Eric: At the risk of sounding like a heretic, I am an Android guy and I use DROID EFB on an Android device as my situational awareness and flight planning tool. I also have ADS-B-In provided by a DUAL XGPS-170 receiver. The DUAL unit connects to my tablet through Bluetooth (less power required than for a WiFi connection). I'm very happy with the combination. There were some management troubles in the Company that supports DROID EFB, but those were resolved when the name changed from FlightPro to Droid EFB. Updates are smooth as pie now. An internet connection is required for the updates, then you are self contained for about a month until the next update comes out. During the internal management brouhaha at the support company, I tried FltPlan Go, Avare, Naviator, and iFly GPS. None of these other products had the capability or the easy user interface that DROID EFB provides. I don't have any experience with the iPad products, but I'd be happy to let you play with my DROID EFB the next time we're both at the airport.

Is anyone using Foreflight with an iPhone 6 Plus? I am due a new phone and a 6+ would mount really easily on my panel. I feel Foreflight on my current iPhone 5s is just to small to be really usable. I would have to do some panel rearranging to mount my current iPad mini. If anyone has any comments on the size and usability of Foreflight on an iPhone 6+, I would like to hear them.

Thanks,
Joe

Hey Joe, I have an iPhone 6+ that I use for foreflight. I don't always use it but when I do It's generally only for displaying traffic and terrain since I also have a iPad mini and a Garmin 496. It is about the same screen area as a Garmin 496. It's just a little harder to read compared to my iPad mini. You can see the difference in text size on the picture below. Foreflight on the iPhone has a few less features than on an iPad but still way more than enough to get you from point A to point B.

Flyhound wrote:..... I use DROID EFB on an Android device as my situational awareness and flight planning tool. I also have ADS-B-In provided by a DUAL XGPS-170 receiver. The DUAL unit connects to my tablet through Bluetooth ......

I appreciate the offer, Gary, and will no doubt take you up on it. But unfortunately I am just not wired for IT stuff. It doesn't take much of this EFB / XGPS / Bluetooth / jellybean / bad elf talk to make my eyes glaze over. Part of what I liked about my friend's description of his Samsung Galaxy tablet & Avare app was that it sounded nice & simple-- buy the device, log on via wifi and load the free app, then sail off into the wild blue yonder. Download the new chart / AFD info every 6 months and live happily ever after.

hotrod180 wrote: Part of what I liked about my friend's description of his Samsung Galaxy tablet & Avare app was that it sounded nice & simple-- buy the device, log on via wifi and load the free app, then sail off into the wild blue yonder. Download the new chart / AFD info every 6 months and live happily ever after.

Me too. I think I've said this before; all I want is a moving map display with the map being a sectional. My dad has Avare on his tablet and it seems to be what I am looking for. Currently it does support ADSB traffic and I imagine eventually ADAB weather will be supported for those so inclined.

[quote="robw56"]Hey Joe, I have an iPhone 6+ that I use for foreflight. I don't always use it but when I do It's generally only for displaying traffic and terrain since I also have a iPad mini and a Garmin 496. It is about the same screen area as a Garmin 496. It's just a little harder to read compared to my iPad mini. You can see the difference in text size on the picture below. Foreflight on the iPhone has a few less features than on an iPad but still way more than enough to get you from point A to point B.

I flew with the iPad2 (wifi) and the iPhone 5. The iPhone became the back up when the vacuum pump failed and the cheap USB chargers went TU Stratus 2 and the iPad died. I've sense upgraded to the iPad Air and the iPhone 6 plus both with the cellular connections and internal GPS. I've also installed the Lone Star USB power supply...and ECi's USB charger panel mount. Haven't finished my rebuild or flown with the new hardware. I like your set up...terrain on the iPhone.

If you are considering buying a Stratus device (WAAS GPS and ADS-B IN receiver, available through Sporty's), they you do NOT need to purchase an iPad with the GPS+cellular chip. You can save that $139 to apply towards the Stratus. Especially if you already have a smart phone with built-in Wi-Fi hotspot (all iPhones, and probably 95% of the Android phones out there have this feature). You can connect your iPad to your phone's Wi-Fi and use the phone's data plan for your iPad connectivity.

And check out the BadElf Kickstarter campaign aiming to bring a GPS+ADSB-IN receiver (so-called "Stratus clone") to market for under $300. No guarantees that it will work with ForeFlight, but BadElf fully intends to make their device compatible (and you can see videos on their website that show it working in Beta mode).

