A Geek Goes Flying

Not sure why it took me this long to learn how to do this (it took like 3 clicks). The Displays control panel in system settings Update: And then, inevitably, I started accessorizing. To put it at eye level when used with the arm-mounted monitor on my sit-stand workstation, or with a laptop elevated on a Moallia laptop stand / riser , I found this AiFeelife Height Adjustable Portable Monitor Stand to be the best compromise of quality, available height, reported durability, flexibility, and sturdiness ($38; make sure you get the one with the wingnut-looking “adjustment knobs,” the reviews of the ones that are Allen key adjusted are fairly negative). It should also fit my 16" portable 2K monitor, though I haven’t tried that yet. Dining Table Workspace: Portable monitor stand holding 10th gen iPad

NOOKcolor showing Android home screen Holy cow, this thing still works!(?!) Picked up this O.G. Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor ($249) in 2010 (IIRC) when I coudln’t afford an iPad ($499), because “ they” had figured out how to load an unrestricted Android build onto it ( CyanogenMod ; this thing reports it’s running Android version 2.3.7, kernel 2.6.32.9,  CyanogenMod-7.2.0-RC2-encore, on an ARMv7 CPU with 480MB reported RAM... ). This thing has been sitting without a charge for probably a couple of years at least, but a few minutes on its charger and it fired right up. (Compare with a couple of Kindle Fire tablets I had, that are much newer and totally dead, and headed to e-waste recycling.) This was a device designed and shipped when USB charging beyond the 5V 500ma standard was still in its infancy , so it came with a "proprietary" cable that ends in a weirdly long USB Mini B plug that illuminates to show charging state (I don’t recall if it will charge at all on the stan...

$150 off an iPad mini 6 on sale at Amazon finally convinced me to upgrade from the iPad mini 4 I’ve been dragging between rental planes (with its slightly cracked screen and outdated operating system - iPadOS 16, released in 2023, left it behind ). Since it would now be USB C instead of Lightning, and since my old charging setup was woefully inadequate (10,000 mAh and 10W total output power), it was time to just sort of refresh things. Flight bag, 2020 edition , now: Center Section Four Top Pocket: Still the AO sunglasses and foggles. Main compartment: Same Stratus GPS / ADS-B receiver and RAM suction cup mount . At some point I might replace the battery, through the official kit ($125) or just an aftermarket battery ($30). Same  Bose A20 headset, but I needed to replace the ear pads ; I opted to use the official Bose SKU ($36 shipped). Same  Velcro PTT switch . New for the iPad mini 6: RAM-B-202-AP36U RAM® EZ-Roll'r™ Cradle with Ball for Apple iPad mini 6 ($36.50). I’l...

I bounce between bags / a briefcase (e.g., Timbuk2 Control messenger bag or Spirit or Track II backpacks; various tomtoc bags; a black leather Kenneth Cole backpack I got as a gift a few years back). I found myself buying, or poised to buy, duplicate cables and other accessories, and then realized how silly that was. But constantly unloading/loading all the miscellany was a pain in the ass. Enter Cocoon organizers. Small Cocoon with tablet accessories I have a Cocoon CPG4BK GRID-IT!® Accessory Organizer - xSmall 7" x 5" (Black) for my tablets (an old iPad Pro 9.7 in a ZAGG Rugged Book Pro keyboard case with an Apple Pencil 1 , and an iPad 9th Generation in a protective case also with an Apple Pencil 1), that fits perfectly in the front pocket of my tomtoc 11 inch Tablet Sleeve Bag . It’s carrying: An Anker 20,000 mAh battery pack Zendure X5 ( waiting on a warranty replacement ) 15,000 mAh power bank with 45W output power Insignia Lightning Wired Earbud Headphones (...

Trying to figure out how much battery capacity I need in my flight bag (the crappy 2.1A-shared Insignia just ain’t cutting it anymore). These aren’t ideal tests and I’ll redo them at some point with a work load going on while sipping USB power (which will hopefully recharge while providing operating wattage), but, here goes (readings taken with a Klein ET-920 ). iPad Mini 4, recharged from dead to full: 13:31  Dead   9-10W 14:10  17%     7.8W  1142 mAh 15:08  44%     7.4W  2720 mAh 16:50  84%       5W  4729 mAh 17:52  98%       5W  5387 mAh 18:14  Full    1.3W  5500 mAh ("Not Charging") So about 5500 mAh (realistically, with charging loss, ~8,000 mAh capacity on the charging pack), and requires about 10W at maximum to recharge. I’ll do a test with the screen on, connected to the Stratus GPS unit over WiFi, AS...

