Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
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Testing some Nav/Map solutions
Yesterday I tried three different nav/map solutions during the same flight: (1) iPad Pro 11" 2020 with ForeFlight; (2) a new iFlyGPS 740B; and (3) Avare on a dedicated cell phone.
The iFlyGPS 740B is interesting. It runs on its own dedicated hardware, has a bright screen, and runs off dedicated ship's power (with a backup battery). It is probably what I will go with as my preferred solution - if I can figure out a suitable mount. I use a yoke-mount for it in my other airplane, which works well. In the Zodiac I tried their suction cup mount, which I think I'm going to discard. Also have a generic knee mount for it, but it cooks my leg when I use that (but I have an idea that might help with that....).
Avare is free, and I've been using that for a while. I've been running it on an old cell phone that I have dedicated for that purpose (and that otherwise would have been thrown away) and that I keep plugged into a USB port in the aircraft to maintain battery charge. Avare isn't as user-friendly as the others, but I think that's as much a function of just getting accustomed to it as anything. Avare saved my bacon once when I was on a long cross-country and got diverted because of weather which drove me beyond the edge of the paper chart I had. On that flight, my iPad malfunctioned, but I was able to use Avare (on a cell phone) to quickly get a "line of bearing" to my destination.
I've been a big fan of iPad/ForeFlight for years, across 3 generations of iPads. I must admit that although I *LOVE* ForeFlight, I've become increasingly concerned that the reasons to move away from it are starting to stack up, and I've started exploring options to wean myself away from the iPad dependency.
I have always lived with the "forced obsolescence" of the hardware on the part of Apple, but this most current experience with that has really soured me. I bought the specific iPad that is currently recommended by ForeFlight, but from a hardware perspective it is not as robust as the previous model, nor is it as real-world usable in flight (a button has been replaced with various "swipes" which are easier to do while seated on a couch versus doing them with your left hand in a bouncing airplane).
Another concern about the newest iPad is that I have not yet found a way to charge it in flight - the only way appears to be via the 110 volt charger that comes with the device. Adapters exist that fit the physical sockets, but they appear to lack proprietary functionality. I have not personally observed one that actually charges the device. Hardwiring a dedicated USB-C port into the aircraft would be the next thing to try, but again, if there's a requirement on some kind of proprietary thing then that won't work. If anyone is successfully charging a new 2020 iPad Pro 11 in the air - I'd like to hear exactly how you're doing it. Also, now that ForeFlight is part of Boeing, I am concerned that it will "evolve" and become less usable.
Patrick Hoyt
N63PZ
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Darrell Doerhoff on
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Patrick,
When I was building the Glasair, I was looking into installing an iFly in the panel. I really liked the ease of use that was demonstrated in the videos. I sold that project because I bought a 601xlb, and was really happy to learn that an iFly 720 was included with it. I didn't have a steep learning curve with the iFly.
Mine is mounted with this Ram mount: https://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-B-121-UN8U and it's clamped on the passenger grip handle on the glare shield. I like that I can orient it for best viewing. I did try vertical view, though, but had to go back to horizontal view because the view of my GRT screen on the passenger side was being blocked.
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Permalink Reply by Jim and Amelia Isaacs on
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Patrick,
I flew with an iPad a few times last Summer and it was evident to me that it is not a primary Situational Awareness solution. Very difficult to read in sunlight, overheated and shut down. They are handy to pull out of your flight bag and refer to for information, but I fly with the IFly740b for primary SA reference and I’m very happy with it. Internal GPS, readable in direct sunlight and simple to use one handed. It will also feed gps position to your ELT if you wish. I modified the suction mount to create a quick disconnect flush mount for my 701 panel and run it on ship power. Slips on and off easily, no vibration, If you’d like to contact me as to how I did it feel free.
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Permalink Reply by Gary Welch on
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This looks a lot like my panel with the IFly 740 in the middle as shown here. Then I have an Ram X mount on the dash of my 601 that I run the IFly GPS software on. I like the redundancy and the consistency of the two identical systems. And you can easily sink the flight plans.
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Hey Darrell, what’s that grab handle perched atop your glareshield?
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Jim, it's exactly what you called it...a grab handle. I don't know who installed them (one on passenger side, too). I bought this plane last December, and I'm glad those handles are there. It makes it easier for an old fart like me to get in and out. I haven't paid much attention to them, except to notice that they accept a lot of force. I'm doing my condition inspection now, so I'll look closely at them, and how they're mounted. Tomorrow I'll take some pictures of them, and post.
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Here’s some photos of my iFly mount, and the “grab handles”. I thought I had the RAM mount that clamped to the grab handle, but as you can see, it’s the mount that clamps to the glare shield. I’m still learning.
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Kreilich on
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For my CH-2000 I use a Nexus 9 tablet with AvWare installed on it. I do not know if Foreflight or IFly are better, as I have only used AvWare. It does all that I need it to do. I have it mounted to the glareshield, which means that I do not have to look down to see it, although it does take up some windscreen space. I keep it plugged in while I am flying, which allows it to stay charged up. I am happy with the setup and have had no problems with either the tablet or AvWare at all. I am sure there are better setups out there, but for the flying I have done, this has worked for me.
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