[Sunriver Ken]

Hi guys,

I have a glass-cockpit 9A with only minimal back-up. I just bought an Ipad3 and would like to use it as a comprehensive back-up and in-flight aid.

Question #1: Is Garmin Piot the only app that has the "instrument" page? That page seems like a very good back-up since the life of the Ipad battery will start when power is lost to the plane (would like to save the aircraft battery for radios). I talked to Garmin and they are apparently upgrading the Pilot frequently (three times in the last four months). I would also like some type of weather program for cross-country flying.

Question #2: So what equipment do I need to purchase? I am thinking:
1. a plug-in to the "cigarette plug" to convert to Ipad power
2. a USB cord to go from the converter to the Ipad
3. an external GPS
4. some type of flight software (as I said Garmin sounds good but others may be O.K. (your input needed)
5. Some type of weather package

So what else? I have seen Wilson antenna in various threads but do I really need this if I use an external GPS?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[clevtool]

WingX says that the built in GPS is a full fledged GPS and the only reason to have another is if there is reception problems. (talking about 4G version).

 

[MarkW]

I don't know what the Garmin can use for weather so I am speaking to the Foreflight only. The Foreflight program is an excellent mapping and flight planning app. and now with the Stratus you have free weather at any altitude. I get foreflight weather at about 2000' agl with the internal 3g on my iPad 2. The GPS works very well and is acurate if near the windscreen of a 172. (Not flying the RV-9 yet.) With the Stratus the GPS is built in and it is left on the glare shield so reception for the GPS would not be a problem.
Sorry no instrument page but the rest is perfect.
If you need an instrument page there is a AHRS-G available for the iPad that is incredible but I belive it only works with WingX.

 

[RVbySDI]

So what else?

A sunlight readable screen. Ok, so really not something you can obtain. Since I have been flying with the iPad for a few months now I can unequivocally state I would NOT rely on my iPad for critical flight information for two vital reasons:

1. No matter what brightness settings are available for me the screen is extremely washed out in any amount of sunlight. That includes partial shade.
   
2. There are much too many times when GPS signals/data signals drop off and I lose connectivity. When this happens I have ZERO data input showing up on the iPad. This is tolerable if flying with multiple instruments and the iPad is serving as a navigational aid and as a potential backup but if I had to rely on the iPad as a primary flight instrument having this happen in flight would leave one without any flight instrumentation.

 

[n5lp]

A sunlight readable screen. Ok, so really not something you can obtain. Since I have been flying with the iPad for a few months now I can unequivocally state I would NOT rely on my iPad for critical flight information for two vital reasons:

1. No matter what brightness settings are available for me the screen is extremely washed out in any amount of sunlight. That includes partial shade.
   
2. There are much too many times when GPS signals/data signals drop off and I lose connectivity. ...

I haven't had problems with the GPS dropping out but I certainly have had the iPad shut-off because of overheating, at inconvenient times. In my environment I can not just leave it running on the seat beside me because it will overheat. My workaround is to leave it in standby in a folded closed case and activate it as needed. I wonder what experiences people have that panel mount it. Maybe the angle to the Sun makes it less liable to overheat.

I do find the iPad very handy compared to lugging around all those charts and books. I use the fuel prices, low altitude charts, VFR sectionals and airport information a bunch.

 

[RVbySDI]

I don't know what the Garmin can use for weather so I am speaking to the Foreflight only. The Foreflight program is an excellent mapping and flight planning app. and now with the Stratus you have free weather at any altitude. I get foreflight weather at about 2000' agl with the internal 3g on my iPad 2. The GPS works very well and is acurate if near the windscreen of a 172. (Not flying the RV-9 yet.) With the Stratus the GPS is built in and it is left on the glare shield so reception for the GPS would not be a problem.
Sorry no instrument page but the rest is perfect.
If you need an instrument page there is a AHRS-G available for the iPad that is incredible but I belive it only works with WingX.

This is a data point for those considering the Stratus. I purchased the Stratus at SnF. I received it the last week of April. I have 8-10 or so flights with it now. At least 4 of them have been on cross country flights of 2 to 3 hours or more. Whenever flying on cross countries where the Stratus is placed on the glare shield, as is called out for in the manual, my unit is losing the GPS signal after about 10 minutes of flight. It has not come back on until I remove the Stratus from the dash and place it on my thigh, then click out of Foreflight and back in. After a minute or two the GPS signal will return. However, once I place it back on the dash it will again lose the GPS signal.

I have contacted Sporty's and also Apparo (the manufacturer) concerning this problem. It is my belief the unit is overheating and this is causing the GPS signal to be lost. Both entities have assured me that if the unit were overheating I would have seen a warning message in Foreflight noting that fact. To date, I have never seen any warning message on the screen. However, I still think heat is having some effect on this instrument.

