ForeFlight GPS

[Skymark]

Do you use Foreflight? Do you use an external GPS with it, or is the built-in GPS enough?

[cgzro]

the gps in the ipad is pretty impressive. Ive sat in a 777 near the window and had forflight track perfectly on long flights. I have two problems with forflight/ipad however, the first is the screen is hard if not impossible to read in bright sun in a bubble canopy and recently i discovered the maps are not always up to date. so ive not really been able to use it in flight in my own aircraft.

[cdnpilot77]

I have an external GPS with my iPad mini and as long as you didn't upgrade to IOS 8.3 it worked well. I just got the IOS 8.4 update yesterday and seems to be functioning fine. It maybe draws the battery of your iPad a little faster with the Bluetooth but overall the connection once done the first time is pretty seamless. The external GPS I have (XGPS150)has an in use battery life of about 8-10hours I think. The hardest part is remembering to take it off the dash to charge it.

We just got iPad minis with GPS in our airplane a few weeks ago and they seems to work very well. It's definitely more convenient and easier to 'connect', but if you're looking to save a bit of money, the external GPS is not a bad option for $150

[photofly]

I've always used the built-in GPS (iPad Air) and it has been excellent, in flight in a Cessna, in the passenger cabin of a 767, and on the ground.

[BeaverDreamer]

Haven't had a problem with the built in GPS on my iPad Mini 2. Always has an accuracy or 5 or 10m, seems to keep the signal just as long as the 430 when flying through valleys and stuff.

[Taiser]

I had to go to Toronto just to find an iPad with GPS built in!!! Nobody in my town stocked them because they don't sell. I will say I've had ZERO issues with the built in GPS, even in my basement it locks on (with the help of WiFi networks mind-you) but I'm very happy with it. The fact that you have to pay MORE for this feature is a iApple disgrace, but that's another issue...

[BGH]

I have an iPad Air 64g with wifi only,use a garmin glo as the gps.Had an issue after updating to 8.3,sent a head's up to foreflight & they sent me the directions on how to update the glo's software & all works well.Updated to 8.4 & went flying last night to check it's function & still working great.

Daryl

[MrWings]

I was prepared to buy an external GPS. Have not had the need yet. It has worked great in the Cessna on the iPad GPS (3G/4G) alone. Even works in the cabin of the airliners but that can be intermittent.

[SkyWriterSoft]

With iOS 8.3 or 8.4 the iPad GPS stays on in airplane mode.

[SuperchargedRS]

IPad mini retina.

Built in GPS works great in both flying low level lakes in floatplanes, as well as in the flight levels in a Pilatus.


FYI you have to buy a cellular model to get the GPS chip, even though you don't need cell service (or even a sim card) for the GPS to work, just apples way of saying bend over a little further.

[Taiser]

The worst part, from what I heard on the geek sites, is that ALL the iPads have the GPS circuit in them. Somewhere along the assembly line the chip get's "zapped" somehow to disable that chip!!! What a #$%^&*( scam!!!! The cheapest phones and tablets you can imagine now all have GPS circuits in them. For apple to do this, then you know they have you by the short and curlies...

One thing to be careful of too is the heat. My plane is basically nothing but a large bubble window. With the iPad getting beaten on by the sun it can easily overheat and shuts down until it cools off!!! Happens less sitting on my lap though. Funny my android never does that...

[Tail-Chaser]

I've never used the Ipad as a primary GPS but I've used it in flight for charts and what-not. It works fairly well and never takes more than a couple seconds to get a fix.

I second the over-heating comment. I was flying a Piper Cherokee from Bend to northern California and it decided to quit about half way after being direct sunlight for quite a while, even though it was only being used sporadically. Once it cooled down it was perfectly fine.