Apple IPad Mini review

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

This is not a review of IPad software but the mini platform itself. I'd been waiting patiently for 2 years for Apple to market a smaller version of the IPad. I just felt the full size version was to big for the cockpit and though I never got around to it felt I'd rather use a IPhone in the small space we have.

Well my wait has been worth it. I purchased a black 32gb WIFI+Cellular. I wanted the built in GPS for convenience and they only are available in the Cellular versions. You do not have to activate the cell/data service for the GPS to work. The difference in price is $130. You will pay $100 for a external GPS but it will never be as convenient as the built in unit. I already own a Duo bluetooth WAAS GPS in anticipation of buying a IPad. While it is WAAS and the built in IPad GPS is not my IPad GPS has had an accuracy of 5 meters and again the hassle of the external unit is not worth the trouble and I wouldn't buy it again. Of course while you don't have to use the cell/data service, if you don't buy a model capable, you can never use it.

How does the mini work. In two words just fine. It is physically just over half as big as a full IPad but there is less blank edge space on the mini so the actual viewing area is about 2/3rd the size of the full IPad. I've had no trouble reading or touching the sweat spots in the programming for it to work so far. In fact most things like the program icons and the key board keys are the same size depending on portriat or landscape, as the full size. In Foreflight there is a few smaller buttons which I expect will be adjusted as the mini becomes the standard for aircraft use as I think it will, but I still didn't have any trouble as they are now.

As far as the mini screen and internal stuff that makes it work. The screen is the same as a IPad 2. It is glossy and it will have the same issues as a full size IPad in the sun. I haven't had andy trouble yet. I do look for Apple to finally get a anti glare screen maybe in version 3 of the mini and it will cost $$. This is Apples way. In the mean time I will get a anti glare protective cover or put up with it. The mini also as the same chip set as the IPad two and of course comes with iOS 6. It will run all the same programs as the full size version though as I mentioned there may be a few program screens that need adjusting to optimize the mini but I don't think it will take long for that to happen. The mini does have the IPad 3 camera set and is capable of running all the same software for the camera as the IPad 3.

Here are a few pictures of the mini as we might want to use them in the cockpit. The first is the mini with Foreflight open and a flight I took in my 170. It was easily readable from my knee or in fact from the passenger floor where I had it for most of the flight.

Here it is on my knee. In the helicopter and in fact in the 170 I'm pretty sure just a simple knee board strap around the leg with some velcro would work nicely. I had it just resting on my knee in the 170 and the yoke did not hit it though maybe on landing you would want to seing the mini out of the way. BTW the mini is no bigger than the military knee boards I've been issued but unlike them is only about 5/16" thick with the cover.

While at work I actually carry the mini in my standard issue flight suit leg pocket. It fits perfectly in there and is not to heavy as to be uncomfortable.

I also wear a APLHA Industries replica MA-1 flight jacket and the mini just sticks out of the inside pocket. I made a little safety strap that snaps in and hold the mini perfectly inside.

After my flight in the 170 and a review of my instrument panel, I decided that I might use an existing hole near the center to mount a RAM 1" ball. From this I will use a RAM 5.75" clamp to hold a RAM Universal X-Grip II™ Tablet Holder which fits the mini. This should place the mini just in front and slightly below my centered AN directional gyro, well within reach and reading distance. If that doesn't work out I'll use the same RAM components to make some other holder like a yoke mounted unit which the mini would be perfect size. How ever I'm not a big fan of yoke mount stuff in the 170. When the RAM hardware comes in I'll take pictures of my solution.

So in closing. I'm thrilled with the IPad Mini so far for the mixed use including in the cockpit. I think those who are using a full size IPad, you might want to give that to the wife and get yourself a mini. And for those like me who have been waiting for the smaller version, the wait is over.

[futr_alaskaflyer]

I use the RAM rotating kneeboard for my full-sized iPad and like it a lot. It uses two stretching Velcro straps with plastic buckles and a rotating cradle. However it doesn't appear that they make one for the mini. Yet.

http://www.rammount.com/CatalogResults/ ... fault.aspx

[Bramlett]

Mine is supposed to arrive today. I'm looking forward to it. I have the iPad 3 and like it but I'm thinking this will be much better for flying.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Received the RAM mount hardware I was waiting for. There was a hole just above the throttle in my instrument panel. I used this to attach the 1" ball to the panel with a 1/4-20 screw

Here is the mini in the mount in portrait mode showing Foreflight. You can swing the mount 90 degrees to the landscape mode if you want a wider map or sometimes that works better in split screen mode with Garmin software.

