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iFly 740b Vs iPad

SPX

Well Known Member
Sponsor
I own an iFly740b, and various iPad devices. On the iPad, I run ForeFlight Mobile. I know that there are quite a few members here that also use the iFly products.

For those that have opted for the 740b (or earlier models) versus an iPad, what have been you top reasons for doing so? Are you experiencing overheats which render the iPad useless at times? Is the screen glare too much for you to overcome? Or..?

The reason for my question is that despite the iFly 740b being a great unit, I find the iPad to be even better. Yet, I know enough of you have decided against the iPad that I am wondering what I am missing?

I find the iFly running on the 740b to be a bit ?clunky? in that it does not provide nearly the touchscreen ease of use that the iPad does. I have also been unable to find a means to get audio to my headset from the iFly, which in the event of a traffic call, I find to be invaluable. Having to click a button to dismiss the traffic alert on the iFly also gets a bit old in areas of high traffic, such as Southern California. Maybe there is a setting that I have not discovered to better handle traffic alerts.

All this said, this really is not about ForeFlight vs iFly, as I think the iFly would be a lot better on the iPad than it is on the 740b. There are plenty of iPad apps, each having their own merits. So, in the context of iPad vs 740b, why have you chosen to not go with the iPad?
 
The iPad or Android for that matter does not support NMEA out from iFly.

Previous heat related shutdowns with iPad.

The iFly device is easier to read in sunlight.

BTW, the iFly devices do have audio out, which connects well to the intercom in the Cardinal.
 
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The iPad or Android for that matter does not support NMEA out from iFly.

BTW, the iFly devices do have audio out, which connects well to the intercom in the Cardinal.

I'm using the iFly 740b as a portable unit, as I have a GPS 496 in the panel for the autopilot. Perhaps if I replaced the Garmin with the iFly, I?d enjoy it more.

The intercom in my RV doesn?t have an audio input, so I use Bluetooth directly to my headset for audio. The intercom setup that you have seems like it would provide a better experience.
 
I dropped Garmin pilot for iFly on Android and it has been good. I'm thinking of replacing my AVMAP4 panel dock mounted with iFly 740b to drive my autopilot with NMEA. I don't see anything on the iFly website about NMEA but it's seems it does have it. Can someone confirm NMEA output from 740b?
 
I dropped Garmin pilot for iFly on Android and it has been good. I'm thinking of replacing my AVMAP4 panel dock mounted with iFly 740b to drive my autopilot with NMEA. I don't see anything on the iFly website about NMEA but it's seems it does have it. Can someone confirm NMEA output from 740b?


I drive my trutrak vizion 385 autopilot with the ifly 740. Works great with nmea output.
 
I have an IFly 740a recessed on my panel and use it to drive a Dynon 2 axis autopilot. I also have an IFly subscription for my Ipad mini.

I found the sunlight readability of the IFly (1300 nits) to be far superior to the sunlight readability of the Ipad mini (450 nits). On the flip side, the User Interface of the Ipad is better than the Ifly.

I use to fly with both the Ipad and Ifly 740 both active but now I exclusively use the Ifly 740a in flight and only use the Ipad mini for flight planning.
 
will the 740b connect to the transponder (mine Lynx 9000) in order to show traffic like their android version does for me?
 
I tried out both 740B and a 5th generation iPad Mini side by side. The 740B generally worked well. The screen does require a firm touch, a good thing in turbulence. 740B also has lots of ports and its screen is brighter, as previously noted.

However, I found the iPad screen to have much better contrast and a lot less glare. The 740B can turn into a solar mirror if tilted in the wrong direction; iPad doesn't seem to do this. I use a ProClip mount attached at an angle to the panel, with two small cooling fans attached to the back of the mount. I have not had any thermal shutdowns and no problems with visibility (I previously had problems with both with an earlier iPad). The iPad is also very useful out of the plane; the 740B much less so due in part to it's very short battery life. The biggest problem with the iPad is it's touch sensitivity; it's hard to work with in turbulence unless taken off the mount.

I thought both devices were very good; for my use the iPad Mini 5 is a little better.
 
Panel Dock

OK thx. I may print a panel dock for the 740b.

Steve, I had a 720 and an airgizmo panel dock. Worked ok but it was huge. I was told the 740 fits the airgizmo but no joy. So, if you make a panel dock that fits the 740, please let me know. I?m interested. 🙂
 
Steve, I had a 720 and an airgizmo panel dock. Worked ok but it was huge. I was told the 740 fits the airgizmo but no joy. So, if you make a panel dock that fits the 740, please let me know. I?m interested. 🙂

The AirGizmo panel dock works great with the iFly720. The 740 fits the same dock but the bezel is rounded on all sides so it does not clip firmly into place like the 720. I tried to upgrade to the 740 but sent it back because of this; didn?t want it in my lap when going inverted.

I chose the iFly over an iPad because of the screen brightness, NMEA output to my Dynon autopilot, and audio output to the intercom. I agree it is a bit clunky compared to an iPad but some good features.
If you go into the settings menu you can change the traffic display thresholds.
 
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iFly 740 GPS panel mount

done

IMG_20200506_180510_zpshjfwv4sw.jpg
 
I am beginning to get the approach routine with iFly GPS. I like it. GPS autopilot, VFR of course. Includes built in timers for the procedure turns and time to final. With vertical speed to target posted on the iFly, I am comfortable that I could get down safely at any airport that has a GPS approach. Set the autopilot for the approach course and manage the descent with the throttle.
 
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I can actually see my 740b in my RV-8 in any light, whereas my iPad is often not bright enough to see Foreflight very well --- and that is even with the Koger Sunshade overhead.
 
I purchased some anti-glare film off of Amazon and installed it on my iFLY. It works great. The 740 is bright enough to work well through the anti-glare film.
 
a test

first of all, I don't recommend this. In order to see how well the autopilot and GPS work together I landed with autopilot on and two fingers on the stick to control the flare at my home airport HAO, RW 29. I landed 20 ft off runway center to the North side but on the RW heading. it was a smooth landing. the runway is 75 ft wide. it was very smooth air and I disengaged the autopilot on roll out. WAAS input from Lynx 9000 was provided to the iFly GPS to Trio EZ autopilot.

In recent flights I have noticed the alignment when landing MWO, SW to NE, was offset about 20 ft to the East but was on the runway heading. MWO runway is not as wide so I would have been on the runway edge when landing if by autopilot.

currently, there seems to be a 20 ft offset in WAAS in the Cincinnati area.

perhaps autoland is not too far away for a dockable GPS? I have noticed that GARMIN autoland does NOT hit the centerline.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N531EM/history/20200609/0012Z/KHAO
 
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this is repeatable. same offset from runway centerline. calm winds. I'll check it again in the Winter, perhaps they change the GPS WAAS shift from time to time to keep us on our toes.
 
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