Apple IPad Mini review

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Jerry,

For me there are a few problems with a yoke mount in a 170. The first is the weight on the yoke. Not really a problem with the Mini. Next is physical size. The normal IPad is nearly as big as the yoke. Again not so much a problem with the Mini. But the number one reason I don't like a yoke mount in a 170 is how close to you and how low the unit tends to be.Cables usually are also a problem but on the IPad about the only cable you might have and it is not necessary, is a light USB cable for external power.

Looking at it and operating it on the yoke puts your head down way to much and I just find it awkward.

Have you tried sitting in your 170 with an Ipad in a position it would be in with a yoke? If you like it do it.

[N3548C]

Jerry, ...have you used yoke mounts previously?
As for myself,...I tried a yoke mount on the first GPS I ever bought, a Garmin 195, and found it gave a "deadened" feel to the flight controls. The weight/mass of the thing stole the lightness away from the flight controls, and my active imagination also deplored the wear/tear on the universal drive-joints, panel bushing, etc.. Turbulence really played havoc on the yoke.
Then there's the tangled-web of wires. GAWD!

Others may differ.....but, Not for me.

Thinking about it this morning I have been starting to lean in another direction. I gotta go sit in the airplane, I think I'd like a suction cup mount on my left but I doubt I can get it low enough on the windshield.
I have never been a kneeboard guy so I defaulted to the yoke because I like approach plates there.

[N3548C]

I shoveled my way into the hangar tonight and I think I can use a suction cup mount on the lower left windshield, where this is a mini. Will report back.
I do agree with folks skeptical about a yoke mount, on either side. Thanks.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Needed a way to use my mini in my Cub and thought a knee board arrangement would be best. You could also use a knee board arrangement in the 170. I had always wanted more protection for my mini and had never bought any because when they came out there were few if any on the market. I decided as I'd want the protection for next months convention and I needed a knee board arrangement this month for my Cub, now was the time to look over what has come on the market with the idea to use it with some velcro for a kneeboard.

As I have been very satisfied with my Otter Box Defender cover for my IPhone 5 I decided to look at them first. Well it looked perfect for what I wanted to do. I did look online at others but nothing looked like it would work as well for what I wanted. I then went out to the local Best Buy to look over the covers as best I could in person. The Defender still stood out the best so I bought it at $69.

Got it home and after installing the mini inside it I started to foul with it thinking how best to attach a velcro leg strap to it. One of the reasons I liked the Defender is the screen protector is hard plastic that snaps on and when not in use snaps to the back of the unit. I knew I could attach velcro to the hard plastic somehow which is much harder if not impossible to do to other protective covers as they are made of silicon rubber which virtually nothing sticks to.

Mini in the Defender protecter and the cover which snaps on to the right.

After experimenting I realized that cutting two 2" x 1/8" slots in the cover I could weave the velcro strap though and be done. It was that simple.

Using a 1/8" drill bit in my Dremel tool I carefully board two holes at each end of the slot. Then with a cut off wheel in my Dremel I carefully cut a straight slot between the holes. Then with the 1/8" drill bit back in the Dremel I used it in the slot like a router bit to uniformly widen the slot from one end to the other.

You can see the two slots cut on each side of the movable stand device in the cover.

For the strap go to your ACE Hardware to the velcro strap section and you will find they sell two straps 2" wide by about 2 ft for $7.99. These are perfect.

Ace Hardware velcro strap

Strap weaved through the slots

Strap hanging under the "knee board"

Strapped to my knee

All wrapped up for carrying or storage

While at the Best Buy I also decided to buy a IPad compatible stylus. Thought it might make it easier to operate the mini, specially bouncing through the sky and it seems to be well worth the $15. I found I could store the stylus inside the cover of the Defender and if I didn't already have the velcro strap going through to clip it to I'd add a small strip of sticky velcro for the purpose.

Cheap Stylus

Stylus stored inside the Defender cover

[170C]

Bruce, sounds like a good article for the 170 News.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Bruce, sounds like a good article for the 170 News.

It's in the bank Frank.

