Cell Phones/Ipad Gyroscope

block30

block30

Well-Known Member
Hello,

Has anyone used a cell phone or Ipad gyroscope function in flight? My wonder is do they work well or at least well enough to help out with no gyros in IMC?

I also tried to find if anyone else has posted something like this, so far I haven't seen anything.

Best,
 
I think I'd focus my energy on your no-gyro flying and methods of getting out of IMC safely.
 
While I reccomend focusing your energy on your no-gyro flying, I have used the instrument screen on my garmin 496 to see how accurate it is before and its dead on. Airspeed, altimeter, turn cordinator, VSI, and DG matched perfectly with the airplanes instruments.
 
You can't use a cellphone as a gyroscope. Cell phone apps use gravity to tell them which way is up. As long as you are coordinated it will tell you that your wings are level.
 
While the iphone does indeed have a gyroscope, I-HUD has not yet been able to get their app to utilize it. Stick with the instruments you have for now.
 
Besides, you might get a "push update" about your FarmTown crops and it'll freeze the screen. Ha!
 
Doug Taylor said:
Besides, you might get a "push update" about your FarmTown crops and it'll freeze the screen. Ha!
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How about you doing a test on your next flight and take a pic? In other news heard the new VW microcan will use a ipad to control ac and radio. There us an ap god that!
 
The compass app for the IPhone works fairly well in flight. I would trust it if I was having problems with my on board equipment.

The handy level app might work in leiu of an attitude indicator. Ive never tired it though.
 
USMCmech said:
The handy level app might work in leiu of an attitude indicator. Ive never tired it though.
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ok you are scaring me now. i sure hope you are joking. better put a smiley face in there.

if you really believe a pendulum, bubble level, or the seat of your pants will tell you your attitude, go watch bob hoover's ice tea video, repent, and fly a j3 cub for at least two hours as your penance.
 
I don't want folks to think I'm some sort of a loose cannon. I just read that with the Ipad2 unveiling that there were photos of pilots using the Ipad2, I believe for the gyroscope mode, not just the EFB feature. Being unable to find those photos, I thought I'd run this up the proverbial flag pole.

Best
 
block30 said:
I don't want folks to think I'm some sort of a loose cannon. I just read that with the Ipad2 unveiling that there were photos of pilots using the Ipad2, I believe for the gyroscope mode, not just the EFB feature. Being unable to find those photos, I thought I'd run this up the proverbial flag pole.

Best
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My understanding from what i-Hud told me with the iPhone, is that the gyroscope is locked down for what apps it can provide info to. More of the same old Steve Jobs dictating what the hardware that you now own is allowed to do and what it's not. They have been trying since the iphone 4 debuted to get this resolved, no luck so far. I guess they need deeper pockets to sway Steve's opinion.
 
Inverted25 said:
While I reccomend focusing your energy on your no-gyro flying, I have used the instrument screen on my garmin 496 to see how accurate it is before and its dead on. Airspeed, altimeter, turn cordinator, VSI, and DG matched perfectly with the airplanes instruments.
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How are you getting airspeed and heading to show up on the 496?
 
TwoTwoLeft said:
How are you getting airspeed and heading to show up on the 496?
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Pretty sure he means groundspeed and tracking heading. 396's were installed in all the aircraft at Central Air after they had a pilot lose vacuum and follow a tumbling gyro into the woods. The owner's believed the panel page would help save lives. Not better instrument training.
 
Yea what he said. It gives you a airspeed indicator but its based off ground speed. Same thing with the heading indicator. It gives your tracking heading. Never the less it could be very handy should you loose your instruments. I'm not 100% sure how the turn coordinator works bc it works no matter how you hold the device. My guess is if your tracking is changing to the left it makes the airplane turn left. I never looked that far into it though.

My point simply was if hits the fan it could be used for a situational awareness tool if you lost your instruments.
 
I'm not 100% sure how the turn coordinator works bc it works no matter how you hold the device.
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A turn coordinator works off the fact that if your turn 3ºs a second, you're standard rate. So the geniuses at Garmin figured if your tracking is turning at 3ºs a second, then you're standard rate.
 
A turn coordinator works off the fact that if your turn 3ºs a second, you're standard rate. So the geniuses at Garmin figured if your tracking is turning at 3ºs a second, then you're standard rate.
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See now if they simply figured your speed into it they probally could have gotten close to the right turn rate. Given they would be using your ground speed and not airpseed but it would be close.
 
Actually, it's 3º/sec no matter what ground speed or air speed. It's bank angle of the airplane thats dependent on ground speed of the aircraft to maintain a 3º/sec turn.
 
Actually, it's 3º/sec no matter what ground speed or air speed. It's bank angle of the airplane thats dependent on ground speed of the aircraft to maintain a 3º/sec turn.​
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Thats what I am saying. I was getting into the attitude indicator in the my last discussion just failed to mention that. By using airspeed combined with how many degrees per second the airplane is turning is how they probaly determine your bank angle to show on the simulated panel.

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