Using an iPad mini for soaring stuff

I decided traveling with a tablet computer in a touring motorglider
would be easier than lugging around my 6+ pound Windows laptop, so I
took advantage of a good deal on an iPad mini. I thought it's wealth of
aviation apps, including soaring apps like iGlide, and others was a plus.

It's a lovely device, visible in sunlight, but I've discovered Apple has
built a rather wide moat around the castle that keeps out almost
anything that doesn't say "Apple" on it. It's very frustrating, because
these are things that are trivial with my Windows laptop:

- Getting my ClearNav IGC files off the SD card or USB stick and sending
them to the OLC, or to anyone else.

- Viewing flight files

- Downloading an update to ClearNav, PowerFlarm, etc and put it on the
SD/USB devices.

- Modifying my waypoint files (CUP format) and placing them on SC/USB

I'm hoping someone has easy answers for these operations, or I will have
to consider options other than the iPad, which could include a smaller,
lighter Windows laptop (or netbook) or Android tablet.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

On Monday, December 23, 2013 11:54:33 AM UTC-6, Eric Greenwell wrote:
I decided traveling with a tablet computer in a touring motorglider

would be easier than lugging around my 6+ pound Windows laptop, so I

took advantage of a good deal on an iPad mini. I thought it's wealth of

aviation apps, including soaring apps like iGlide, and others was a plus.



It's a lovely device, visible in sunlight, but I've discovered Apple has

built a rather wide moat around the castle that keeps out almost

anything that doesn't say "Apple" on it. It's very frustrating, because

these are things that are trivial with my Windows laptop:



- Getting my ClearNav IGC files off the SD card or USB stick and sending

them to the OLC, or to anyone else.



- Viewing flight files



- Downloading an update to ClearNav, PowerFlarm, etc and put it on the

SD/USB devices.



- Modifying my waypoint files (CUP format) and placing them on SC/USB



I'm hoping someone has easy answers for these operations, or I will have

to consider options other than the iPad, which could include a smaller,

lighter Windows laptop (or netbook) or Android tablet.



--

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to

email

But this Apple is virus free ! How do you like the Phoenix?

Dale "ZEN"

Dale Watkins wrote, On 12/23/2013 10:22 AM:
On Monday, December 23, 2013 11:54:33 AM UTC-6, Eric Greenwell wrote:


I'm hoping someone has easy answers for these operations, or I will have
to consider options other than the iPad, which could include a smaller,
lighter Windows laptop (or netbook) or Android tablet.


But this Apple is virus free ! How do you like the Phoenix?

Dale "ZEN"

At this point, I'd take the virus risk to be able to do something!
Almost everything I'm accustomed to doing is harder, and it's because
Apple abhors any file sharing except pictures, and doesn't use the most
basic memory devices in the world - SD cards and USB sticks. I'm still
blown away by this. I've even contacted Naviter and ClearNav about
getting flights into the SeeYou iPad app, and neither had a solution.

Don't have the Phoenix yet, but it's supposed to ship Dec 31, and arrive
in FL a couple weeks later. Jim Lee (the dealer) will have the glass
panel and soaring instruments installed, then register and test fly it,
so it's completely ready to fly away when I arrive. I will take the
included flight and maintenance training from him before heading West;
realistically, it will likely be mid-February before I'm on my way home
to Washington State.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

The good news is that a slightly used iPad mini should be fairly easy to sell on eBay without taking too much of a bath.

But seriously, I also find all things Apple incredibly frustrating if you want to do anything at all outside the "norm" as defined by Steve Jobs (RIP). So, how about a Nexus 7? While Google Play doesn't yet have the same number of aviation apps, it's only a matter of time (what with Samsung and other big brands behind the platform). The Nexus supports micro USB, so you'd need an adapter cable to interface your USB stick between the ClearNav and the Nexus.

http://www.gizmag.com/tablet-comparison-2013/29708/

P3

On Monday, December 23, 2013 12:54:33 PM UTC-5, Eric Greenwell wrote:
I decided traveling with a tablet computer in a touring motorglider

would be easier than lugging around my 6+ pound Windows laptop, so I

took advantage of a good deal on an iPad mini. I thought it's wealth of

aviation apps, including soaring apps like iGlide, and others was a plus.



It's a lovely device, visible in sunlight, but I've discovered Apple has

built a rather wide moat around the castle that keeps out almost

anything that doesn't say "Apple" on it. It's very frustrating, because

these are things that are trivial with my Windows laptop:



- Getting my ClearNav IGC files off the SD card or USB stick and sending

them to the OLC, or to anyone else.



- Viewing flight files



- Downloading an update to ClearNav, PowerFlarm, etc and put it on the

SD/USB devices.