Epomaker NT68 First, the one I was the most excited about, the Epomaker NT68. This one isn’t low profile, and uses standard MX style switches (which can be hot swapped). The one I ordered came with Epomaker’s Chocolate Rose switches, which have a nice feel to them - nicely tactile, with the bump at the very top. But they’re loud - thoccy - and not the best choice for a portable board I’ll want to use anywhere. So I’m going to swap it to Boba U4 switches. Anyway. My two gripes: It took me a minute to figure out how to fold the case to support an iPad (and even then, the 9.7 Pro can best be used only in landscape mode; portrait mode is usable but not very stable), and, the backlighting, in addition to being a battery drain, is aesthetic only; the keycaps (which use the relatively rare DSA profile) are Properly folded, the NT68 case supports an iPad not shine-through, so the back lighting doesn’t really help with low light usability. (At least one review suggests that Cherry p...

  I wrote earlier about trying to find a mechanical keyboard setup for an iPad . After finally retrieving my iPad Pro 9.7 from the trunk of a car that’s been in the shop since June (sigh…), I can now attest: This solution rocks. MakerMade3D’s one-off (so far?) 3D-printed “bezel” holds the iPad perfectly (with one caveat, if the feet on the K2 aren’t flipped down, small or large, the setup will rock a little bit on a flat surface. Flip those down and it’s rock solid. The setup is a Keychron K2 with Kailh Box Navy switches, which are heavy … Pondering swapping them out for Boba U4  “silent tactile” switches. (Update: Ordered from Ali Express with a delivery date about 6 weeks out, no one had the RGB 62g in stock, but I may have a line on them through reddit…) Meanwhile, two three new contenders have come to my attention: NT68 The Epomaker NT86 seems to be the perfect iPad mechanical keyboard. I’m told they’ll be shipping in December, after the Kickstarter backers’ units have...

Mocking up a holder for the Keychron K2   I’ve long been on a quest to find a decent keyboard to use with an iPad. A decade or so ago I tried the ZAGGmate case and then the ZAGGkeys Solo ; more recently, the Logitech K480 , a BrydgeAir , keyboard covers like the Logitech Canvas  or Focus  (used with an iPad Mini, they’re great for what they are, but the form factor precludes using them for much real work). I’ve even used an older version of the Handheld Scientific Bluetooth Keyboard Adapter to hook up my old Razer (before I modified it ) - not *quite* as messy as using an Apple Extended Keyboard II with an iPad , but close. But what I’m really looking for is a mechanical keyboard I can use with a 9.7” Pro, conveniently. (The less said anout the abominations that look like vintage typewriters, the better.) I could use the Keychron K2 - it’s almost the perfect size, and Bluetooth. But then I need a stand  to prop up the iPad - one more thing to tote around and keep...

It’s been a while ; I should probably revisit what’s in my flight bag. The exact configuration will change depending on if I’m renting or flying one of the planes in our “fleet,” the following is pretty typical for “grab the bag and go flying” no matter what aircraft it is. Note that my flights tend towards the cross-country, and I’m usually hundreds of miles from home. I fly a lot of missions ( Pilots n’ Paws , etc) and I’ve, e.g., been stuck in Las Vegas overnight when mountain waves suggested it would be a really good idea to wait out the ~50 knot headwinds. So, here goes. Everything in this list has saved a flight at least once. The bag: BrightLine Flex B4 Swift I paid $164 for this in 2014; it’s gone up a bit since then ($196) but I think it’s still a great deal. It’s incredibly durable, expandable (e.g., I have a Center Section Three ($40 in 2015, $46 now) I can zip in when I need a bit more storage - an overnight change of clothes, a second headset, whatever), and I like hav...

ForeFlight rocks. ForeFlight doesn't exist for Android . Probably won't. (December 2023 edit: Nope .) Maybe on April 1st, next year . (Keep checking back.) In theory, I should  be more of an Android guy. I love Linux/UNIX. (Since 1993! Root since 1995.) I write my own code. I don't run Windows anywhere. Love a good POSIX shell. Like open architecture. Etc. But iOS devices are too damned slick, the UX is too polished, the level of integration (Apple TV, tablet, phone, Mac devices...) is too perfect ... And there's no ForeFlight for Android. End of analysis. (Or, for more:  Why Android is losing in aviation .) However, WingX just announced it will run on the Amazon Fire tablets . That's potentially huge . A new Fire tablet can be had for $50 ! (Don't think that model has GPS though. In fact, looking at the tech specs for all the Fire tablets, no - they all provide location services via WiFi. No idea if a Bluetooth GPS module will work... The Dual I use has a ...