Anyone using I Pad for navigation

[N96290]

I am looking at some devices like the Kindle and I had heard that the I Pad was being used for navigation. If anyone is using one of these how does it work and what is the price for the APPS.

[mikerice]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

I just started using a iPad2 with WingXPro this past weekend on a cross country from Austin TX to Kansas City MO. Trip up was uneventful, beautiful weather and a tailwind.

Coming back was another issue. As daylight was fading, ceilings dropping to 1300 OVC and visibility dropping to 3 miles in mist. I knew it was time to get her on the ground. I used the iPad constantly. It showed the sectional view with a lubber line to my revised destination, the onboard GPS was great giving me ete, position, speed and a feature I like a lot, predictive indication marks of 3 and 5 minutes following this heading/speed. These little indicators adjust every second or so giving a constant update as I deviated from course, and finally decided on the destination with the best likelihood of a hotel and car.

Made a potentially difficult situation very easy. I was low enough that towers were a concern and ability to zoom the sectional map for great detail was invaluable. I could actually use the tower strobes to correlate my position to the sectional map.

iPad2 3G with internal GPS 699
old metal kneeboard with clip to hold iPad no cost
WingXPro nav app with sectional maps 99/yr
Piece of mind as I navigate in minimal VFR Priceless

[NC96277]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

I have used the IPad with the WingXPro app and the Garmin MyCast app. The WX works great and has nice features. I do not care for the Garmin app as it sometimes closes when you "pinch" the screen to adjust the size of the map. Also it doesn't seem to run smoothly. I have a Skypad III as well that is great. The only problem with it is that it takes so long to start up initially. After that though it is great. I just don't have the patience for the load up time so I just put it on Ebay today. With the subscription I have $1200 invested and I am selling it for $800 if anyone is interested. I really like the headwind/tailwind component graph. Very cool.

[KewFlyer]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

I'm sold with the iFly 700 and a hand held gps as back up. Flown in VFR min with confidence. At $599 plus $69 a year, is a bargain IMHO.
Ralph

[skyboltone]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

If you care to join up with Back Country Pilots there is a monster thread that has been running for months on this very topic. Some of the folks fly Boeing and Airbus equipment. One of the major carriers has bought 11,000 Ipads for their crews. They are not running WingX though for the most part. The consensus seems to be Foreflight works the best. I'm not connected with either software company. The guys who like WingX REALLY like WingX.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

Any suggestions for the PC users out here? Real engineers don't play with "fruit". ;-)
Hank

[ajfriz]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

Any suggestions for the PC users out here? Real engineers don't play with "fruit". ;-)
Hank

It's time to come to the dark side.

[skyboltone]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

Any suggestions for the PC users out here? Real engineers don't play with "fruit". ;-)
Hank

Ok, but this may take some time. First mash the button that turns on the PC. It might be the one with the 1 and the 0. When the screeny part lights up the processor will probably be locked up, so mash the button again and hold it down for 10 seconds. Sometimes this will allow the PC to get all the way through it's boot sequence. Sometimes though you'll need to gently wiggle the power cord because the battery will run out of juice before the boot sequence can be completed. Don't despair. Wait a couple of hours and the battery may recharge enough to start again. If the PC has enough power you may need to wait 10 or 20 minutes for the boot sequence to complete, depending on how many non Microsoft applications you are running, but that's ok because you'll need that time to figure out the irq address conflicts for your usb gps receiver. Now.....oh never mind. It's been so long since I had a hardware problem I've plumb forgot how to proceed. ;o) Just kidding of course Hank. I have a Macbook Pro but I've loaded a Windows 7 partition. There are MANY weaknesses to the MAC platform. Not the least of them being that it has almost NO vector graphic software compatibility with industry mainstays. You can get an Adobe version for about the same price as the computer but Corel threw in the towel. Forget AutoCad or Vista.

