ForeFlight began as a pre-flight app and over time grew to become a powerful in-flight tool as well. The weakest (and, to be honest, least important) phase has been post-flight. That may change now that the electronic flight bag giant has acquired CoudAhoy, an innovative software company with robust flight analysis tools.
The hidden Control Center screen remains one of the most useful features on iPhone and iPad, allowing you to quickly access commonly-used settings and apps. It’s especially useful during iPad preflight, allowing you to quickly optimize wireless and network settings before takeoff without the need to leave your EFB app.
An ADS-B receiver is an essential tool for any pilot flying with an iPad. These portable devices deliver critical information to your favorite app, including datalink weather, nearby traffic, and GPS position. The Sentry family is the best-selling option right now, with three models to suit different needs and budgets. Here’s what each model can do and how to get started flying with Sentry.
Flying a light airplane doesn’t have to mean pilots are totally cut off. Garmin’s inReach portable communicators are becoming increasingly capable and affordable. They certainly don’t enable email or web browsing, but they are useful for short text messages, flight tracking, and even emergency messages—and they integrate nicely with the Garmin Pilot app. Best of all, you can be up and running for less than $500 all-in.
Every pilot should secure their iPad in the cockpit, for both convenience and safety. The most popular ways to do this involve either a mount or a kneeboard. In this article, we’ll review some of the most popular iPad kneeboard options, so you can make an informed decision if you’re not a mount person. There are more options than ever, and most of them are quite good.
It has happened to almost every pilot: you’re excited to download that new app or it’s time to download charts for your big cross country, but you get the dreaded “iPad Storage Full” message. Over time, as you download more apps and take more pictures, you can quickly fill up the storage space on your device and run into this alert. This means it’s time to start thinking about freeing up some space by deleting unused apps and media.
If you’re shopping for a mount or kneeboard you’ll quickly have to answer the question, “which iPad do I have?” It’s not always as simple as it might sound, so if you’re not sure which model you have, you’re not alone. If you need to look that information up here’s how to do so.
Dramatic advances in tablet technology have slowed down, small companies have been snapped up by major industry players, and prices have crept up. Some pilots have noticed, and started to share their frustration. One relatively new private pilot recently told me, “maybe the iPad is just a rip-off after all.” Hardly. The iPad and aviation apps are nothing short of a miracle for pilots.
One of the most under-appreciated features of the iPad is its fantastic battery life. Even with a high-resolution screen and a powerful processor, Apple’s tablet offers a battery life of 4 to 6 (or more) hours in the air—better than almost every other competing tablet. But there are a number of things you can do to improve the performance of your iPad battery and keep it in top working condition.
If you’ve updated your iPad to iPadOS 16.2, you may have noticed a new app called Freeform. What is it and does it have any aviation applications? Let’s take a look at this multifunction canvas app.
Flight Outfitters has been making iPad accessories for close to a decade now, and we’ve always been impressed with their thoughtful design details and rugged construction. This month they introduced the latest generation of their flagship iPad kneeboard, now called the Centerline Kneeboard, with some smart updates.
This was a big year for iPad Pilot News, as we celebrated our 10th birthday—practically a lifetime for an online publication. Today pilots are flying with portable supercomputers, datalink weather receivers, and maybe even satellite communicators. To track these trends in electronic flight bags, we published over 100 articles this year, many of them in response to reader questions. Here were the 10 most popular in 2022.
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