A Geek Goes Flying

(home charging and night before checklists) The tech I use in the cockpit has gotten complicated enough, I’ve actually come up with my own pre-pre flight checklist (and an associated checklist for when I’m leaving the [rental] plane, so I don’t, e.g., forget my GPS unit shoved up under the windshield). Following this at least a few hours before the flight makes sure everything’s loaded, charged, and working. I recommend setting up something similar. At home, I have a ‘charging station’ setup, with: Anker PowerPort 5  40W 5-Port USB Charging Hub ($20). Everything plugs into this to recharge. Seemed to be the best bang for the buck, and it’s well reviewed (5 stars, >2000 reviews). Anker [5-Pack] Premium Micro USB cables ($10). Charges the battery packs , Logitech keyboard , etc. Cable Matters Mini-B USB Cables ($8). Charges the GPS unit and the GoPro . Anker Lightning Cable ($6). MFi-certified. Charges the iPad mini 2 . The checklist ensures: Everythin...

An update to my earlier posts... Based on this article , I think I’d now recommend picking up one of the newer RAM Tough-Claw™ yoke mounts. (I haven’t tried it yet, but I'm increasingly of the opinion that you can’t go wrong with RAM gear.) Caveat, the older yoke mount clamp has a shaft diameter range of .625"-1.25", equivalent to the ‘small’ size in the “claw” range: Model Size Shaft Diameter RAP-B-400U Small .625"-1.5" RAP-B-404U Medium 1"-1.875" RAP-B-401U Large 1"-2.25" Piper Cherokee yoke shafts are either .75" (older style, 1960s (mostly?)) or 1.125" (newer style, started in the early 1970s(?)), so the small claw will fit either. I believe Cessna (C150/152/172) yoke shafts are in the same range.

During the “Black Friday” sale, I picked up the lowest end Amazon Fire tablet, the 7" model that normally retails for $49.99 (with ‘special offers’), for $34.99. On paper, this looks like it should be an interesting little device. Capacitive IPS display, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, 8GB storage with a microSD slot that can take up to 128GB flash media, and cheap . Even at the normal retail price, this thing has to be a loss leader. ( Amazon seems to be applying the razor/blades (a/k/a printer/ink cartridge) business model here .) Quick (general) review: The aspect ratio kind of sucks for reading. The Kindle has a tall, narrow (1024x600, .6 width:height) aspect ratio; I much prefer the iPad/iPad mini’s wider .75 width:height ratio (for comparison, an 8.5x11" sheet of letter-sized paper has a .77 ratio). The build quality is nowhere near Apple’s (case in point, the screen isn't seamlessly bonded like on an iOS device, and my first Fire had dust trapped between the glass...

Found a convenient thing: A "pole." (No, nothing to do with Stephen Colbert .) Seems like general aviation planes are sprouting GoPro quick release mounts all over the place, and a very common location is on the ceiling of the plane: Which is cool and all, but the view the camera gets tends to be kind of ... Subpar. Enter the GoPole Arm , a $20 piece of kit with a set of three GoPro prongs at one end, and two at the other (could probably have used something similar, like this , but Frys was on the way to the airport...). This lets it install between, e.g., a quick-release insert and the frame mount for the camera. This allows the camera to be brought down lower, to, e.g., the pilot's eye level, and greatly enhances the image that can be captured (more "outside" the aircraft). Still fiddling with getting the right position, but at least now that's a possibility!

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 ...

When I first started carrying an electronic flight bag, I wrote hacked together a couple of simple Java apps to (a) retrieve and compile the A/FD whenever it gets updated, and (b) check to ensure I had the latest sectional and terminal area charts for my local flying areas. I downloaded the FAA's PDFs. However, the PDFs don't include things like the ‘VFR Flyaway’ chart on the back of the LA TAC, which is actually kinda useful. The charts also include stuff that either isn't in ForeFlight, or isn't intuitively/quickly found (at least, I haven't found it), like the details for the LAX VFR Mini-Route, LAX Special Flight Rules Area, etc. (I'm also not entirely sure ForeFlight satisfies Special Flight Rules requirement that “[t]he pilot shall have a current Los Angeles Terminal Area Chart in the aircraft.”) So... I rewrote the script to pull down the TIFF versions, which still get synched to GoodReader automatically, and then I can use GoodReader's file brows...

