Hey guys and gals, having just made the longest cross country flight of my life, I see the value of a good moving map with all the information on it.
I used an app on my cell phone and it was most definitely not satisfactory. I have never been a fan of apple products but it seems that the best navigation apps are only for the apple ipad.
What do you use? What do you recommend?
I need Canada charts and Alaska as well as US, Foreflight is the most common I guess, Garmin has one.
Also, if you have a set up that you want to sell let me know.

Shane

I’ve been using ForeFlight with both full sized and mini iPads for about 7-8 years or so. Including a personal cross country from Alaska to Alabama and all sorts of cross-continental flights for work.

I’m a huge fan.

If you don’t need Canada maps all the time, you can purchase the annual license from their website when you do need them and when you’re done you can cancel from the website and they’ll credit the remaining time to your standard account.

Foreflight if you use an apple device, Garmin if not.

But, would your needs be met by purchasing a portable GPS, like a Garmin 660 or??? If so, no subscription, and better readability in bright light, and they don't shut down when hot.

MTV

I’ve been using Avare on my Samsung tablet for 3 years and I’m happy with it. Foreflight is the clear leader but all I wanted was a moving sectional map that shows my position. Avare meets that need and it’s donation funded. Try it free and if you like it then send a few bucks their way, at least that’s what I’ve been doing.

You already make it back to AK? I sent some pms but never heard back. Suppose I should take the hint.

Go Garmin 660 or better.

I used to run Foreflight on my phone for gps nav and got tired of
1) overheating (happened to me 2x)
2) worrying about battery - if you use a stratux or any other type of receiver, you have to either be able to charge both at the same time or manage battery life between the two
3) glare / brightness
4) having my phone tied up for nav vs. other uses

I made the switch to a Garmin 660 + GDL39 3D (used) and hardwired to ship power. It's awesome! No more worrying about battery life, the brightness/glare isn't an issue, and they have never overheated.

Additionally, I still have Foreflight on my phone, and I can send/receive flight plans from Foreflight to the 660. I'll generally plan everything on my phone at home or wherever, then after startup, simply send the plan to the 660.

Highly recommend making the switch to a dedicated GPS unit. You won't regret it.

I've found Foreflight to be the most user friendly and compatible App amongst various platforms over the years.

MW

ForeFlight is the top dog for a reason, also if you turn on aeronautical in the layers, you can see all the Canadian airspace (as well as most of the worlds) without the Canadian charts, good enough for passing through, as long as you arnt needing georef plates or something.






I have used ForeFlight on a mini for ages, way better than handheld GPS, used it for IMC ops, low level flying, float flying, and kerosine in the flight levels, never had a overheat or anything, but I don’t like mounting tablets so it’s in the pocket or in my lap in a semi custom leather flip open case, wouldn’t change a thing.

Plus the custom user layers are great for marking backcountry strips or for other more odd ball stuff

I run Garmin pilot and am a huge fan of it. I also run a 796 though and they are very similar usage wise so I prefer that over having to learn another platform. I also don't use apple products so there's that... I prefer a dedicated handheld over the app. You can drive a Trio or Trutrak autopilot with a handheld, you'll never be able to do that with an IPad. Overheating and glare is also much less an issue with the handheld., my phone tends to overheat using the app with a magnet mount.

Please buy the Canadian subscription before you pass through Canada and then cancel it for credit when you’re back in US airspace. The data you’re seeing without the subscription is obtained free from a US source that gets it from the US military. (Obvious why they have it). It’s suitable for the purposes of US military aircraft on IFR flight plans. It’s not suitable and is incomplete for a VFR trip to Alaska.

Thanks folks, that is what i wanted, some opinions and ideas.
Whee, I got the plane to Twin Falls with some real adventures, it is secure there until I come back down in June and will fly it home to Alaska then.
Anybody want to make the trip to Alaska this spring? I would love to have several planes to fly together.

whee wrote:I’ve been using Avare on my Samsung tablet for 3 years and I’m happy with it. Foreflight is the clear leader but all I wanted was a moving sectional map that shows my position. Avare meets that need and it’s donation funded. Try it free and if you like it then send a few bucks their way, at least that’s what I’ve been doing.....:

Me too.
Used to be that Avare didn't do canadian charts-- maybe that's changed, I don't know.
I haven't kept track of that since I'm flying under Basic med rules now,
so I can't go into canada-- not yet anyway.

