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Ipad Mini in a Skywagon

Tom3holer

Tom3holer

MEMBER
Cape Cod
I have an Ipad mini I've used for sometime now in my cub. Just bought a 185 and bought a nice yoke mount which I though would work great. The big problem is that in the screen is all washed out most of the time when its sunny. Has anyone tried a yoke mount with success?

Tom
 
Tom, I force full brightness, but the ipad will never be as bright as a GPS made for airplanes. Also, you will probably have to take off your sunglasses to read it - especially if they are polarized.

sj
 
I used a RAM yoke mount and RAM roller board and installed it upside down over the top of the yoke. That allows me to tilt it to suit the conditions, seat position, etc. It works well for me.
 

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stewartb said:
I used a RAM yoke mount and RAM roller board and installed it upside down over the top of the yoke. That allows me to tilt it to suit the conditions, seat position, etc. It works well for me.
Click to expand...

Same setup for me using the 9.7 inch iPad. Been running this config for years and never really a problem with glare. Latest iPad Pro seems even better with its lower reflectivity screen.
 
Can't stand having anything attached to the yoke myself. This is my preferred mount and never have problems with glare. (I've since replaced the entire avionics stack but still couldn't come up with room to mount it there)

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I have early style yoke mounted upside down. Ram (roller) mount for iPad mini works great.
 
Thanks everyone.
I have the Ram yoke mount. Thought it was going to be perfect but most of the time the screen on full brightness looks washed out.
NO, I never wear polarized sun glasses while flying.
Going flying tomorrow and will try different positions and see how that works. I do not have very good sun visors and may look into the overpriced Rosen ones.
My best thought is on the center stack, there is room, which is under the glare shield.

Tom
 
I wear polarized glasses all the time and don't have any problems seeing iPad mini or iPhone. By all the time I mean all the time. Either Maui Jims or my everyday gray polarized Transition lenses. No issues.

This is more convenient for me than an iPad. I always carry my phone and it lives in an Otter box so I cut the belt clip off the belt carrier and velcro it the the yoke. Snap it in. That way I don't have it in my butt pocket like normal. Works great. Even with polaroized lenses. 8)
 

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I have a yoke mount (although I often attach it to the compass on the windscreen) but with the older yokes - and mine are upside down for knee room - it does not fit as nicely as Stewart's.

I'm a firm believer that polarized sunglasses is the only way to go. There was some old time direction telling pilots not to wear them - but I think those days are gone (another thread here on it somewhere). I have one old IE gauge that I can't read with polarized lenses, all the newer ones screens are oriented property to not cause a problem. Polarized lenses sort of work like a Venetian blind (if you are old enough to know what those are)

sj
 
OK - stupid question time... If the iPad were mounted right side up using the roller mount, wouldn't you have the same flexibility tilting/angling it as desired? (I ask, because that's how I used mine in my Grumman Traveler, and I never encountered an issue adjusting it...)

After the Grumman, I owned a Commander 114, and on that one, I used a suction-cup mount to attach the iPad in the lower-left corner of the wind screen. It partially blocked the clock, but I didn't care. It blocked a LOT less forward visibility than the one pictured above sitting on the glare shield - that looks like it could hide a 787 coming directly at you!

And finally, now that I own a "tube-and-fabric" airplane (Champion 7ECA), I use the yoke mount to attach the iPad to one of the tubes off to the left. No obstruction to forward or side visibility, and rock-solid mount point. It does partially block my OAT gauge, but I can move around to read it if necessary.
 
JimParker256 said:
...It blocked a LOT less forward visibility than the one pictured above sitting on the glare shield - that looks like it could hide a 787 coming directly at you!....
Click to expand...

I'm short-statured, so that tablet location wouldn't work well at all for me.
I had the whiskey compass mounted on the windshield down low, close to the top of the glareshield, but found in combination with the windshield v-brace it blocked too much forward viz. I remounted it to the next higher bolt going through the windshield strap-- it doesn't look as good there but I can sure see out a lot better.
 
I just got used to flying with non polarized sunglasses because it caused a terrible rainbow effect on the heated windows of the airplanes I flew and on the Airbus glass cockpit they was a disaster. Even my J3 had bad rainbows looking through the windows. I do love polarized sun glasses for everything else however.
 
Just an update,

I have been using the Ipad mini with the yoke ram mount and it did not work well as the glare was washing it out much of the time.
Just installed the rather expensive anti-glare tempered glass by MYGOFLIGHT and it works beautifully. Very pleased.
I did screw up on installing and have a small area at the top right side that will did not adhere, my fault.
Called them and asked if there was anything I could do and they sent me a new one at no cost. You can't beat that kind of service.

One caution:

They recommend not using the the Ram mount with the roller snap as shown in stewartb's photo. They had several reports of the snap roller breaking the glass due to it being too "Adressive" a snap.
I tend to agree but like that mount. What worked well was to heat the snap area at the bend and open it up a bit. Now it fits very lightly and have no fear of cracking the screen.
 
This is one area of aeroplanes I just don't get. I don't understand the whole avionics thing.
For years we used $7 maps satisfactorily. I once crossed a desert in a Bonanza for 8 hours with no avonics at all, just WAC's. We use to fly around in cloud at night with a few paper plates. And now people are out there selling 50K avionics packages with fancy moving maps to do exactly the same thing?????
Sure the electronic map is easy, but at what price?

