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Permalink Reply by Michael Chesney on May 1, 2016 at 6:15pm

I'm in the same boat as you. I have the Ipad mini 2 and to be honest...it sucks with any kind of sunlight in the cockpit. Everything I've read says that the glare reduction on the newer models makes a big difference in usability in the sunlight. In terms of brightness, the ipad pro 9.7 has a brightness of 424 nits and the ipad mini4 has 450 nits. The Ipad mini 2 has 396 nits. It sounds as though the glare reduction makes all the difference though and the mini 2 lacks this. I haven't seen how the new ones perform in real world conditions yet so I'm curious to know as well.

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Permalink Reply by John Austin on May 2, 2016 at 8:16am

You probably know this, but "aviation quality" displays (ones that won't wash out in direct sunlight) are usually around 1000 nits. My iFly 740 GPS has a 1300+ nit screen!  That's why I finally gave up on tablets in the cockpit - they work great in a semi-dark cabin of a bizjet that has tiny little windows, but not so good in light planes with a lot of window area (STOL 750) or a canopy (601/650).

Of course, the downside is that very bright screens are power hungry and depend on ship's power for continuous operation. The iFly has a backup battery, but it's only going to be good for 30 minutes or so - plenty long enough to get you on the ground, but since I'm a day/VFR flier only, I'd be fine without it, anyway!  

John

N750A

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Permalink Reply by Lance Gingell on May 2, 2016 at 7:30pm

I have a pro 9.7. I also have an Air (1) and a mini (1). The pro display is MUCH better in sunlight. Less reflection and more brightness. Running full bright does bring the battery life down a bit compared to an Air.

I don't use my iPad much in the cockpit, but it is great in sunlight now. The new pro keyboard Smart Cover is very good too

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Permalink Reply by James R Depfer Sr. on May 3, 2016 at 8:50am

Lance, 

Thanks for the report. I was hoping that was true, because I would to continue using Garmin pilot app and like the iPad because it has other apps I use or reference while flying also. I do have a Garmin Aera 560 GPS, but I still like the iPad better. I have Garmin Pilot on my iPhone which is a good backup. 

I also have the Garmin GDL 39, which seems good for ADS-B input, but I'm also going to need the ADS-B out soon since I fly in/out of the DC SFRA all the time. For that I'll probably go with what John just installed. Even then I'll have some compatibility problems with the Garmin equip or Garmin Pilot app. If it  wasn't so expensive I'd take John's advice and go with the  iFly 740 GPS, but that would also make a couple of my present devices obsolete. 

Jim

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