One more thought: ALL the in-cockpit weather services (XM, Sirius, and ADS-B) can give you a false sense of confidence when you look at that crisp, clearly defined view of the "current" weather. The issue is that the radar image you're seeing is ALWAYS from the past. It takes somewhere between 5-20 minutes for that radar image to be displayed on your in-cockpit device. So that "gap" between the cells that you see on the screen may no longer be there at all, or may have moved significantly. These tools are GREAT for strategic planning and weather avoidance. They can be truly dangerous, however, if you rely on them to pick your way through a weather system. The data is just too old to be valid to make that kind of tactical decision.

Use the XM/Sirius or ADS-B weather to stay well clear of the weather, and you'll benefit enormously.

twflyer wrote:Is anyone using Foreflight with an iPhone 6 Plus? I am due a new phone and a 6+ would mount really easily on my panel. I feel Foreflight on my current iPhone 5s is just to small to be really usable. I would have to do some panel rearranging to mount my current iPad mini. If anyone has any comments on the size and usability of Foreflight on an iPhone 6+, I would like to hear them.

Thanks,
Joe

I have FF on my iPad and 6+

Much of the time I'll use the 6+ as I don't always have the iPad. It works fine. Usually bigger is better (that's what she said...) but the 6+ works fine. It is missing a few functions but nothing important.

Just like a .45 vs. a pocket .380. Better a smaller caliber on you than a larger caliber in the truck.

I was intrigued by the report on Droid EFB so I put it on my Nexus 7. I'm really glad they have a 30 day free trial, that's a great way to attract business.

I'm currently riding shotgun in the car with my wife on the way to get the dogs so I had some time to really compare it side by side with foreflight.

Droid EFB looks like a solid program with a ton of functionality. I like all of the features that it has, but there are some differences that make me prefer FF. First, you can't rubber band your flight plan. It is very easy to insert waypoints into the route using a "tap" but I prefer the rubber band method. I was also unable to figure out how to modify the "dashboard" at the bottom. Again, not a deal breaker, but I prefer seeing ETA in local time. This is something FF needs to work on as well, as it doesn't account for time zone changes until your device actually crosses to the new time zone. Another nit, but while EFB displays the runway centerlines on the sectional, they're very hard to see and not labelled like FF. Weather is also only in raw form. I obviously know how to read weather coding, but sometimes my wife reads it while I'm flying and FF makes that a much more enjoyable process for both of us.

The map also appeared to be much more jumpy in EFB, with FF showing very smooth map scrolling in the tracking mode.

If I refused to buy an Apple product, I'd be really happy with EFB. However, I prefer FF and since the costs are comparable I'll stick with that.

Playing around with a good flight app on my Nexus 7 did make me want to buy an iPad mini though...

Hey Eric: I don't think there is anything better available than the iPad mini and foreflight combined with stratus and internet. I love mine. I don't think that is the direction your going. That is ok. To each there own.

Cheers...Rob

I have an Ipad Mini and use FF with the Stratus 2. I can't speak highly enough. I'm a pretty low time pilot and have made the trip from WA to AK twice in two different Stinsons and I can't imagine doing the trip without the information at my fingertips that this combination provides.

Russ N6063M

OregonMaule wrote:Hey Eric: I don't think there is anything better available than the iPad mini and foreflight combined with stratus and internet. I love mine. I don't think that is the direction your going. That is ok. To each there own. Cheers...Rob

I'm not really going in any direction yet, unless it's in circles.
I was leaning toward an android tablet & the Avare app (I like free), but Gary (Flyhound) showed off his Droid EFB to me the other day and it's pretty nice.
Seems like the most popular is an iPad with Foreflight though.

I believe I posted this before but I've tried the iPad mini with WingX, Foreflight and Garmin Pilot. I am using Garmin pilot exclusively. Just can't beat Garmin products but I must say you can't go wrong with any of the of them.

Arne

One been trying Avare but find it to be less than intuitive. Just started trying Droid EFB after the above posts. It is much easier.

hotrod180 wrote:

Flyhound wrote:..... I use DROID EFB on an Android device as my situational awareness and flight planning tool. I also have ADS-B-In provided by a DUAL XGPS-170 receiver. The DUAL unit connects to my tablet through Bluetooth ......