I've not flown with this setup yet because we were fogged in all morning. About the only thing that bothers me with this setup is I can not see the engine oil pressure gauge. Even with the mini in landscape. I may have to swing the mount over towards the left so the mini is in front of the AH so I can see the oil pressure. I may also look for ways to mount the mini a bit higher.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I recently received a PM asking a question which everyone could benefit from. Since he asked the question in a PM I can only assume he wanted to keep his identity secret so we will call him Fred Green.

Bruce, that's a good "review" of the mini. I still have a question regarding the full sized iPad or Mini-------are there disadvantages to the capabilities/features of a iPad GPS vs a stand alone GPS? ie: Can you see any reason why if a person has an iPad w/ GPS why would you need a stand alone GPS? How about if your plane is exceptionally fast?

Fred

Fred,

Yes, if you were in an vehicle that for some reason, though slim, that the internal GPS couldn't see the satellites, then a remotely placed bluetooth GPS could be a solution. For example I use to fly an S-76 which had electrically heated windshields. They would block all satellite reception from the cockpit of the aircraft except when we placed the antenna in the chin bubble. I could do that with a remote bluetooth GPS. I did not have any issue with satellite reception on my flight in the 170 with the interna GPS and do not anticipate having any as these built in GPS antennas are very good. I would be surprised to find you had any issue even if you were in a 172. The internal GPS is about all my friends have been using without issue for the last year.

The other reason you might want a external GPS is that they are all WAAS GPSs and they will pin point your location to within 5 feet not 5 meters like the internal non-WAAS GPS is capable. This could be an advantage if say you were traveling in a fast green airframe and didn't want to blow past the annual Texas Christmas Party destination.

The advantage of the built in GPS is of course if you have the IPad in your possession and the battery is charged, then you also have a GPS with a charged battery and the GPS will always communicate with the IPad because it is built in. The disadvantages are it is not WAAS and the GPS can only be placed where your IPad is. The GPS uses IPad power so your IPad battery life is shorter but the IPad can be charged while in use in your average tail dragger conversion via a cigar lighter USB charger.

The disadvantage of the external GPS is it is another device to have on hand and make communicate with the IPad though I've had little trouble with the bluetooth communications. Of course the battery has to be charged independently from the IPad and at least in the case of the Dual this can not be done while it is in use. Advantages are it is a WAAS receiver and it has it's own battery so IPad battery life is unaffected and the GPS unit can be remotely placed.

To wrap it up. I own a Dual bluetooth WAAS GPS receiver which I bought to use with both my Macbook and at the time a future IPad purchase. Now that I own a IPad with the GPS built in, at this point, I can not see ever using it with the IPad.

[GAHorn]

When I flew to TEB and back to Texas this weekend we used Ipads with remote, bluetooth GPS units sitting on the dash, directly underneath/next-to AC-powered heated windshields (Hawker 125 aircraft) and the GPS units were unaffected by the heated windshield. (My Garmin Aera 510 is also unaffected.)

But the Ipad is a bit on the too-large size and the mini certainly is attractive.
Huge THANKS for the postings, Bruce.

(even tho' it is obvious that Fred Green probably operates a non-green airplane if it's f a s t. However, maybe he's just subliminally wishing he was.)

[170C]

Bruce, your analysis of the internal GPS in the iPad Mini (and likely the larger version as well) is interesting and good information to know. If I needed to replace a couple of non upgradable GPS's in a GREEN taildragger 172 I would now be of the opinion that the iPad Mini would most likely be my choice. (Wonder what Santa's Christmas List email address might be )

Now, just for kicks, we need to do some investigative work and see if we can find out who this mystery PM person is

Thanks

[HA]

we started using iPads with internal GPS this past summer for our work airplanes, flying on thunderstorms. In ND we have a purpose-built app that takes the GPS data and input from the crew and displays position on a moving map with the target area boundaries, plus logs all events needed during the flights for proper documentation. This winter on our CA projects we're just using Foreflight and our normal excel forms for documentation, as we have other dataloggers archiving the mapping data.

we have not bothered with external GPS units and the normal iPad internal GPS works fine, with about 800 flight hours so far of testing in 12 different airplanes. I'm happy with the accuracy, it's not like we're using it as a primary nav source or trying to fly IFR through mountain passes with them. And the weather hasn't posed a problem with reception, even with lots of turning and not putting the iPads on the glareshield, usually just somebody's lap.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

When I flew to TEB and back to Texas this weekend we used Ipads with remote, bluetooth GPS units sitting on the dash, directly underneath/next-to AC-powered heated windshields (Hawker 125 aircraft) and the GPS units were unaffected by the heated windshield. (My Garmin Aera 510 is also unaffected.)