[lawheelock]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

Any suggestions for the PC users out here? Real engineers don't play with "fruit". ;-)
Hank

Hank, I'm with you! One of my rapidly developing pet peeves is that where ever people are gathered, they are hovered over their "phone, pad, tablet, or whatever" oblivious to everyone around them. Part of my peeve is that on sites such as this and the Stinson Yahoo site that I haunt and help on, more and more questions come as one liners, all kinds of typos, not greeting or signature and not enough information in the question to expect anyone to develop an answer.
Over 50 years ago, I took two years of typing in high school and that turned out to be the best thing I ever did. All the way through engineering school, I typed all my lab reports and papers on an old upright type writer and which generally earned me an additional letter grade due to readability. I did not get a cell phone until 2 or 3 years ago because I am not important enough to need to be in constant communication with anyone. A phone is for aural conversation, in my book, Period. The computer is wonderful because I can still type close to 45 wpm and since I can no longer hear, this is my main form of communication. I have no desire to twitter, tweet, facebook or any of that other nonsense. There is no way to generate text on those tiny keyboards with any speed. They invent dumb contractions that only their simple minded friends understand.
So, hang in there! Those of us with some knowledge and the ability to pass it on will someday be appreciated once the ipad folks figure out that they are wasting their time.
And my computers stay on all the time so don't have to wait for them to boot. I sit down and "compute" whenever I have the time or feel like it.

End of soapbox.
Larry Wheelock

[skyboltone]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

Larry, don't make me get out my stylebook and take you to task on your rant. "where ever" is wherever, not where ever. You write; "all kinds of typos, not greeting or signature". Did you mean "all kinds of typos, no greeting or signature"? If we are going to take the younger generation to task for their poor writing habits we should at least try to get it right ourselves. If you set out to complain about typographical errors don't make teh next word a typo..... Please don't be mad, I'm just kidding. Really

Dan
The last of the world's great human beings.

[Flynlow]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

I'm just now hearing about WingX, but I will check it out. I've used my iPad for a couple of flights now, with Foreflight. I likes the size of the screen and looking at a section in the background.

My GPS is a Garmin 496 and I really loved it. The iPad is cheaper to update though. What I don't like about Foreflight is, I don't think it tracks my flight. On my 496, I could download my flight. This is nice in case the Secret Service says I flew to close to W's ranch on my last flight. I have proof that I was just outside of the prohibited airspace! Then again, maybe Foreflight has this and I just haven't found it.

As far as society using them, I agree that it can get old when people always have their heads in them. I think the iPad is better for people like me though, on my cell phone when trying to send a text, I had to abbreviate or spend half an hour typing. With the iPad, I have a full keyboard and it even has an auto-correct feature, so my posts are actually improved.

[Mark Julicher]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

Answer to ORIGINAL QUESTION - YES 32GB Ipad without internal GPS - $599. DUAL XGPS 150 (external, wireless, bluetooth GPS) $79. Foreflight App - free trial period right now, but must buy subscription later. Subscription costs about the price of 5 sectionals and an Airport Facilities Directory

Follow-on rants and issues with Mac vs PC - That is a religious issue. Lets talk about dogs and the weather.
(this memo sent from one of my 6 mac computers )

[3Dreaming]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

[QUOTE=Mark Julicher;69546]Answer to ORIGINAL QUESTION - YES 32GB Ipad without internal GPS - $599. DUAL XGPS 150 (external, wireless, bluetooth GPS) $79. Foreflight App - free trial period right now, but must buy subscription later. Subscription costs about the price of 5 sectionals and an Airport Facilities Directory

Follow-on rants and issues with Mac vs PC - That is a religious issue. Lets talk about dogs and the weather.
(this memo sent from one of my 6 mac computers )[/QUOTE]

Does it take that many to have one useable?

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

I thought that might be fun. ;-)
NASA went to Mac years ago (mainly because NASA has been taken over by university intellectuals who love their Ivory Towers and Macs and the "let's stop talking about it and just build the damned thing" engineers have been pushed out). What it got us was REALLY PRETTY graphics and PowerPoint presentations, but no manned access beyond LEO space except in "cartoons" (and no U.S. LEO access unless you buy a Russian ticket).
Don't get the idea I am totally anti Mac and pro PC, I still use a slide rule...... but I am a dinosaur. The young kids don't understand you DON'T NEED to know to 10 significant figures, just BUILD IT AND GO! Three significant figures took us to the moon. Ten took us to animations of the moon.
It does seem to be a religious issue and rolling a grenade into the room always produces a lot of entertainment at work. While the zealots are occupied, the old hats go out and fix the problems.
Hank

Just try and do an orbital mechanics problem on a Mac. Good luck
Just try and do a video sim of that problem on a PC. Not going to happen

What I want is the equivalent of WingX for a PC based tablet I can take in my "T".

[N74DV]

Re: Anyone using I Pad for navigation

I've been using Foreflight on my iPad and it's been great!