Guys

 I'm driving along in middle of nothing in Wyoming.  Got to
 thinking.  My
 Goggle Maps Navigation on my Droid phone is way better than my Garmin
 GPS on my window. Goggle updates its maps automatically for free and
 also more accurate and talks the directions on Droid (wont talk on
 apple
 phone).  You can watch short utubes on each goggle navigation feature.

 So why don't one of you figure out a way to use goggle maps
 inconnectuon
 with ipad type device (Droid or apple) and make a navagation system
 for
 airplanes to replace those expensive Garmins.

 Snowing now so have to stop email.

 Van

 As I recall there is a rule against using a cell phone in an airplane.
 It works of course. The cell transmissions cut down the gain
 on the aircraft radio. I did it years ago when a cell phone weighed
 5 pounds and had a separate hand set :)

 Paul Lamar


 It's GoOgle..  Not GoGgle. Did your Android device do your
 spellchecking?  ;)

 Apple can do turn by turn directions, but not for free. Or at least
 not natively.

 There are big swaths of the western US without cell coverage.  That
 means you have to store the nav data on board the device. That's one
 of the expenses covered when you buy a Garmin.

 The Google data isn't monitored.  For some kinds of things
 (instrument approaches), I'll pay to have someone make sure the data
 isn't wrong. Jeppesen.

 I've used a couple of cell phones in light airplanes. Many times
 they don't work, even if I'm over a relatively populated area. I
 believe it may have something to do with the antenna design on the
 towers. Or with logic on the towers rejecting devices that connect
 to too many towers at once. Or devices that are switching towers too
 quickly. Not sure. But, I know it's not a reliable connection - even
 when I have plenty of bars of signal strength.


 Matt-



Van,

In my limited experience, I agree with Matt:  just bought an iPad2
just so I could
run Foreflight.  Luckily my plane also had an aviation GPS because for
a while I
seemed to have lost the signal.  It slooowwly came back after a while,
but it was
very disconcerting.  I was only at 3500 feet, and never more than a
few miles from
a small town which should have had at least one cell tower in it.  I
was very
disappointed to say the least.  The Garmin ads talk about lost signals
and I thought
it was just advertising hype.

Gene Kahn

If you want a bigger screen there are lots of apps for the ipad.
Read a few articles (can't find now) of writers testing and they
liked.  See adds in plane mags.

Dan F