- Modifying my waypoint files (CUP format) and placing them on SC/USB



I'm hoping someone has easy answers for these operations, or I will have

to consider options other than the iPad, which could include a smaller,

lighter Windows laptop (or netbook) or Android tablet.



--

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to

email me)

On Monday, December 23, 2013 2:08:50 PM UTC-6, Papa3 wrote:
The good news is that a slightly used iPad mini should be fairly easy to sell on eBay without taking too much of a bath.



But seriously, I also find all things Apple incredibly frustrating if you want to do anything at all outside the "norm" as defined by Steve Jobs (RIP). So, how about a Nexus 7? While Google Play doesn't yet have the same number of aviation apps, it's only a matter of time (what with Samsung and other big brands behind the platform). The Nexus supports micro USB, so you'd need an adapter cable to interface your USB stick between the ClearNav and the Nexus.



http://www.gizmag.com/tablet-comparison-2013/29708/



P3



On Monday, December 23, 2013 12:54:33 PM UTC-5, Eric Greenwell wrote:

I decided traveling with a tablet computer in a touring motorglider



would be easier than lugging around my 6+ pound Windows laptop, so I



took advantage of a good deal on an iPad mini. I thought it's wealth of



aviation apps, including soaring apps like iGlide, and others was a plus.







It's a lovely device, visible in sunlight, but I've discovered Apple has



built a rather wide moat around the castle that keeps out almost



anything that doesn't say "Apple" on it. It's very frustrating, because



these are things that are trivial with my Windows laptop:







- Getting my ClearNav IGC files off the SD card or USB stick and sending



them to the OLC, or to anyone else.







- Viewing flight files







- Downloading an update to ClearNav, PowerFlarm, etc and put it on the



SD/USB devices.







- Modifying my waypoint files (CUP format) and placing them on SC/USB







I'm hoping someone has easy answers for these operations, or I will have



to consider options other than the iPad, which could include a smaller,



lighter Windows laptop (or netbook) or Android tablet.







--



Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to



email me)

Pappi is right, I love my Nexus 7, fantastic screen, fast and light. Would look good on that Phoenix panel, actually.

Surely the solution is for Soaring companies to write apps for the
IPad. Foreflight is an example of what is possible on the iPad. The
controlled universe of Apple is very attractive, compared to the
chaos of Microsoft.



At 22:57 23 December 2013, wrote:
On Monday, December 23, 2013 2:08:50 PM UTC-6, Papa3
wrote:
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Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to
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email me)

Pappi is right, I love my Nexus 7, fantastic screen, fast and light.
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look good on that Phoenix panel, actually.

Andrew wrote, On 12/23/2013 7:23 PM:
Surely the solution is for Soaring companies to write apps for the
IPad. Foreflight is an example of what is possible on the iPad. The
controlled universe of Apple is very attractive, compared to the
chaos of Microsoft.

Pappi is right, I love my Nexus 7, fantastic screen, fast and light.
Would=
look good on that Phoenix panel, actually.

The iPad apps are great! That was one reason I decided to get an iPad;
that, and I knew it had decent visibility in a cockpit with a bubble
canopy.

The problem I ran into is three of the instruments in my new glider
depend on that "chaos" to be updated, waypoints added, and to retrieve
flight logs, engine logs, and diagnostics, using an SD card or USB
stick. I have not found a way to do that with the iPad, but any MS
Windows computer out there can do that right out of the box! Ditto for
some of the Android tablets.

There is nothing "attractive" about the situation to me. The iPad might
as well be a brick for my soaring purposes. It's a gorgeous device, but
it has a very deep moat around it that limits what it can do. I'm still
hopeful that someone knows how to do this, but it it can't be solved,
I'll have at least one iPad for sale.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

Actually I have a Nexus 7 - only down fall is cracking the screen - and love using XCSOAR paired to my Nano. For business I would prefer the ipad (should sell ok on the open market)but for soaring the Nexus 7 seven wins hands down.


Marry Christmas all and be safe.

Dale

Dale Watkins wrote, On 12/24/2013 7:06 AM:
Actually I have a Nexus 7 - only down fall is cracking the screen -
and love using XCSOAR paired to my Nano. For business I would prefer
the ipad (should sell ok on the open market)but for soaring the Nexus
7 seven wins hands down.

A major use for me is using SD cards and USB sticks to support the
instruments in the glider. Do you use it to exchange files on SD cards
and USB sticks? Can you use it to send your IGC files to the OLC?

It sounds like it's plenty bright enough to use in the cockpit - any
issues there?

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

You can plug a USB card into a smart phone using a cable called OTG - for
On The Go.
Found on Amazon or E-Bay.
The IPad camera kit has a USB adapter.
Jim