During my last cross country flight this past weekend, I experimented with different placements of the unit to determine if heat may be causing the outage. This flight was at 3500 MSL with OAT 80-85 F. It was muggy, sunny and hot outside. The sun was beaming through the windshield onto the Stratus. True to past experience, after about 10 minutes of flight the Stratus lost the GPS signal. I pulled the box off of the glare shield and tried setting it in various places within the cockpit of my 9. The only other place besides the glare shield where the Stratus would pick up the GPS signal was with the unit sitting on my thigh. After flying for several minutes with the unit on my thigh I returned it back to the glare shield. Within a few minutes of being back on the glare shield the GPS signal went out again. I took it down again and held it in front of the air vent, clicked out of Foreflight and back in again. This reset everything and the signal returned. I then placed the Stratus back up on the glare shield but this time placed my =VAF= hat over the unit. It never again lost the signal for the remainder of the flight.

It is my thoughts after this experience the unit is getting hot and this is affecting the performance. The operating temperature range for the unit is very small. The Stratus operating temperature is from 32 deg - 95 deg F. Click on the picture below to go to the Sporty's Stratus spec sheet:


I think any instrument that is SUPPOSED to reside on a glare shield should have a broader operating temperature range than this. 95 degrees in the sun on a glare shield can be reached easily in the middle of winter around here. Forget about having an all black plastic electronic box sitting on a black glare shield in direct sunlight being able to stay cooler than 95 deg in the summer.

Appero informed me there is a Foreflight update coming out that is going to alter the type of GPS signal the Stratus uses. It was the technician's belief this could resolve my problem. Time will tell. It would be nice if this were true but I am skeptical.

Well, it does look like in my case I have taken on the role of early adopter and the issues associated with dealing with non-mature technology. Not mad about it, just a little frustrated. Anyway, like I said, just one data point to ponder.

 

[Vlad]

I have a glass-cockpit 9A with only minimal back-up.


........
What else?

Ken,
Get antiglare film protector. You can not go wrong with any Navigation app all of them are good there are many reviews.

I have a steam cockpit 9A with maximum back up. Bought April 2010 still working

 

[clevtool]

<snip> there is a AHRS-G available for the iPad that is incredible but I belive it only works with WingX.

Funny you should mention that. We just became a dealer. We have them on our website and will have them for sale and for demo at Oshkosh. While I would not depend on the Ipad for anything, it is sure a great and cheap upgrade for the all steam gauge panel I currently have. If it blacks out (has not happened yet) I can go back to how I used to fly. It comes in versions to pick off pitot/static, or just the AHRS (for portability).

The AHRS works with WingX Pro7, Air Navigation Pro, iHUD Remote, i1000 Flight System, AirTrack, & Gyronaut as well as a couple Windows based software packages.

With WingX Pro you can even use your iPhone for the HUD and the iPad for the synthetic vision and maps on split screen. Did I mention it's all wireless?

-

 

[garrys]

Stratus overheating & shut down

I purchased my Stratus at SNF but have been unable to get it to function properly...........due to overheating. The only place it will get a signal is on the glare shield (7A), but in Florida during the summer it gets way too hot. Moving it anywhere where there is "shade" and it won't get a signal. I haven't tried the "place a hat over it" trick yet but doubt that will solve it. I'm thinking that I might have to put it behind the seats and mount some sort of remote antenna. Don't even know if there is provision for a remote antenna. Thoughts anyone?

I second everyone's comments about the sunlight readability of the iPad. It is almost worthless in the cockpit during anything except night flying or a solid overcast cloud layer. If there is sunlight, forget it.

 

[erich weaver]

Wow, that is an unbelievably bad job of product design/testing on the Stratus. What were they thinking? And it's not like this hasn't been done before with Gps signals. My Garmin GPS antenna is under the engine cowl and it hasn't missed a beat yet.
I say send the thing back for a refund and wait for them to get it right.

Erich

 

[flickroll]

I have been a ForeFlight user ever since the App came out. I like it better than any other iPad aviation App. However I recently ditched it in favor of the Garmin App because of the Stratus issues that I have read about. I am in the process of installing a GDL39 behind the panel. When completed, it will feed both a G796 and an iPad, and I believe it to be a superior ADS-B solution to the Stratus product. I don't think I will have overheating problems, and it will use both an external GPS, as well as an external ADS-B In antenna.

 

[Wayne Gillispie]

I have the ipad3 with Foreflight and xm wx on my 496. After 75 hrs with the Ipad3...it is not worth the $700+ I paid for it. For that kind of money here are my issues like many others...barely readable screen on a sunny day with med tint sun glasses(that is why you will see me under the HS viewing it and yes I have the anti-glare), overheats easily, weaker 3G than my Iphone4 and occasionally loses gps reception in flight. I may pick it up once in flight. I really like FF on the ground!

I still carry a sectional...lightweight, no pinching/spreading, true colors, readable in sunlight, sometimes I like looking at the big picture and still be able to read it and you can leave a sectional out on the seat and it will be there when you get back.

I really like xm wx on the 496 but wish I had it on a bigger screen. I have never lost gps reception and once lost xm wx.