I appreciate the offer, Gary, and will no doubt take you up on it. But unfortunately I am just not wired for IT stuff. It doesn't take much of this EFB / XGPS / Bluetooth / jellybean / bad elf talk to make my eyes glaze over. Part of what I liked about my friend's description of his Samsung Galaxy tablet & Avare app was that it sounded nice & simple-- buy the device, log on via wifi and load the free app, then sail off into the wild blue yonder. Download the new chart / AFD info every 6 months and live happily ever after.

Sounds like you guys need to discuss this over a slice of pie at the airport restaurant!

Rezrider wrote:

hotrod180 wrote:

Flyhound wrote:..... I use DROID EFB on an Android device as my situational awareness and flight planning tool. I also have ADS-B-In provided by a DUAL XGPS-170 receiver. The DUAL unit connects to my tablet through Bluetooth ......

I appreciate the offer, Gary, and will no doubt take you up on it. But unfortunately I am just not wired for IT stuff. It doesn't take much of this EFB / XGPS / Bluetooth / jellybean / bad elf talk to make my eyes glaze over. Part of what I liked about my friend's description of his Samsung Galaxy tablet & Avare app was that it sounded nice & simple-- buy the device, log on via wifi and load the free app, then sail off into the wild blue yonder. Download the new chart / AFD info every 6 months and live happily ever after.

Sounds like you guys need to discuss this over a slice of pie at the airport restaurant!

We did just that a couple days ago.

Looks like the first step is deciding which tablet to buy.
iPad: foreflight, garmin pilot, & wing-x available
Android: Garmin Pilot, Droid EFB, & Avare available

Looks like Garmin Pilot is the only one with versions available for both operating systems?

hotrod180 wrote:Looks like the first step is deciding which tablet to buy.
iPad: foreflight, garmin pilot, & wing-x available
Android: Garmin Pilot, Droid EFB, & Avare available

Looks like Garmin Pilot is the only one with versions available for both operating systems?

Like many others, I fought the good fight and remained pure of Apple products for the past 30 years. I finally broke down and bought an iPad mini during my instrument training and cannot recommend it enough.

For the not so tech savvy, the iPad is simpler and more intuitive than Android devices. It may lack in the feature department in comparison, but ease of use in the cockpit is unsurpassed.

My suggestion: find some way to try each program and each piece of hardware, either using a friend's or maybe get a 30 day freebee that some offer. See what you like. But I have some other comments, too:

When I bought my iPad Mini, it was the first Apple product I'd ever owned. The only reason I bought it was because I wanted Foreflight. A "neighbor" at OSH had showed me FF on his iPad, and it was amazing to me. He was planning his flight home to Texas, and the features he showed me were pretty intriguing. So I decided to bite the bullet, but I felt a little like a whore must feel going into church when I walked into the Apple store.

Frankly, I was a bit scared of the new-to-me technology of both FF and the Mini. I'm really good with basic Microsoft products like Word and Excel, but that's not Apple, and I wasn't going to be using them, anyway. But it turns out that the Mini works much like any smartphone, and FF is so intuitive that almost anyone could use it without reading the manual--although the manual is pretty complete, too. What is really neat about FF is the support--send them an email, ask your question, and within a day, you'll have an answer. That's hard to beat.

I was so sold on the Mini that when I got fed up with the crashes I was experiencing on my Android phone, I cajoled the Verizon guy into giving me a deal on an iPhone. And I haven't had any trouble with the iPhone 5s, which is now 2 years old, or the Mini, which is 2 1/2 years old. The only reason I'll need to replace either one of them is if they crap out, since both work so well, although I can see wanting to replace the Mini with the latest, for a faster processor and slightly brighter screen.

As a proselyte for both an iPad Mini and FF, I hope that's the direction you go--you won't be disappointed.

Cary

Update: Ordered this android tablet a couple weeks ago. Lotta bang for the buck at only $100.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-fl ... Id=6089241

Then I downloaded the free Avare app. I've only used it on a few short flights, but I've fooled around with it on the ground some, just figuring out how the various features work. I like it so far-- it seems to do just about everything the pay apps do. I think its probably more about what you're used to than any actual differences, and since this is my first touch-screen device and my first digital sectional app I'm happy with it (ignorance is bliss). Cobbled up a mount using a little scrap aluminum & about a buck's worth of Velcro and stuck it on the panel. I had to relocate my garmin 196 in order to put the tablet in the middle of the panel, but I suspect that the 196 will be further relocated to the emergency bag as time goes on.