You might think about a used Garmin Area 510 or something like. They're on eBay, mostly for less than $500, even with an XM antenna.

I used to have a 510 and, to be honest, I'm a little nostalgic about it. Easy to use and easy to see in sunlight. But I use ForeFlight so habitually that I've just given in to the ease of using the iPad for everything. The big issue for me is approach plates. They don't work on the 500 series.

Until I can get an RS232 output from the iPad to drive the fuel flow info relative to destination, I'm keeping a small Garmin on the panel -love the 660.

For 99% of my flying these days, free FLTPLN GO on my iPhone Max does the honors. Back in the day I got to try all the apps on our paperless cockpits. Jepp FD pro was good, worldwide IFR subscription cost $10,000/year.

Karmutzen wrote:Until I can get an RS232 output from the iPad to drive the fuel flow info relative to destination, I'm keeping a small Garmin on the panel -love the 660.

For 99% of my flying these days, free FLTPLN GO on my iPhone Max does the honors. Back in the day I got to try all the apps on our paperless cockpits. Jepp FD pro was good, worldwide IFR subscription cost $10,000/year.

I forgot about the FF info. Between that and the option to drive an autopilot it makes it a no brainer for me...

"Iron Condor wrote: I used to run Foreflight on my phone for gps nav and got tired of ..."

Comparing a product you paid little for (you already had the phone, only the subscription costs)
To a Garmin product that you paid all in for is not a truthful comparison.

I've got hundreds of hours behind an iPad with ForeFlight mounted to the panel without any issue (no overheating or battery). It's a great NAV platform and there are others out there as well. My location is above the radio stack (with sun exposure) and there was an available ram air cooling tube that I directed towards the back of the iPad for cooling. Fortunately I had that available space; it used to have a Loran C and an Apollo in previous lives. Not everyone is going to have a hole that big in the panel for an iPad location. I provide USB power from the cigar lighter.

The iPad is very useful and reliable if (like anything in aviation) all the contingencies are considered. It's a great poor man's NAV platform.

There is a huge difference between navigating with one of the smaller phones and doing so with an I Pad. If you don’t own an iPad, that’s a significant expense as well.

My iPad has shut down due to heat….a few times. It’s possible if you’re careful to avoid that, however.

But the thing I MUCH prefer of the portable GPS units compared to the iPad is “view ability. My Garmin 660 is much clearer in bright daylight than my iPad mini.

If you already own an iPad, then ForeFlight may be the hot ticket. If you own another tablet, take a look at Garmin Pilot.

ForeFlight has lots of bells and whistles. They recently improved their weight and balance function, and the new version is really nice.

I’d try flying with borrowed units, to see what you prefer.

ForeFlight also just upped their subscription pricing, btw. I recently tried to purchase gift subscriptions, and trust me…..you do not want to go there……talk about a convoluted process! Built by Boeing……

MTV

Does Garmin still not allow a wireless flight plan transfer to and from a GTN650/750 using Foreflight or has that changed? For a while, only Garmin pilot would work for that.

Foreflight is the best in my opinion. Garmin Pilot is nice, but some interfacing makes me think software engineers and not pilots are designing features, although it is improving. In my humble opinion, FlyQ is also very nice and more pilot friendly than Garmin Pilot.

CamTom12 wrote:I’ve been using ForeFlight with both full sized and mini iPads for about 7-8 years or so. Including a personal cross country from Alaska to Alabama and all sorts of cross-continental flights for work.

I’m a huge fan.

If you don’t need Canada maps all the time, you can purchase the annual license from their website when you do need them and when you’re done you can cancel from the website and they’ll credit the remaining time to your standard account.

Lots of talk about standalone GPS here as well, figured I should add that I flight plan and get inflight chart/airfield/airspace/ADS-B traffic information from my iPad mini running ForeFlight. But I fly courselines off the 495 mounted in my dash (which also feeds data for fuel calcs to my engine monitor).

Having both in the cockpit (tablet-based charts, whichever flavor of software you prefer) and a panel mounted aviation GPS is definitely the best answer.