[48RagwingPilot]

Interesting timing. I just bought an iPad mini last week (4G+WiFi+GPS) and spent the weekend working it into my flight routine. For the last year I've been using WingX on my iPhone 5 and now have switched to Foreflight on the iPad mini. I'm using a yoke mount system and so far the entire setup is terrific. Tomorrow I expect to take delivery of an aftermarket power cable that I can use to hardware the iPad into the airplane's electrical system, aWhy is that distinction important? Probable cause is the legal doctrine that allows law enforcement officials to conduct searches without a warrant. A warrantless search conducted without probable cause creates a basis for suppression of any evidence found during the search, sometimes called the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine along with my Garmin 496. I also have a Dual GPS bluetooth GPS receiver, but so far haven't needed it with the iPad mini. I'll let y'all know how it all works during next week's trip to Idaho.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Interesting timing. .......... aWhy is that distinction important? Probable cause is the legal doctrine that allows law enforcement officials to conduct searches without a warrant. A warrantless search conducted without probable cause creates a basis for suppression of any evidence found during the search, sometimes called the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine along with..........

me thinks a cut and paste gone bad?

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Tomorrow I expect to take delivery of an aftermarket power cable that I can use to hardware the iPad into the airplane's electrical system

A simple cigar lighter USB charger and the standard Apple USB cord works for this without getting fancy.

(BTW our new EC145 helicopter was delivered with 2 USB ports installed in the panel.)

[bagarre]

I bought the smallest cigar to usb adaptor I could find and leave it in. It has two usb plugs on it so I can charge both phone and ipad.

I've started using my iPad in flight with the Garmin Pilot software as it looks more like their normal line of handhelds.
Mostly I use it for preflight stuff but the Garmin App has a good screen that shows airports and airspaces nicely.
I dont mount it tho. I just leave it on the seat next to me, stuff it under my leg or toss it in the back and grab it for quick reference.

Mounting the thing seems overkill IMO.

[GAHorn]

That's a nice project description, Bruce.
Any chance of getting a prettier model to do the pics? ( especially the kneepad shot?)

[48RagwingPilot]

Flew my first CC w/the iPad mini yoke mount and it performed well. Visibility and access were great and no effect on the feel of the airplane. More to follow after a weekend in the Idaho BC.

[LBPilot82]

For those that fly IFR, I have played with knee mount, yoke mount and suction cup mount to the window. I prefer the window mount by far. The knee mount is great for VFR but is too far away to read approach info. It also requires too much head movement to switch between the panel and the IPad. I find the same problem with the yoke mount not to mention it moves around too much on the yoke. The window mount allows for it to be close enough to read quickly/easily and does not require much head movement. I fly with the full size IPad. It does restrict some visibility out the window but not enough for me to want to move it. I'm using the Ram mount with double ball/socket swivels. My 2 cents.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I just ordered RAMs slightly smaller (3" od) twist suction cup and a 1.75" arm and a X wing mount for a Iphone. My point in ordering this combination is to bring my collection of RAM stuff to a mount for my Iphone and one for my IPad Mini as well as a suction mount ball base, a stud mounted ball base and a tube clamp mounted ball base as well as three different length arms. With this arsenal I believe I'll be able to find several different ways to mount either my mini or my Iphone in my plane, on my Harley or my boat. Oh I guess I'd have to buy a boat first.

The idea behind the suction cup base was to either use in on the side of the windshield or my other thought was it might fit on a 3.25" instrument face like my AH in my panel.

Richard I took note you are using the double suction cup mount. RAM demonstrates these things held in place with the single cup. Do you think the double is necessary?

[bagarre]

What on earth do you need an iphone or ipad for on a Harley??
When I go out for a ride, I don't even want to wear a watch.

I'm not an IFR pilot so this is a serious question:
How dangerous is it to fly IFR without approach plates?

The reason I ask is because the iPad or any other personal device like it is not required to be fault tolerant to any level.
IE it's perfectly OK for it to reboot due to a code glitch / unhanded exception in third party software or to not come back up at all.

Their answer is "Take it to the Apple Store" or "Restore from backups" if things go bad. Not really an option while flying a plane. Has it happened? Sure but it's incredibly rare for an ipad to crap out like that....about as rare as a non TSO'd comm radio to crap out. I can't fly with the non-TSO'd radio but no one is demanding a TSO'd iPad to carry approach plates.

We've gotten used to these tablets always being there and they are pretty stable platforms. BUT they are NOT specifically designed to trust your life to. Sooner or later, someone is going to download the next AngryBirds app or some other such thing that destabilizes the OS just when they need it most.