I always attributed the lack of GPS signal to the windshields. The GPS would work with the antenna placed immediately next to the side window in the door or taped to the chin bubble. The other amazing thing was that while taped to the chin bubble the antenna was oriented 90 degrees vertical not horizontal, and so at best it could only see half the sky but worked fine. I've had degraded performance with older GPS under the turning rotor but in the S-76 there was NO Signal under the windshield regardless if the rotor was turning, or the heated glass actually turned on.

[hilltop170]

Way back when, before any no-GPS rules were in place with the airlines, one night flying between Seattle and Anchorage I was using my Garmin 95XL. A flight attendant told me I couldn't use it inflight. I told her to go ask the Captain if it was ok. She came back and said the Captain wants to ask if he can play with it in the cockpit. I said sure, go for it. At the end of the flight I went up to the cockpit and the Captain said he was amazed with it (he had not seen a handheld GPS before) but that it would only work next to a side window, not the front windshield. His guess was that the electric anti-ice in the window which he thought was tiny metal filaments was attenuating the signal. I have never had a problem with getting a signal thru any windshield in a plane I have been flying, obviously none of them have anti-ice either.

I regularly use Foreflight with my iPad on commercial flights and find it works very well. It will lose reception every once in a while sitting in an isle seat but will almost always work in a window seat. It also works well in my buddy's Citation at flight level 450.

I have never seen it drop out in a single engine Cessna using the internal iPad antenna. I seldom sit in the back though.

The picture is how I set up the iPad for use in the cockpit. Two 6" strips of Home Depot 2" wide industrial velcro (fuzzy side) are on the back of the iPad. Two leather shot bags were sewn up with the hook side velcro and they stick onto the iPad whenever I use it in the plane. The rest of the time, the fuzzy side protects the back of the iPad and cushions it against hard surfaces.

When in the plane, with the shot bags installed, the iPad sits solidly on my leg without slipping off but can be set on the seat or floor without having to unstrap anything.

iPad velcro and shot bags

[DWood]

A Webinar is being offered by EAA on January 16 - 7 p.m. CST
Flying With the iPad Update: Apps, Accessories, Tips and Tricks
Presenter: Bret Koebbe

More info:

http://www.eaa.org/webinars/

[170C]

Its doubtful anyone with an iPad Mini has had an opportunity to use it during hot weather, but possibly some have done so with the full size iPad. In reading reviews on the Mini I noticed that Apple recommends not leaving the Mini in the airplane if temperatures are going to be pretty hot. I don't recall the exact limit mentioned, but it goes without saying that in many locations, such as Texas, the temperature in the airplane is going to go well over 100 degrees in the hangar and likely much higher if parked outside. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with their iPads in the hot months and how it may have effected them. Having to remove the iPad every time one vacates the plane in hot weather to prevent damage would seem to be quite a hassle. Neither my old panel mounted Magellan or my handheld Lowrance seem to be affected by hot temps.

Frank

[bagarre]

Ive set my iphone out in direct summer sun before. Not sure what the temp was but it did shut down with a warning message about being too hot.
It was nearly too hot to pick up.
I dont think a hanger or internal cabin temperatures could get hot enough to damage the unit. Hot enough to prevent it from becoming operational, yes. But only until it cools down.

[N3548C]

After my flight in the 170 and a review of my instrument panel, I decided that I might use an existing hole near the center to mount a RAM 1" ball. From this I will use a RAM 5.75" clamp to hold a RAM Universal X-Grip II™ Tablet Holder which fits the mini. This should place the mini just in front and slightly below my centered AN directional gyro, well within reach and reading distance. If that doesn't work out I'll use the same RAM components to make some other holder like a yoke mounted unit which the mini would be perfect size. How ever I'm not a big fan of yoke mount stuff in the 170.

I was looking forward to ordering a yoke mount for my iPad mini. No one seems to have gone that route. What am I not thinking?

[GAHorn]

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.