heard on the radio news about a Stinson airplane that was missing on a flight from Alaska to San Antonio. That couldn't possibly be me. I closed my flight plan. But then, how in hell many Stinson airplanes are likely to be flying from Fairbanks to San Antonio?
Turns out that it was shift change time in San Marcos and they forgot to send the message.
The search planes were already flying. They had a record of every flight plan and position report that I had made on the trip and when I failed to close my flight plan they just knew something had gone wrong. A ramp search was not accomplished at San Marcos because they did not yet have telephone service . They had searched all he other airports in the area. I got off the hook for search charges because the Second Lieutenant who had been airdrome officer that day vouched for my trying to close the flight plan by the only means available. I, of course, assumed that it had been closed.
I later received a letter from some of my buddies in Alaska containing a story from the Fairbanks News Miner newspaper about my being missing. They were ragging my butt! I still have the clipping along with one from the San Antonio Light newspaper.
Just think, no GPS, no I pad, no I tablet, And only one radio "channel"! Miracles will never cease. Damn, but those were the fun days!

P,S.
Holey Moley! Sometimes the BS gets to flowing and it's really hard to shut it off.
BL
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170C
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Re: Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

Post by 170C »

An interesting story Dick! Just goes to show we don't have to have all these fancy electronic boxes to be able to get from point A to B. You didn't have to worry about keeping you head down inside the plane looking at gizmo's either. That was flying by the seat of your pants. I remember when I did my dual & solo cross country flights I had no radio or nav gear other than a compass & sectional. Now I complain if both radio's aren't just right and both GPS's aren't up to par. Guess we are spoiled, but as long as they work the GPS sure is nice. However, we still need (IMHO) to have those maps in our laps on long trips just in case everything electronic goes south.
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ole' blue
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Re: Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

Post by ole' blue »

Hahaha. I love your story Blueldr. That was a good laugh, and a good moral. When I bought my plane in December, I had only 60 hours flight time, and all of that was in Michigan flatlands. After one flight with the owner, and one biannual review flight, I found it very lonely and difficult to master the Anchorage airspace. I'm sure that, based on your descriptions of your flight, airspace and rules weren't your main concerns back then. Anyway, my only pilot buddy with Alaska time got shipped to Iraq about that time. I did a short stint in Afghanistan, then came back and bought my iPad. It is a real confidence builder to me. I was flying with only a VOR before, and I had a hard time successfully navigating around the magic airspace lines. To me, the picture in my lap was a confirmation that I wasn't going to encroach on somebody else's area and possibly get violated.
Thanks Richard for the heads up on how to use the iPad!! I know there are plenty more features I haven't figure out yet, but I'm slowly learning. I will try out the moving map next time. And I would welcome the less sensitive touch. It is occassionally annoying when things have changed on the screen and you have to find your place again (happens more often when the wife holds it methinks!!). ;)
Kevin
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4583C
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Re: Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

Post by 4583C »

Yes I do realize I’ve resurrected a thread from a dozen years ago :) I just enjoyed reading thru it and thinking how far things have advanced in a dozen years and it’s spiced with some classics BlueElder commentary.
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GAHorn
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Re: Iphone/Touch/Ipad - what software and hardware

Post by GAHorn »

I miss him. I once received a single dollar bill in a plain white envelope with nothing to indicate what it was for or from whom. It was a mystery.

Then a few days later, I saw that envelope sitting by the coffee-pot with a Rancho Cordova, Calif. post-mark …and I remembered that a couple weeks earlier I’d emailed him a racy picture of some cockpit activity aboard a corporate jet.

He apparently enjoyed it. :lol:
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
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