Foreflight for iPad is amazing!

Yes, you have to jailbreak to use some sort of external gps. My student who has it hasn't indicated any problems but the guy is a computer wiz. He is a professor teaching computer science and programming.
 
TFaudree_ERAU said:
I'll keep that $75 US subscription in mind next time I fly to the Caribbean islands. I'm sure it'll do me a lot of good down there.
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I'll keep that $885 :eek: US subscription in mind next time I fly to the Caribbean islands. I'm sure it will do me a lot of good down there.
Sorry for the sacasim, but seriously , do you work for Jeppesen?
 
I also fly with Foreflight and like it a lot but reading some of the comments prompts me to offer a view of what IPad/Foreflight is and what it is not.

First and foremost if you are looking at the iPad to replace a dedicated Aviation GPS then its going to fall short. They may eventually get there but its nowhere near close to replacing my 396/XM for datalink weather and backup navigation.

That said, my 396/XM doesn't make flight planning a snap, provide all my IFR/VFR charts and approach procedures. I wanted an EFB solution to replace my paper chart subscription and Foreflight does that with ease and at $75/year vs. $300/year will pay for itself pretty quickly. For the subscription price I can have the charts on both my iPad and iPhone which while not ideal does provide redundancy should the iPad go dark at an inopportune moment. Risk of a black/blue screen is simply part of the territory when you choose to go paperless and its a risk many GA pilots are probably willing to accept. If you keep your GPS Database current you could always fess up to ATC and get a text description of the approach with the altitudes to get down in a pinch.

The most recent Foreflight release made flight planning even simpler by allowing direct entry of airways with the software including the intermediate fixes so you can enter a flight plan as it appears on the sheet. They also added a fuel finder page so you can quickly locate bargain fuel along your route.

Finally, as a multifuntion device, the iPad is highly useful outside the airplane. I've seen crticism that the iPad is more about viewing content than creating content and that is largely true, however I can at least view and respond to e-mail on my iPad which is impossible on a dedicated avation handheld GPS or flight bag solution. If you have to do a spreadsheet or powerpoint document while you're traveling, then you're unfortunately going to have to lug a lap top, the iPad won't cut it for you. However, if you want a simple to use online flight planner and EFB that will also let you surf the web, check your e-mail and update Facebook on how great your flight was the iPad will do that.
 
Lance F said:
I'll keep that $885 :eek: US subscription in mind next time I fly to the Caribbean islands. I'm sure it will do me a lot of good down there.
Sorry for the sacasim, but seriously , do you work for Jeppesen?
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No. I work for a flight department that finds Jeppesen charts, in all their expensive glory, to be a necessity for day to day operations. Us, along with tens of thousands of other corporate flight departments and airlines. To say that ForeFlight will give Jeppesen a run for their money is, well...retarded.
 
I'm letting the whole iPad tablet PC thing play itself out. It seems like iPads lack of external GPS is a huge limiting factor.

What do you guys think of some of the other tablets that are going to be on the market soon. Will any of them let you use an external GPS antenna?
 
While I don't really think the iPad was designed from the ground up with aviation specifically in mind I do think that it still provides a great tool. The product that Foreflight offers is not only remarkable but also comes at a very affordable price. Jeppesen is not going to go out of business because of the iPad, however these programs provide competition where virtually non existed before. To say that the notion is "retarded" seems a little strong considering the endless possibility for expansion on the iPad and future generations of ipads that paper charts (ink on paper) simply cannot match. Also keep in mind that s jeppensen charts do not provide current TFRs,weather,flight planning, sigmets, airmets, or a cool touch/writing pad:)
 
ComplexHiAv8r said:
In looking at the product does the procedures also overlay with the GPS?
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No.

Is ForeFlight Mobile 3 a moving map?

Yes, it supports moving map functions (such as viewing your current location on a IFR enroute or VFR sectional chart) as well as data readouts on the iPad (speed, track, and GPS altitude). It does not provide geo-located approach plates or airport diagrams. FFM is being actively extended to further utilize the onboard GPS in Apple hardware, so please stay tuned!
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http://www.foreflight.com/support-faq.php?product=mobile#Is+ForeFlight+Mobile+3+a+moving+map%3F
 
The flight school I work for is in the developmental phase of issuing all our aircraft an iPad. I'll be messing around with one for the next few weeks to figure out how we can best utilize this device in the cockpit. I'll report back if I find any cool stuff and/or downfalls that have not been mentioned.
 
ComplexHiAv8r said:
In looking at the product does the procedures also overlay with the GPS?
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WingX pro supposedly does although we have been having trouble with ours. It does however place your position very accurately on the airport diagram which helps really well on the taxi. Our aircraft has jepp overlays onboard in our GMX200 but sometimes the zoom and north up get messed up, so this product is much better for SA.
 
PilotBeckfizzle said:
The flight school I work for is in the developmental phase of issuing all our aircraft an iPad. I'll be messing around with one for the next few weeks to figure out how we can best utilize this device in the cockpit. I'll report back if I find any cool stuff and/or downfalls that have not been mentioned.
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Which flight school is that?
 
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