I broke down and joined the ranks of iPad owners. I wanted to have all my low enroute charts, VFR sectionals and approach plates handy without having to maintain a subscription along with the ability to brief and file flight plans. I think of it as going green, yep, saving paper thus saving trees! I had been taking my mini Dell on all our trips and it worked great, the only problem was I could not read the plates or charts very easy. Even though it is small it was still awkward with the flip up screen. I will continue to use the mini Dell around the house since it does the Wi-Fi thing very well.
OK, on to the new toy. I purchased the 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G unit at Best Buy along with the Zagg anti-glare screen and the rubber grip protective cover. I figured Happy birthday and Merry Christmas to me but Mary said Santa may still have other thoughts.The applications are indeed endless! I hooked up with Jeff last night on the phone and he walked me through most of the 
apps and showed me some very good shortcuts. I purchased ForeFlight and it truly is an amazing application. The information available is almost endless. Click on the link, take a tour with the videos provided and just take a look what this thing can do.
apps and showed me some very good shortcuts. I purchased ForeFlight and it truly is an amazing application. The information available is almost endless. Click on the link, take a tour with the videos provided and just take a look what this thing can do.I also downloaded all my regular weather favorites, AOPA version 2, Skyvector, my favorite forums (it's an addiction) and FltPlan.com to name a few. I did not activate 3G, I am working off the Wi-Fi only. I hope to provide an in flight video of the iPad in action very soon.
Have fun with the new toy! My flying and gadget budgets are pretty constrained at the moment but the iPad does look like a really useful device, especially for IFR pilots like yourself.
ReplyDeleteDid some right seat safety pilot last night and since i needed to be "eyes out" I didn't get to play to much. However, the pilot had his iPad and I did sneak a few peaks. The GPS does track very nice as an extra back up but the best feature I think is the approach plates. I love the easy viewing with the adjustable brightness, sure beats having a small flashlight or the strap on head light to deal with. The zoom feature is pretty nice too for this old dudes eyes. :)
ReplyDeleteI just got mine too! This thing is awesome! Take care and have fun.
ReplyDeleteIf you are a Jeppesen fan, the Jeppesen Mobile TC app is also really nice. I just did a review on my site. If someone wants to share a JeppView subscription of the Northeast, let me know.
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