So, I flew to a small airport a few days ago for an overnight stay, and the next morning, the plane wouldn't start. Long story short, the head of the FBO came up in another plane and, after trying to get my rental to fire for a while, we gave up and flew back in the plane he'd arrived in. In the midst of all of that, I forgot my Dual GPS receiver on the dash. Sigh. I'm flying on Saturday, and kinda want ForeFlight with me. I could drop $90 for another GPS receiver. But I won't. Instead I've ordered: RAM-B-238 Diamond Base RAM-HOL-AP18U Mount Cradle for the iPhone 6  (there's also a  6 Plus version ) It's a relatively short flight (just barely enough to be cross-country), but through some convoluted airspace (two Charlies, multiple Deltas, and a TRSA), so the more SA I have with me, the better. And hey, when I'm done, I can swap the cradle into the Jeep, in place of the clumsier-than-I-anticipated "universal mount" installed in there no...

Still digging into this, but seems like a cool thing to try: https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/3fscia/the_11390_adsb_receiver_for_foreflight_or_pretty/

The iPad mini 2 finally arrived from PowerMax.com. Definitely fast enough to use with ForeFlight. Everything's setup for tomorrow's flight (er, I guess it's now "later today"), which I am looking forward to (even if I do have to dodge Obama TFRs). Despite what some Amazon reviewers stated, the iPad mini 2 fits perfectly (not too tightly) in the RAMHOLAP14U cradle, though I don't yet have a screen protector (likely an anti-glare filter) fitted (yet?). (I'm carrying it with a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover and a ShaggyMac pad (protects and cleans :) ). In other news, after flying 00U (with a butterfly yoke) a couple of times, I think this slightly different yoke mount will be a better fit than the RAM-B-121B that came with the kit I bought. (The RAM-B-121B , which has the 1" ball at a right angle to the clamp, works perfectly with the newer ram horn yoke.) It doesn't get in the way of flight operation, but just barely - have to back the cl...

I’ve now had the opportunity to fly a Cherokee (N5800U, my favorite of the DuBois PA28-140 fleet) with the ‘butterfly’ yoke, and can confirm that the RAM mount works about as well on it as it does with the ‘ram horn’ yokes (though again the iPad Air 2 is just a tad too big; I’ve ordered an iPad mini 2 32GB from PowerMax, but it hasn’t shipped yet :/ ). Also, I confirmed that even with the yoke pushed fully forward, there’s room to spare for the RAM mount clamp. Doesn’t impact operation of the aircraft at all. Yoke pushed full forward iPad Air 2 RAM mounted to Cherokee butterfly yoke Doesn't obscure any instruments on this (updated) panel

Finally getting into the 20th century and setting up an electronic flight log. Still going to keep my old school paper ASA-SP-30 (circa 1993) pilot log, because two is one, one is none. But having the information input electronically is useful too. And what kind of flying geek would I be if I didn't  have a digital version of my logbook? Exactly. So I'm using MyFlightbook.com and their iPad/iPhone apps, but inputting ~18 years of flight records using their interface (web or app) was going to be too tedious. Fortunately, they have a CSV import feature. Naturally, I ‘reverse engineered’ my own Excel worksheet (based on a downloaded export of a few records I input using the app), before  checking and learning that, of course, in fact, they provide their own CSV “ template ” and description of the columns and data they expect . Alright, back to data entry.

Sold the iPad mini 1st gen ($195) and my old iPhone 5s ($165, lower than I could have sold it for, but I wanted it moved), higher than any trade-in values offered. The iPhone was rough around the edges, but I fully documented the "road rash" with pictures and in the description. (Clean screen, good battery, etc.) Anyway. Long and short, even after Amazon takes out their fees, I break even on a new iPad mini 2nd generation 32GB from PowerMax.com  - love those guys, have bought my last several Macs from them. (Really wanted the iPad mini 4, but couldn't justify the ~$200 price difference, even though the ‘4’ comes with 64GB - I’m dedicating this to aviation use, and even with ForeFlight, a full EFB, etc., I won’t come close to using even 32GB...)