I would like a simple panel mounted iPad or similar and wondering what works best. Or any other panel solution at iPad prices.
 
texmex said:
This is one area of aeroplanes I just don't get. I don't understand the whole avionics thing.
For years we used $7 maps satisfactorily. I once crossed a desert in a Bonanza for 8 hours with no avonics at all, just WAC's. We use to fly around in cloud at night with a few paper plates. And now people are out there selling 50K avionics packages with fancy moving maps to do exactly the same thing?????
Sure the electronic map is easy, but at what price?

I would like a simple panel mounted iPad or similar and wondering what works best. Or any other panel solution at iPad prices.
Click to expand...


Ipad Mini..Ram Mount..Stratus 2 and Foreflight. Less than $2000.

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The later model yokes in my early model c180 work great with a ram mount and short arm and mini ipad. I will get photos up soon. Mini is in a Nuud Lifeproof with no screen protector.

Have had iPhone 6plus and ForeFlite for the last 3 commercial seasons with various "custom" yoke cradles to fit the Cub,206, or Beaver of the day. Oh yes.......... With the dreaded Polarized Sunglasses. MauiJims, of course, this most recent season!!
 
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texmex said:
This is one area of aeroplanes I just don't get. I don't understand the whole avionics thing.
For years we used $7 maps satisfactorily. I once crossed a desert in a Bonanza for 8 hours with no avonics at all, just WAC's. We use to fly around in cloud at night with a few paper plates. And now people are out there selling 50K avionics packages with fancy moving maps to do exactly the same thing?????
Sure the electronic map is easy, but at what price?

I would like a simple panel mounted iPad or similar and wondering what works best. Or any other panel solution at iPad prices.
Click to expand...

I need 7 sectionals normally. Probably update charts 2 times annually. $98 bucks

i have an iphone 6 always with me nowadays. AND i LIKE it!!! (It took me a while to say that openly). No extra cost.

ForeFlite is AWESOME! At a reasonable price. And the decision to have that much information at a fingertip is a good pilotting decision, I think. Financially it is not a bad decision, if you want to question ForeFlite's cost, I think.

adding a Stratus to the above package makes an unbeatable nav and info system.
 
We went with a panel mount, haven't ever had a problem with glare.
26266663694_aa2bdda102_o.jpg
 
Ken Kennedy said:
We went with a panel mount, haven't ever had a problem with glare.
26266663694_aa2bdda102_o.jpg
Click to expand...


Holy Smokes....!

Thats a NICE looking panel...!!

I really like the Day/Night switch. Is that to remind you what time of day it is....?

seriously. This is good stuff.

Kem
 
I've been using a ram X-grip for a few years with a mini and like it. I wouldn't say I've never had a glare problem, but I will say it's never been a huge deal. The light has to be just right.
 
...... he said on an internet forum using his computer!
Click to expand...

Haha. Yes I see a certain irony in that Stewartb.

Thanks for the photo's guys. I'm about a year away I think from having to address this question in my current Bonanza reno.
Lefoy84 is that an iPad mini or standard iPad? What are the dimensions? Thanks. (I'm trying to figure out what would work in a normal radio stack)

All the photo's above leave me wondering how one of those large iPhones would work.

Any other photo's or ideas gratefully received. :smile:
 
ForeFlite is AWESOME! At a reasonable price.
Click to expand...

Yes I've got AvPlan which I imagine is the same idea. And yes that type of software is very good value at about $65 USD's a year. Fantastic.

It's the spending of 20k to 50K (yes that includes radios and other gear) to put it in the dash that has me perplexed.

I came across a Bendix King Map/ Comm advertisement the other day and thought 'That looks ideal'. Googling it the unit price was 15k USD. Not installed.

So to display $65 software, I can buy the $15,000 (plus installation) TV.

I'm missing something.
 
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Yes, I think so.
You do not need to spend much more than the cost of an Ipad to display and use Foreflight as a dash mount.
I use the ipad mini as the full size is just too large for practical use. The mini at 5.25x7.875 is actually larger than most of the current high cost installed gear.
 
All you guys using ipad stuff, I am about to purchase an Ipad type unit for my plane, but am lost on what to get.

I will be installing a Garmin G-5 in the panel, sitting here in a box alread, and have made adequate space above the yoke on the right side to put the ipad in. I plan to have a mounting area angled towards me to see it better, but I would like to hear from all of you what type of unit I should get, and what works for you all?

This is in an M-5 Maule, with a full radio stack down the center but only a hand held GPS.

I am not going with a big phone, as currently only an Iphone 4 works from my house.

So if you were setting up a pad, with the specific mission to mount in your plane and run Garmin Pilot, what unit do you suggest?

Thanks
 
I vote for the Ipad mini with at least 32gig of memory but I run Foreflight. Got mine bought a year ago with 64gigs and paid right around $300 new. Be sure you get one that is cellphone ready so the GPS will work. No need to activate the cell portion. You can use your Iphone 4 as a hotspot and get updated while airborne assuming your in cell range.
I also have WingXpro given to all CFI's for free but I like Foreflight MUCH better even though its $80/yr.

It is more expensive than some of the generic tablets but it can do a myriad of other things like running all of the Apple apps. The latest Ipad has a supposedly better screen but when I saw it in the store it looked almost exactly like the previous version. You will need a anti-glare screen cover but they are usually less than $50. You will need a USB charger port, I bought one from Ebay that had a bright voltage readout and 2 USB ports that plugs into a cigarette lighter socket Fully TSO'd of course....

Tom
 
Galaxy Tab S2 (Android) with Garmin Pilot here. WxWorks feeds XM weather by wifi. I've been using it for a year now, and am happy with the setup and capabilities. It has an excellent screen in all lighting conditions that I've encountered. I have a self-healing screen protector on it, but haven't needed anything for glare control. It goes on my panel with velcro.
 
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