This sounds like an iPad commercial, though I would rather have an
Android because I do Linux almost exclusively. The problem is I have
yet to find an Android device that would come close to the iPad for
this purpose. I am still holding out. If I was a pro pilot I would
have bought an iPad with no reservation. Here is the commercial:

 I used an iPad w/ WingX-Pro on a trip to Texas last month. for
$100/year it has the aopa FD, all VFR geo referenced charts, plus
everything you need to flight plan and be legal. It is a legal flight
bag if mounted on something. No paper is needed.

 The iPad2 is out now, but we were using the first generation 3GS
model. The 3GS has a cell phone chip which includes a GPS. The WIFI
only model does not have GPS, but you can add an external blue tooth
GPS.

 The iPad was my nephews. At only $600 and $100/year it beats the
hell out of garmin or any other. I like to land at airports with
cheap gas. WIFI was not always available, so a data plan would
have been
convenient. For that trip we would have purchased five VFR charts and
a few FD books for about $55 for the one week of flying. The charts
and FD are downloaded to the device so the data plan is not need
during use. I would have like to see how well the data plan would
have worked in the air to get current weather. A reasonable data plans
start at $20/month

So for $600 and $340/year you get all georef VFR charts, non-georef
approach plates, AOPA FD, an interface to DUATS, plus a data
plan. For
$100 more per year you also get georef approach plates so you can
watch the little airplane fly the ovals...

 Lowrance wants $300/year for my moving map gps, it is not a legal
information source and
it doesn't even have stuff like RP for runways.

 Most of the professional pilots in the area have iPads. My
instructor picked up a Challenger 850, delivered it to China. An
iPad/wingx-pro was supplied by the contractor when he picked up the
plane in Canada.
 It is the "killer" app. I think Garmin and the like will have to do
some major product changes and price restructuring to compete.
On top of all that, it does email, book reader, web browser...

Blake Lewis


 Blake,

 Just to make sure, are you saying that if you download the
charts onto
 the ipad, you don't need cell phone coverage to use the GPS
feature in
 the ipad? Â If so, that's what I was talking about.

 Van  Vannoy


yes, download and then use.

--
Blake C. Lewis

Actually you don't need cell phone coverage to make an ipad GPS work.  I've got the 3G version but don't have a sim card in it yet
and as long as it starts out knowing where it is, it will lock onto the GPS and follow. So, if you've got a wifi connection at the
airport [in the FBO] and it does it's auto locate thing, then you can walk outside [it will lose the wifi connection] and still have
GPS for as long as its up and running. The cell coverage does make it so that it will lock on anywhere, as long as it can
reach a cell tower to 'assist' in finding it's initial position.  If GPS is super important to you, then I'd recommend a external
receiver. I've never had the need but some do/could.  Up in the flight levels one loses cell coverage anyway so I've never
been too concerned about getting the sim card for mine, as well the Avidyne gives me 'on chart' gps position so that takes care
of the 'where am I on the approach' question.

Fwiw

Jarrett Johnson

BTW Jarrett could you send some SW engine dwg files to Tom Sash.
tsash@Freewing.net


Paul Lamar