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Garmin Pilot IFR Add-on: worth it?

1001001

Well Known Member
I use the Garmin Pilot app on my Android devices in the cockpit to increase my situational awareness and to replace my primary paper charts. For the last year I've had a subscription to the add-on Garmin Pilot SafeTaxi (now Garmin calls it the "VFR add-on"). The subscription has now come to an end, and I'm considering renewing it, or changing to the "IFR add-on" which apparently includes the VFR add-on and adds the geo-referenced IFR approach plates.

Has anyone had a chance to determine the utility of this? Should I spend the $50 for a year's subscription? I'm finishing up my instrument rating and expect to be flying a lot of approaches in the next year. Is the additional situational awareness worth the money or is it fluff I don't need?

Dave
 
i love it- i have the ifr add on- two things-

the stars and departure plates are not geo referenced. only the approach plates are- i emailed garmin about this and they said its a scaling problem -- i'm curious if foreflights are---

#2- Xplane doesn't work with pilot- only foreflight. if i would have known that i would have bought foreflight.

otherwise very happy with the pilot interface. can't wait to buy by g3x touch someday to go with it
 
i love it- i have the ifr add on- two things-

the stars and departure plates are not geo referenced. only the approach plates are- i emailed garmin about this and they said its a scaling problem -- i'm curious if foreflights are---

#2- Xplane doesn't work with pilot- only foreflight. if i would have known that i would have bought foreflight.

otherwise very happy with the pilot interface. can't wait to buy by g3x touch someday to go with it

Do you mean XPlane the simulator? It definitely works with Garmin Pilot. You just install the XPlane to GPS app and it simulates a GPS signal.
 
Ru serious ? They said it wasn't supported ? I even chatted with the tech through email about it. What is the exact name of it on the App Store ? Thanks
 
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Ru serious ? They said it wasn't supported ? I even chatted with the tech through email about it. What is the exact name of it on the App Store ? Thanks

Are you using Android or iOS? The XPLANE to GPS app I use is for android; I don't know whether there is one for iOS. The app for Android is called "X-Plane to GPS" and is made by "Appropel." It receives data from XPlane and creates a spoofed GPS signal that any app (Garmin Pilot, Google Earth, Google Maps, etc.) can read. You have to enable "mock locations" in Android but the steps are straightforward and clearly spelled out in the docs for the app.
 
Ah ha. Yeah it's not Available for Mac yet. Ah well

Mac or the iPad? I don't see any reason X-Plane to GPS shouldn't work with a Mac XPlane installation, but I don't think Appropel makes a version for iOS. It's the iPad that is the problem. If you're interested in replacing it with an Android tablet, I can recommend the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 (it's a little old by now, but it runs Pilot very well).
 
Dave, to your OP question, I find the geo-referenced approaches to be very useful for IFR situational awareness. If you are training for your instrument rating is recommend giving it a try. Assuming you would to want the "VFR add-on", you are discussing a $25 annual increase to jump up to the "IFR add-on".

Glen, thanks. I am on the fence about the VFR add-on since I haven't flown into enough fields large or busy enough to make SafeTaxi much of a necessity. It helps a bit, but eyes out the window and a current airport map has been enough for me so far. I wish there were a way to get the georeferenced plates without the SafeTaxi bundle.
 
Understood Dave.

I can only say what my experience has been. And on at least 2 occasions over the past year, SafeTaxi has been a valuable resource. The step up to geo-referenced approaches makes sense for me given my panel is not instrument equipped.

As for the cost, Garmin and ForeFlight seem to be staying in sink for their "entry" and "full" subscriptions. Garmin happens to offer something in the middle.

You are right about Garmin offering a middle road. The only thing they could be doing better would be to bring the android version up to full feature parity with the ios version.
 
WingX Pro comes with geo-referenced taxi diagrams and an obstacle database in their basic subscription.

I like get-referenced approach plates for instrument work.
 
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WingX Pro comes with geo-referenced taxi diagrams and an obstacle database in their basic subscription.

I like get-referenced approach plates for I stument work.

I'll be happy to try out WingX when they release the Android version. Looks like a good product.
 
While there are a few small feature/function differences between Garmin Pilot for Android vs iOS. What is more noticeable is the two different versions implement features differently. I've not found more than one or two things I can't do with the Android version. I will admit something's take extra steps on Android vs iOS.

The best option for Garmin Pilot users is to contact Garmin support with questions and specific requests.

Maybe I was led to believe incorrectly that Pilot for iOS has terrain and obstacle databases?
 
Geo-ref

I'm a +1 for the geo-referenced charts.

I'm trying to decide if I want to bounce up again to get the SynVin version for a year.
 
I'll be happy to try out WingX when they release the Android version. Looks like a good product.

It's supposed to become available in July. I expect the Android version will be limited, compared to iOS, with new features added over time. That seems to be the way most aviation apps are when they are available on both platforms.
 
Maybe I was led to believe incorrectly that Pilot for iOS has terrain and obstacle databases?

You are correct. I've been bouncing between the two versions so much I didn't notice. Also, iOS has synthetic vision (I don't use it on either mobile device).
 
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