Software

Both Aviation Mentor and ForeFlight have posts about iPad Mini unboxing and first impressions but Aviation Mentor’s John Ewing has taken flight with one. Hence, here is a quick look at some first impressions of the iPad Mini in the cockpit:

• Weight. John has pointed out that the iPad Mini is lightweight but its still hard to appreciate just how light it is until you hold one in your hands. Moreover, the lighter weight offsets the smaller screen size.
• iPad Mini Cases. While there are limited options for iPad mini cases, John noted that the presence or absence of a case will impact mounting options. However and if John does go for some kind of case or skin, he would opt for RAM Universal X-Grip II.
• Yoke Mounting the iPad Mini. John tested the X-Grip with a yoke mount in the Cessna 172 and he pointed out that unlike the full-sized iPad, the lighter weight of the iPad mini means its ideal for yoke mounting. However, John also mentioned that while the yoke mount worked well on the right seat yoke, the chart holder clip on the left yoke in a late model Cessna aircraft would need to be removed to make the yoke mount work – something that could be problematic for renter pilots.
• Suction Mounting the iPad Mini. An iPad mini with a RAM suction mount also worked for John and he wrote that the only issue he encountered was some slight interference between the suction mount and the side window. However and with some tweaking, John was able to make it work. The only issue he encountered was some slight interference between the suction mount and the side window.
• Glare. John commented that having the iPad mounted higher up will limit heads-down movement and make it easier to quickly refer to the screen but having the iPad mounted higher up will also make glare an issue. On the other hand, John finds the loss of screen sharpness from screen protectors to be a bigger distraction than occasional glare.
• Overheating. ForeFlight pointed out that the new iPad released in April also ran hotter than previous generations but during their initial tests of the iPad mini, it stayed cool throughout the trip. Nevertheless, pilots should probably still avoid having it in direct sunlight.

Both John and ForeFlight concluded that if you aren’t already using a full sized iPad in the cockpit or if you are using an earlier version, then choosing the iPad mini is a no-brainer. On the other hand, ForeFlight pointed out that the iPad mini isn’t for everyone, because fonts are smaller on the 7.9″ screen plus it doesn’t have a “retina” screen like the new iPads and iPhones.

Source: John Ewing of Aviation Mentor

We have recently written about why pilots might not want to upgrade their iPad or iPhone just yet due to problems with their latest operating system but John Ewing of Aviation Mentor has just written about a whole list of problems that pilots are experiencing with iPads as electronic flight bags. Specifically, the list of problems noted by John included:

1. Out-of-date/missing charts
2. GPS reception
3. Bluetooth issues
4. Chart apps with incomplete data
5. SIM cards rattling loose (which knocks out the GPS)
6. Apps crashing
7. Overheating
8. Battery issues

John then went into considerable detail about all of these issues along with the solutions or partial solutions that can resolve or at least mitigate these problems. He also suggested investing in a USB charger solely for use in the aircraft (in case you forget to fully charge your iPad by leaving it plugged in all night), put your iPad into sleep mode when you aren’t using the display (to preserve its battery power), keep your iPad out of direct sunlight and to do a dry run a day or two before a flight (or before you file a flight plan) to make sure that all of your apps and charts are up-to-date and functioning properly.

In other words and if you use an iPad as an electronic flight bag, John’s entire post (plus our previous post about issues iPad owners experience with the latest upgrades) is a must read before you depart on your next flight.

John Ewing has recently written a lengthy post for his Aviation Mentor blog about Apple’s latest and problematic updates to their iPhones, iPads and Macs (MacOS). Moreover, he noted that at least one of these problems is a BIG problem for pilots who use an iPad as an electronic flight bag. 

Specifically, the five unintended consequences of the latest Apple’s design changes noted by John included the following:

1. Data going missed
2. Multi-tasking Gestures, for some
3. iCloud just ain’t there … yet
4. Mail, Contacts, and Calendar issues
5. Security Issues

By far the biggest concern for pilots should be John’s reason #1. Specifically, John had advised pilots on a budget to buy an iPad with less memory as 16GBs seemed fine to him. However, iPad has a new WiFi syncing feature and Apps that need to store a significant amount of data (e.g. aviation charts) must now store this data in a user cache – which automatically gets cleaned out whenever the device starts to run low on space. This means that you may not be able to find the right approach charts just when you need to find the right approach charts.

Apparently, Apple is assuming that iPad users will always have access to super high-speed Internet – meaning they assume that everyone using an Apple iPad will be using one in the Bay Area or another big urban area rather than someplace like a rural area with slower Internet or a few thousand meters in the sky where there is unlikely to be any Internet at all.

Hence, John wrote that this cleaning feature needs to be undone or at least some kind of setting provided to override the cleaning or apps should be allowed to store a their offline data.

Near the end of his post, John summed up his thoughts about Apple by commenting that as a company becomes more and more successful, there is a tendency for quality to erode (or maybe its because Steve Jobs is no longer around to insure quality). He then added:

I don’t know if it’s the mania for continued growth, the thirst for more income streams, the influx of marketeers and bean-counters, or just the sheer number of user, but Apple’s image appears to this long-time customer as being more than a bit tarnished.

In other words and if you use an iPad or an iPhone as an electronic flight bag or intend to use one, read John’s post as well as do your own due diligence with other pilots who are actively using the latest Apple products to find out any limitations or problems they are experiencing.