[johnm]

If you only want to use it for planning and navigation then an Android based tablet and SkyDemon may be what you need.

[flybymike]

I'd still like to know about the nice tricks from the area 660, which aren't available on a tablet.

[karlbown]

I have an iPad. Despite that I bought a Hudl android tablet on eBay for £35. It has a gps built in and runs Sky Demon fine. I've only installed SD and AeroWeather so there are no distractions on it while I'm flying. My iPad has too many other apps on it and I really don't need emails or messages appearing while I'm flying. For the price the Hudl is pretty much disposable anyway

[pilotea]

However, bringing it back to my original thoughts of an iPad is it worth bothering with the cellular version or am I better off getting a non-cellular one and getting a 3rd party GPS (be it Bluetooth or plug in) and just using my (Windows) mobile as a wifi hot spot for when I want to update the weather and NOTAMs on Sky Daemon?

There are several things you should consider, I use an Ipad Mini 3 3g for these reasons

1: it works
2: It has a very long battery life. about 8-11 hours depending of how bright I've got the screen. You can get good battery life from a Android based tablet as well, problem with Android tablets is that they use a lot of power when idle, for example when they're left for a month they're simply out of power. I've got about 6-8 android tablets, all the same, out of power if left without charging. an Ipad, after a month, will have more or less the same power as when you left it (and this is an idle Ipad, not turned off). You can turn all tablets off completely, but one of the things I like about the Ipad is that you don't have to power it down fully and it's on when you need it.
3: Android or Ipad without 3/4G will not download notams unless connected to wifi. The trick is to

* have a data card in the unit, or
* connect to a wifi hotspot, could be your phone

4: If you use a wifi only Ipad and pilot aware, pilot aware I recommend, it's a bit of a hassle do get notams as you need to first connect to a hotspot, then get notams etc, thereafter connect to the pilot aware box. With a 3g/4g card in your Ipad, the Ipad is so smart that it tries to get an internet connection via the pilot aware box, if that fails (which it does), the Ipad reverts to the 3g/4g card. Pilot aware does not support bluetooth, would be nice if you could connect to a wifi hotspot and the pilot aware box at the same time, this is not currently possible, hopefully they're working on it.

Read this as well, I believe it still applies:

http://ipadpilotnews.com/2013/04/why-an ... -aviation/

[Paul_Sengupta]

Pilot aware does not support bluetooth, would be nice if you could connect to a wifi hotspot and the pilot aware box at the same time, this is not currently possible, hopefully they're working on it.

Not to my knowledge. If you're using your phone as a hotspot, you can connect that via Bluetooth, but that doesn't help if you're parked outside the cafe at Kemble and want to use their wifi.

If Sky Demon is your thing, if money is no object, then Tim has stated that it runs best on an iPad. The Android solutions are generally about saving money. If you don't need to save money, go for the iPad. I don't know if it's the same with other nav software.

Speaking of which, what's happened with the latest Sky Demon? It's become very slow to draw the map on Android, which makes scrolling around painful. They've broken it! I've seen this on two tablets now, and on my normal "flying" tablet, I've refused the upgrade. The previous version is a lot faster. Has anyone else noticed this?

[Tim Dawson]

My recommendation would be to get the iPad Mini 4 (if the mini size is what you wanted) with internal GPS. I don't think you will regret it.

[Rob P]

.... I bought a Hudl android tablet on eBay for £35. It has a gps built in and runs Sky Demon fine. I've only installed SD and AeroWeather so there are no distractions on it while I'm flying.

My thinking too. *A couple of Android tablets, mostly costing about £100 (Nexus 7) kept clean of anything except essential aviation apps and running from a 12v USB outlet below the panel.

Rob P

*That's one and a spare, not two running in cockpit

[ecs]

I'm using a SkyDemon on a Cellular 16GB iPad Mini 4 - I picked mine up second hand on eBay. They even say that the Mini is the best device for the app on their website

http://www.skydemon.aero/start/ipad.aspx

Also, you should consider a backup power supply should the battery start to run low. Anker make portable power packs which can re-charge an iPad from empty several times over (if you buy the one with the biggest capacity).

[Shoestring Flyer]

Better than a backup power supply is a Charge2 or 4.
Specially designed for the job.
http://www.charge4.co.uk/

[PaulB]

In summary, buy a tablet with a built in GPS and some Nav software to run on it.

They type of tablet really depends on your budget and or liking for fruit, and the software depends on budget and fondness (or not) for CAA charts.

Above all learn how to use it. It's probably worth using it on every flight if only to review the flight afterwards.

[Melanie Moxon]

In summary, buy a tablet with a built in GPS and some Nav software to run on it.

They type of tablet really depends on your budget and or liking for fruit, and the software depends on budget and fondness (or not) for CAA charts.

Above all learn how to use it. It's probably worth using it on every flight if only to review the flight afterwards.

Sensible summary I think.

Thanks I will report back on what I have decided on in the near future

[chrisadams]

I use an IPad Mini 2 cellular (built in GPS). However since having PilotAware, generally use the GPS feed from that, rather then the tablet's GPS. I used to keep tablet charging from UPS adaptor and kept it in a black rubber ruggedised case. Then experienced the dreaded black screen on several occasions on hot days in the Eurostar, due to tablet overheating and shutting down to protect L-ion batteries. Unless it's cool weather I now use the iPad without the rubber case and don't keep it on float charge. Also use iPhone running same Nav program as a backup.

[PeteSpencer]

As I only fly 30-40 hours per year I didn't feel constrained to buy even a cheapy Chinese exclusively for flying and leave it unused for the other 8,720 hours.

So I consciously went the other way last year:

I've always been an iFan and at my age will not want to try to pick up the foibles of any other OS, like android, having joined the lemming forum stampede a few Christmases ago to buy a cheapie re-furb Nexus 7: (Neither that nor its replacement 4 months later worked so No 1 son took it off my hands.)

I also have used SD since its inception but the ancient iPad 2 (with GPS) kept overheating (documented elsewhere), got full up and fell over (documented elsewhere).

So last year I pushed the boat out, bought a 128GB iPad Mini4 with GPS and use it for everything: It's got SD, half a dozen weather Apps, Rocketroute, G-Cap and a host of other IFR stuff. There is one cable from the dedicated Brodit (Swedish made) yoke mount with integral iPad plug leading to USB adaptor into a/c fag socket (documented elsewhere).

No battery packs, no additional GPS unit sliding about the coaming, no spider's web festoons of cables.

And no overheating or dropout.

And there is still space for all my photos, loadsa music , flyer forum and a stack of my granddaughter's Princess games.

Used every day.

What's not to like?

But if course it must be horses for courses.....

Peter

[Charliesixtysix]

Better than a backup power supply is a Charge2 or 4.
Specially designed for the job.
http://www.charge4.co.uk/

Fitted one during our panel upgrade earlier this month. Good bit of kit and it works perfectly.

We use the second USB outlet with a cable routed into the glove box for phone charging en route.

[Rob P]

What's not to like?

It's another way of approaching the issue.

Though I can't help wondering what the fallback plan is if the little princess drops it and smashes the screen the day before the Raduno.

Rob P