External GPS use with ForeFlight

GingerDan

GingerDan

Well-Known Member
I'm about to start my flight training up through ATP and I already have a subscription to ForeFlight. I'd like to use my iPad with flying. Do you all have experience with GA flying and gps iPads and the use of external GPS units such as Bad Elf and SkyPro? The majority of my flying will be locally but I've seen connection issues with the iPad at high altitudes. I'd like to know if the external gps devices are worth the cost. I'm not interested in the expensive Stratus devices, just the $150 or less gps devices.

Thank you,

~ Dan
 
I've had students use them many years ago. However I also didn't let them use the GPS function. I wanted them to actually learn how to navigate using pilotage and Dead Reckoning. If they wanted to use it on there own that's great. But not when they were flying with me. Each CFI might be different
 
Any external GPS receiver that is compatible with the iPad will work with ForeFlight. I have flown with it for 6 years and my iPad's have all been wifi only, so I have always used an external GPS. The ForeFlight website has some recommendations, but any decent one will work just fine, although it probably best to stick with the more popular ones like the XGPS, BadElf, and Garmin Glo, all available for $100 or less.
 
GingerDan said:
I'm about to start my flight training up through ATP and I already have a subscription to ForeFlight. I'd like to use my iPad with flying. Do you all have experience with GA flying and gps iPads and the use of external GPS units such as Bad Elf and SkyPro? The majority of my flying will be locally but I've seen connection issues with the iPad at high altitudes. I'd like to know if the external gps devices are worth the cost. I'm not interested in the expensive Stratus devices, just the $150 or less gps devices.

Thank you,

~ Dan
Click to expand...
Get the one with the suction cup.


More seriously, anything on Apple's list of approved devices (MFI) will work fine.
 
I used the bad elf gps and it served me well. Now I just connect to my transponder and it gives me GPS functionality along with traffic and weather.
 
I'm a Garmin GLO kinda guy myself. Previous company provided me with a most ancient Ipad and Foreflight and it worked flawlessly. But I mounted my Air and used JeppFD myself.
 
My connectivity issues were with the ipad only which is why I was looking into external GPS. A friend of mine suggested Stratux which is a BYO in-flight traffic, weather, and gps (optional) device. Looks pretty cool as well.

As I start flying less locally, i'll definitely look into something like these for some additional helpful data.

Thank you!

~ Dan
 
GingerDan said:
My connectivity issues were with the ipad only which is why I was looking into external GPS. A friend of mine suggested Stratux which is a BYO in-flight traffic, weather, and gps (optional) device. Looks pretty cool as well.

As I start flying less locally, i'll definitely look into something like these for some additional helpful data.

Thank you!

~ Dan
Click to expand...
If your only problem is GPS, you might want to simply upgrade your iPad. The new ones work very well without any external device. Wx and Traffic are the primary benes of third party boxes.
 
We use foreflight in the lear, and we are obviously always in the flight levels. I personally find the GPS to work pretty well as long as it sits near the window as opposed to in the middle of the flight deck. Ive also used it when sitting in the back of an airliner and have also found it to work when near a window and not an aisle. Maybe its just coincidence.

We use iPad Airs.

If weather is going to be an issue we also have the Stratus to connect to get radar, and airport weather. But we only really use the stratus if we need to deviate far in advance for weather, otherwise it stays off.
 
^Second what Crop Duster said.

Been using ForeFlight on my cellular iPad mini 3 for the last two years with no external GPS and never had a connectivity issue. Flown as high as 12,000 ft in a 172 and no connectivity issues. Yeah you won't get any less than 5m or 10m accuracy, but you really don't need the 1m accuracy these external units provide.

Also, if you're starting ATP, and your iPad is two or more years old, you may want to invest in an upgrade. They rely on those things heavily and the last thing you want is to be waiting for the 'ol iPad to take its good old time loading that approach plate you so desperately need. Gotta love when my students show up with a first generation iPad and it takes five minutes just to open ForeFlight!
 
If I were you, I'd save up and go for the Stratus/Foreflight combo. The traffic advisories are amazing here in busy New York. The in-flight weather and flight tracking are great as well.
 
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