iPad and ForeFlight

When I started out, the iPad (variously, an old 16GB 1st generation WiFi model; a 32GB WiFi mini; a 16GB WiFi Air 2) was "just" an electronic flight bag. I wrote a couple of small applications in Java that retrieve the current A/FDs (updating every few months, as the documents expire; the application also grabbed all the pages and assembled them into a single PDF) and the relevant sectional and terminal area PDF charts from the FAA website. These went into a WebDAV-accessible directory on my Linux-based homespun NAS unit (a MicroServer Gen8 with some big drives, booting CentOS from an internal USB stick - geeky enough for you yet?). That directory automatically syncs to the iPad via GoodReader. Eventually I also loaded PDF versions of checklists, etc., onto the iPad. Then I discovered ForeFlight...

I loaded ForeFlight onto the Air 2 and the mini (alone in my collection in having enough storage to accommodate ForeFlight comfortably). Love love love it! With a RAM yoke mount (to keep it in my visual scan; I tried it on my lap, and didn't like having my head down - a kneeboard mount would be equally problematic), it's the bees knees. (I should point out that I'm using ForeFlight only to enhance situational awareness - i.e., ensure that my pilotage, dead reckoning, and VOR use doesn't inadvertently land me in LAX Class Bravo. I'm also only just scratching the surface of what it can do... More soon!)

I first tried with an iPad Air 2, and it worked well also, but the Air was only a 16GB model (and ForeFlight is storage hungry) and the form factor was just a little too large to be comfortable in the tight cockpit of a Cherokee (PA28) 140...

(Note: ForeFlight is storage hungry! With minimal other apps, no music, no photos, a few PDFs in GoodReader ... I routinely run out of storage on a 16GB iPad. ForeFlight recommends a minimum of 32GB and I think that's about right. You can use a 16GB iPad with ForeFlight, but really only if you're pretty much going to dedicate it to aviation use. If you want to have Word, any decent sized games, any music, videos (especially), etc., on it as well, get at least a 32GB model.)

To make it all work, I use:

RAM-B-121-238U yoke clamp base, standard length double socket arm and 2.43" x 1.31" diamond base kit ($43); and
RAMHOLAP14U Ram Mount EZ-ROLL'R iPad mini mount ($15) (came with four bolts and Nyloc nuts, and the mount has two sets of mounting holes that match up with the diamond adapter that came with the yoke mount kit, or could match up to a RAM-B-202U adapter)

(In the flight bag I have the iPad mini and a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover (with a ShaggyMac protector), that protects the screen and lets me easily fire off emails, etc., if I find myself waiting at an FBO or somesuch.)

For the Air, the same combo was used, except:

I used a RAMHOLAP17U mount ($19) for the iPad Air (Ram Mount EZ-ROLL'R for Apple iPad Air), which also came with four bolts / Nyloc nuts; and
I bolted a RAM-B-202U adapter ($7.50) to the Air mount (I ordered it just in case the diamond adapter didn't work with the iPad mounts, and now I can leave the bigger adapter installed on the Air mount)

For GPS, I'm using the Dual Electronics XGPS150A unit, as it was cheaper ($90) than the Bad Elf unit and I liked the dashboard no-slip pad it came with. Although it's possible to get iPads with built-in GPS (in the cellular equipped models - the GPS works even without a data plan), it adds a significant cost to each unit (e.g., the iPad mini 3rd generation costs $130 more, per configuration, for a cellular model). With an external GPS unit, I have a single sunk cost that both iPads, and all subsequent iOS devices, benefit from.

Also, I've heard the built-in GPS units aren't as accurate as an external unit (and ForeFlight cautions against using the built-in GPS in faster or higher planes).

The drawbacks are: (a) One more thing to carry (but it all fits in my flight bag, so that's kind of moot); and (b) one more thing to worry about charging (but I carry a mini USB cable and 12V/5V 2.1A charger, so that's also kind of moot). Also, there was a temporary issue where iOS 8.3 made external GPS units unavailable, but this was (quickly?) fixed; my iPads are running current iOS versions and work perfectly with the GPS unit.

In Use...

iPad Air 2 with ForeFlight, yoke mounted and in use in flight.

This is the B-121-238U kit, minus the diamond adapter, mounted to the HOL-AP17U Air mount.

So does the RAM-B-202U 1" ball adapter (shown here on the Air bracket).

The iPad Air mount, including the bolts / Nyloc nuts

iPad Air mount (RAM-HOL-AP17U), round 1" ball adapter (RAM-B-202U), and yoke mount (RAM-B-121-238U), installed in a Cherokee PA28-140 with the ram horn yoke. The whole assembly installs with a few twists of the knob to clamp it to the yoke shaft; takes a few seconds. Can easily be used with rental aircraft.