Okay, so this isn't technically specific to flying geeks (though it's related; pretty much every flight ultimately results in a need for some form of terrestrial transportation), but ... My yoke mount experience with RAM, and seeing RAM mounts in use in the tow truck that picked up my Jeep (20 year old clutch hydraulic system had a leak), convinced me to hack this setup together: Motorcycle Handlebar Clamp Base with M8 Screws  (provides a hollow 1" ball a screw can be run through) Universal X-Grip Cradle Holder with 1-Inch Ball  (kind of clunky, but allows cell phone upgrades without having to replace mount components if/when the phone dimensions change) Short Double Socket Arm for 1-Inch Ball Bases A #8 sheet metal screw, 1 3/4" long, and a #8 washer, both sourced from Home Depot Removed one of the center section dash screws (holding the plastic dash in place) and replaced it with the longer screw from Home Depot, which ran through the 'motorcycle...

Before investing in repairs on my 1st generation iPad mini, I probably should have seen what the scuttlebutt was vis-a-vis ForeFlight usage: Gen 1 iPad Mini will be too slow. Here is our advice: https://www.foreflight.com/support/buying-guide/ (From:  https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/34vxpe/foreflight_on_1st_generation_ipad_mini/ ) Sure enough, that page states: “Short advice: Buy the 64GB iPad Air 2 or 32GB iPad Mini 2 ...” And indeed, even just firing up ForeFlight takes about 30 seconds ! And that includes the 'reload' time when switching to another app, then switching back to ForeFlight. Moving around in the map, redraws are almost painfully slow. I haven't tried it in the cockpit yet, and don't think I will; in the air is not where you want to be waiting on your tech to catch up. The iPad mini 2 32GB can still be sourced from a variety of places, including Apple itself or my fave, PowerMax.com . Should be a nice speed bump, it uses the A7 proce...

True to their word, iResQ sent me a replacement iPad mini (1st generation) 32GB, black, exactly like the one that got trashed somewhere between leaving my home and arriving back here, with a stop off at their repair facility. It appears to have been new old stock; it arrived still with the peculiar transparent plastic wrap Apple puts on their iDevices, with a 99% battery charge and running iOS 6.1.4. I was tempted to keep it on the old OS (I kinda like the skeumorphic design elements), but, naw, let it update to 8.4.1 and then (now) to 9.0 (after checking to make sure it was copacetic with ForeFlight and the external Dual GPS unit; it is:  http://ipadpilotnews.com/2015/09/new-ios-9-features-can-use-next-flight/ Heading to the FBO tomorrow… :)

As soon as I got the iPad mini back from iResQ on Friday the 4th, it was obvious it had been roughly treated. The new digitizer was off center (and one corner was correspondingly too thick to fit the RAM mount), the screen "popped" when tapped, there were gouges in the metal case, and then I learned (it arrived back to me with a totally dead battery) it wouldn't charge above 3% (apparently that can happen when swapping out the digitizer , likely culprit an unsoldered or destroyed resistor) and was doing a weird sort of "graduated pixelated fade" when it would lose power (after about 3 minutes of use) and crash , without going through the "spinning wheel" of a normal iOS shutdown. Sigh. I immediately documented all of this and wrote to the service manager of iResQ, after being pointed that direction by their online chat operator. They wasted no time in sending me a prepaid overnight FedEx label, that I printed and used to ship the iPad back to them ...

I feel I should point out (especially since it's evidently a FAQ ), ForeFlight's license terms specifically authorize use of a "main" iPad, a "backup" iPad, and use on an iPhone ( and an iPod touch!), all with one annual subscription. That fits my use case perfectly ; I have the iPad mini as my primary in-cockpit device (with the iPad Air 2 as a slightly more cumbersome backup while the iPad mini is hopefully being fixed ), plus my iPhone 6 (always with me, too small to really be a primary device, but "two is one, one is none")... The exact language from the ForeFlight FAQ: The 1-Pilot subscription allows you to use ForeFlight Mobile on 1-iPad, 1-iPhone, and 1-iPod Touch, simultaneously. A second iPad is allowed as a backup device (total 2-iPads). The "2-iPads" can be any mix of the iPad Mini or the full-size iPad. All devices are to be used by the same pilot. I would have just swapped my subscription between my iPads depending on whi...

Stopped using this because it was simply too big (wouldn't fit in my flight bag along with my headset, unless I inserted another section - which made the flight bag unwieldy huge for a VFR day flight :) ). I also realized I didn't need to carry the Wasabi AC charger, the 12V adapter for the Wasabi charger, the ND filters I wasn't regularly using, etc., with me at all times... I can't find the one I was using available on Amazon anymore, but this seems to be the roughly equivalent replacement .

