1. Pre-flight your iPad make sure your charts are downloaded!
First things first, Pre-Flight your iPad. The iPad is so easy and convient to use that we could become complacent and over look the small things. Just like with our flying machines, you want to find out about any issues with your iPad while you’re still on the ground with an internet connection. This proccess won't take long depending on how you use your iPad and how comfortable you are with the technology.
You’ll want to create a checklist that works for your apps, accessories and your airplane. Customize it so that you’ll actually use it before every flight. Below is a basic checklist to help you get started:
- Battery charged on iPad–it’s a good habit to always take off with a full charge (it takes 4-6 hours to charge a drained battery)
- Battery charged on external GPS or Stratus weather receiver–these have about the same life as iPad, so charge alongside your iPad
- Backup power or charging cables available–make sure you have a plan B if the battery dies
- Run the application once–especially if you’ve updated the app, check to make sure it won’t crash or lock up on initial start-up
- Load routes and favorite airports–doing this on the ground saves a lot of heads-down time in the cockpit
- Databases installed and current–verify your charts are there without an internet connection (see this tip)
- Turn off wireless functions that aren’t needed–turn off Bluetooth, cellular data and WiFi unless you’ll need them in flight, as they drain the battery. More info on how to configure these settings here.
- Clean the screen and adjust the screen brightness to less than 100% if conditions permit. Lowering the screen to around the 70 – 80% brightness level can add an extra hour or more of battery life.
2. Secure it in the cockpit
Securing the iPad in the cockpit is very important. Nothing could be worse than having your iPad fall on the floor in turbulance during an important phase of flight. You’ll want to secure the iPad either to your leg or use a cockpit mount. Using a kneeboard designed for the iPad is a great option for aircraft renters who want a simple option that easily transfers between multiple airplanes. There are several features you’ll want to pay attention to:
- iPad model – kneeboards are custom made for both the full-size iPad and iPad Mini
- Allows for iPad to rotate between landscape and portrait views
- Allows angle adjustments toward you to minimize glare
- Size – make sure it will not interfere with the yoke or throttle quadrant
- Protection – many kneeboards also double as cases for the iPad outside of the airplane
Ram Mounts can temporarily secure the iPad in the cockpit. Here are some options:
- Yoke Mount – works well in Cessna and Piper aircraft, and can be used on the co-pilot’s yoke if it blocks the pilot’s panel
- Glareshield Mount – good option for mounting the iPad in front of the co-pilot’s seat
- Suction Mount – easily secures to the side window, and works well for aircraft with side stick controls like a Cirrus or Cessna Corvalis
3. Use an external GPS for reliable position data
Adding GPS to your iPad gives you the ability to view a moving map display and navigation data on popular apps like ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot or WingX. iPads that are 4g LTE equipped include an internal GPS. This GPS is completely separate from the cellular radio and does not require an active data plan in order to function. The internal GPS will work with all the popular aviation apps while in flight. But keep in mind that it was made for ground use and is not always reliable in the air. The internal GPS for the 4G LTE iPads has a notorious tendency to drop offline, especially when switching between apps or sleeping the screen. It’s not necessarily a question of accuracy, but of reliability. For this reason, most iPad pilots–even those with a 4G LTE iPad–opt for an external GPS. At around $100, it’s cheap insurance to maintain a GPS uplink.
There are plenty of external GPS options: the plug-in Bad Elf, the wireless Bad Elf Pro, the Garmin GLO, the Dual Electronics XGPS150 and the Dual SkyPro (XGPS160). They range from $99.95 to $150, and all offer roughly the same performance. The choice is really personal preference–do you want to plug in the GPS directly to your iPad (Bad Elf) or do you want to put the GPS on the glare shield and connect wirelessly (Dual/Garmin/Bad Elf Pro)? The advantage to the Bad Elf is that you don’t have to charge its battery, as it runs off the iPad. The advantage to the Dual/Garmin/Bad Elf Pro is that you can place it out of the way, but you do have to charge a battery. The Garmin GLO, Bad Elf Pro and the Dual SkyPro allow you to connect multiple devices to the same GPS; the others are limited to one device.
Another option would be to purchase a combination ADS-B weather and GPS receiver. Options here include the Stratus (works with ForeFlight), the Garmin GDL 39 (works with Garmin Pilot) and the Dual XGPS170 (works with WingX and AOPA FlyQ). These are more expensive, but add the major feature of in-flight weather and some add traffic as well.
4. Use Control Panel for quick access to settings
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to quickly access iPad settings.
The iPad’s Settings app is the one-stop shop for adjusting preferences and making configuration changes, but requires you to first switch out of whatever app you’re currently running to access it. Fortunately Apple added a hidden Control Panel feature that you can use to adjust the settings needed most often.
Simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen, and you’ll see a collection of buttons and sliders. Here you can adjust screen brightness, volume, and quickly toggle WiFi, airplane mode and Bluetooth on or off. The best part is you can access this at any time while an app is running, and even from the lock screen.
5. Know that you are legal
Part 91 VFR and IFR flying (the section of the regulations that most of us fly under in general aviation) you are completely legal to use the iPad for electronic charts, provided that the data is current and is a functional replacement of the paper version. There are two FAA documents you should be familiar with:
- FAR 91.21 – You must determine that the iPad, as a portable electronic device, does not cause interference in the airplane’s communication or navigation equipment.
- Advisory Circular 91-78 – this AC considers tablets like the iPad as a Class 1 Electronic Flight Bag. It is legal to use it as a paper chart replacement as long as it contains the functional equivalent of the paper reference material, e.g. an app like ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot. This AC does not require you to carry a backup (though we think you should), but does suggest you use the iPad first during an evaluation period alongside charts when transitioning.
6. Maximize iPad battery life
For normal use your iPad battery life is around 10 hours. Pilots can expect is to last about 4 to 6 hours of use when using it with a GPS and an aviation app.
Below are some tips to help get the most out of a single charge:
- Turn off 3G/LTE cellular data (this is also the most likely source of interference with panel mount avionics)
- Turn off Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth if they’re not required for connection to a GPS or ADS-B accessory
- Turn off Background App Refresh: go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Note though that some flight tracking apps like Cloud Ahoy require this to be turned on to record your flight track while running another app like ForeFlight.
- Clean the screen and set the screen brightness to the lowest viewable level
- Close unneeded apps that are running in the background: double-click the home button and swipe the app’s preview window towards the top of the screen
- Allow the iPad go into standby mode during the times when the iPad is not needed in flight (don’t do this when connected to Stratus, though)
7. Turn off app auto-updates
Apple introduced a new feature in iOS 7 that automatically updates your apps as new versions become available in the App Store. While many may find this to be a convenient feature, pilots should disable this and continue to manually update apps. The primary reason is that some aviation apps require an internet connection when first starting up after an update, and will not function if you discover this in the airplane. It’s also smart to keep an eye on each update to keep track of when functionality or features change.
8. Bring a backup for data and power
- Backup aviation data and charts: It is completely legal for general aviation pilots to use an iPad with current aviation data as the sole aviation reference source in the cockpit. While we’ve never had an iPad let us down in flight over the past 3+ years, we think it’s still smart to bring along a backup. Our preference is an iPhone with a second install of an aviation app (remember all the major aviation apps allow you to install a 2nd copy on another device). You might also consider a second iPad, or a limited selection of paper charts if you’d prefer something non-electronic.
- Power: The average battery life of an iPad running an aviation app with a GPS source is roughly 4 to 6 hours. While this may be long enough for the average flight, it’s important to think about “what if” scenarios. Events like diversions or weather delays can lead you to need the iPad for a longer time than the battery will last. The easiest and least expensive option here is a cigarette lighter USB adapter if your airplane has that option, which will allow you to keep the iPad charged in flight. The other backup power option is a backup battery, which has USB ports to charge your iPad. This backup battery model is our favorite. It has 5 USB ports for keeping multiple devices charged, and can increase the life of the iPad by 150% for under $100.