Argh. So my iPad mini has had a weird life. I picked up a 32GB 1st generation mini in the fall of 2012, before I headed out to Portland for a week-long deposition prep/defense session. Used it. Loved it. Except it had a consistent issue staying connected to my WiFi networks (Apple Airport Extreme base stations at home and at the office). Took it to the Apple Store at Century City Mall and they handed me a different 32GB iPad mini 1st gen. Never really got around to using it. My "big" iPad (which once fell off a moving car - built like a tank, that thing), and then the iPad Air 2, handled most of my needs. The mini sat in a drawer. I went to start using it for flight stuff, and it bounced around like a toddler on crack. Some phantom touch problem with the digitizer (apparently really rare on iPads that haven't had their digitizer replaced - e.g., because the screen was broken or something): Anyway. Long story short I sent it off to iResQ to be fixed. I was hoping a...

I suppose I should start with a little about myself... I've been flying (Cessna 172s; Piper Cherokee 140, 161, 181s; SportCruisers) since the mid-1990s. I've been a Linux geek since around the same time (I use OS X now as it's an awesome blend of UNIX goodness and a usable desktop environment, complete with Office, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop...), and I'm an Oracle Certified Professional Java Programmer (and an attorney, and...) As a Kool-Aid Drinker™, I've bought into the whole Apple ecosystem; iPhone, iPod, iPad, Apple TV... So that's what I use in the cockpit. Most recently, I got back into flying through DuBois Aviation at Chino Airport ( KCNO ), an operation I can't recommend highly enough. (I drive out from the west side of Los Angeles, which says it all I think). I've also had great experiences with Santa Monica Flyers at Santa Monica Municipal Airport ( KSMO ) (they predominantly fly the light sport Czech SportCruisers, which sip fuel ...

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/FD s (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 m...

An instructor turned me on to BrightLine bags; I picked up the B-4 Swift . It’s modular, so I also have an additional Center Section 3 I can add when I need more storage. Love this bag. Very intelligently laid out, with dedicated pockets for things like an ASA fuel tester , radio pocket with separate antenna holder, etc. Currently taking up space in mine: Medical certificate and PPL card in the back pocket VFR kneeboard Headset , in its original case GoPro camera and accessories , including Camera itself with suction cup and quick release mounts, filters, battery, etc., in the CamKix case; PowerAdd Slim2 battery and mini USB cable; Nflightcam audio/power hookup cable (kept in the Sennheiser headset bag); and A couple of GoPole mounts Smith & Wesson Galaxy 6 LED Flashlight (3 Red + 3 White LEDs)  (just the thing for night flying A small backup flashlight / pen combo that I got from my flight school when I first soloed, kind of like one of these , and other ass...

After a bit of trial and error, I’ve settled on what I think is the best combination of capability and longevity when it comes to capturing my flights on video. Here's a short example clip: My current setup consists of: GoPro Hero 3+ Black CamKix Frame Mount  ($19; I went kind of cheap on this one, 'cause it's just a simple piece of plastic) GoPro Suction Cup Mount  ($30; there are cheaper alternatives, but they're not recommended; this thing is sturdy and GoPro official...) Wasabi 1200mAh batteries  ($17 for two, including a charger) Nflightcam GoPro Hero Aircraft Audio/Power Cable ($40; captures headset (intercom and radio) audio, and charges the battery) GoPro Hero 3 52mm Filter Adapter BlurFix3 Micro 52  ($34; allows 52mm camera filters to be mounted to the 'naked' GoPro) Tiffen 52mm 1.2 ND filter, part of the  Tiffen 52mm Digital Neutral Density Filter Kit ($45, but can probably get just the 1.2 ND filter cheaper) Hoya 52mm alpha Circular ...

Not much to say here. I started off with a used ASA-HS1 , that I picked up just so I wouldn't have to use rental headsets all the time. (Originally just to avoid using those sweaty abused pieces of equipment, but especially now that my usual FBO is charging a rental fee for them!) Eventually I decided to bite the bullet and picked up a refurbished Sennheiser S-1 Passive . Cheap (about $300, a little more if you buy new - I got mine from MyPilotStore.com ), iPhone interface (haven't used it yet, but it's there), so light weight I forget I'm wearing it, comms come through loud and clear... I like the auto-off feature (40+ hours of flying, haven't had to swap AA batteries yet, though of course I carry spares just in case - same type of batteries feed my main flashlight, too.)