9. Use Multi-Touch Gestures for easy multitasking
Another feature that Apple includes with the iPad is Multi-Touch Gestures. These allow you to quickly perform routine tasks without relying on the bottom Home button. To activate this functionality, go to Settings -> General, and towards the bottom you’ll see the Multitasking Gestures On/Off switch. Here’s a brief summary of each function:
- Pinch to the Home Screen – Use this instead of pressing the home button to access the home screen from within any app. Place 4 or 5 fingers spread out on the screen, and pinch together.
- Swipe Up to Reveal the Multitasking Bar –Use this instead of pressing the home button twice to access the multitasking bar. Place 4 or 5 fingers spread out on the screen, and move your hand upward.
- Swipe Left or Right Between Apps –This allows quick movement between applications that are currently running. With an app running, place 4 or 5 fingers spread out on the screen. Now, move your hand to the left to switch to the last opened app. With the same motion, move your hand back to the right to switch back to the previous app.
10. Capture screen shots for offline viewing
During the flight planning process, online flight planners provide excellent navigation logs that can be very useful in the cockpit. The problem is most of us don’t have internet access in the air. Of course you could print them, but the goal here is to have a paperless cockpit. Using the iPad’s built-in screen capture function, you can quickly save a copy of whatever’s on the web browser screen with a few button presses. Here’s how:
- Pinch, zoom and position the data on the screen in the browser so all the important information is viewable
- Now, simultaneously press the Home Button (lower front of screen) and the On/Off button (on the top right), and you’ll see the screen flash white and hear a camera shutter sound
- Next, go back to your home screen, and locate the “Photos” app. When you click on this, you’ll see a photo of what was on your web page. This is now stored internally on the iPad, allowing you to view your important flight planning data without an Internet connection in the air.
- If you have more info that than will fit on one screen, take multiple screen captures
- When finished with the flight, go back into the “Photos” app and delete the screen capture photo by clicking the “Garbage Can” icon at the upper right.
11. Get free in-flight weather over ADS-B
ADS-B is an integral part of the FAA’s Next Generation Air Traffic Control system, and consists of hundreds of ground stations throughout the U.S. While the primary job of the system is to feed your aircraft’s position data to ATC, these towers also output a free datalink weather broadcast. This includes detailed radar imagery, text weather, PIREPs and more
The good news, in addition to being free, is that you don’t need to install expensive panel-mount avionics to view this data. Rather all you need is a portable ADS-B receiver, such as Stratus, and a compatible iPad app like ForeFlight, and you’ll have near real-time weather in the cockpit.
Other options here include the Garmin GDL 39 (works with Garmin Pilot) and the Dual XGPS 170 or Sagetech Clarity (works with WingX, AOPA FlyQ and Bendix/King myWingman).
12. Don’t leave the iPad in the sun to overheat
Most electronic devices that incorporate an internal battery have a limited temperature operating range. For the iPad the optimum range is between 32° and 95°F. When the iPad gets too hot an automatic protection feature kicks in and shuts the device down to protect the battery–not good when you’re viewing charts. In our experience this is more likely to happen when the iPad is exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods of time, even if the ambient temperature in the cockpit feels cool. The black screen quickly absorbs heat, causing the iPad to reach the upper temperature limit fairly quickly.
The obvious solution here is to mount the device in a way so that the front is not in direct sunlight, using either a kneeboard or RAM mount. If the iPad does overheat and displays the temperature warning, move it quickly to a cooler location in the shade and near an air vent if available. Removing any covers on the device will further allow additional airflow around the iPad and help it cool down faster.
Another scenario where your iPad can overheat is if you leave it in the airplane after parking on hot summer days. Make it a habit to take the iPad out of the airplane with you when stopping at the FBO so you’ll know it will be ready to go when it’s time to start back up.