I guess that’s a fair point to say that when everything is pre planned (IFR) the G1000 NXi is enough but a freestyle VFR flight requires more info than the G1000 can offer. The NXi is definitely better than the classic G1000 IMO.
I don’t like having so many screens in front of me. If I need it pick the iPad up, look at it and stow it again even for approaches. Everything else is on the PFD and MFD.
0fficer wrote:
Is it really that important to have an iPad if you have the G1000 NXi in front of you?
If you fly IFR fully in airspace from ATC airport to ATC airport as planned, you can surely do everything on G1000nxi without an iPad, including brefing the charts, departures & approaches 
if you do anything else you will have to fetch in your tablet & phone, of course assuming the MFD is always ON (a friend called me to give him a ride to bring his DA40 after he landed by pre-caution from an IFR flight in Lyon Bron when his MFD suddenly went OFF, he left it there for a week)
0fficer wrote:
Is it really that important to have an iPad if you have the G1000 NXi in front of you?
IMHO – yes. One of the twins I fly has a G950 (G1000 minus engine instruments) and I find that stuff vastly overrated. I really prefer to have the approach plate on my iPad right in front of me, better charts (try to read airspace boundaries on the G1000 MFD – good luck!). Don’t forget, the G1000 is essentially 20 year old tech, basically a 530 with a lot of lipstick. That said, it certainly increases resale value, which seems to be of concern to the OP.
boscomantico wrote:
A bit crazy though, innit? Buying a factory new, 600k plane, just to make it a project straight away (removing and selling some of the avionics, putting some sort of mount to put an ipad to give you the information that the installed brandnew avionics don’t give you…
Absolutely!
I do believe the DA40NG is available with basic panel (non G1000) in the “Club” version. At least it used to be.
Then one isn’t tied to the OEM supplied G1000 which is certified as part of the airframe (this is a problem for older non WAAS planes.) One could add a G500Txi, GTNs, a GFC500 and a G5.
I don’t see the point of buying a new 40 without G1000 as it is now equipped with a NXI with WAAS anyway.
I also believe the NXI has VFR waypoints which the early G1000 didn’t offer.
I never had a problem flying the 40 with an iPad on my lap.
All in all the 40 with FADEC / JET A1 is one of the best planes available new for europe and it’s really great to handfly too.
This is a panel mounted ipad pro with 4g connectivity, 12.9 in screen brighter than a G1000’s. It clicks in and out of its mount with one hand, no tools needed. This fulfills the FAA requirement for panel mounting a non-required device. All mandatory primary instruments are still in so it is 100% legal and was signed off without a problem in 2016
@tmo: I went for an all Garmin panel and the decision to stay with the Garmin user experience was natural.
GTN750 and Garmin Pilot look and feel more and more similar and I love both.
I do find foreflight and skydemon amazing in their own way, but Garmin Pilot was the most natural for my circumstances.
The beauty of the concept is there’s nothing stopping us from changing our mind. Just download the new kid in town ! One can even have GP and Foreflight and test them!
It is a radical departure from the fenced world of integrated avionics and as far as I am concerned there’s no reason to look back.
A bit crazy though, innit? Buying a factory new, 600k plane, just to make it a project straight away (removing and selling some of the avionics, putting some sort of mount to put an ipad to give you the information that the installed brandnew avionics don’t give you…
That is why I didn’t buy a DA40 (or an SR20) in 2002. Arrogant dealers, customer assumed to be stupid despite being expected to part with 200k+VAT (in 2002 money), would not install what I wanted, while Socata did it all, almost out of the box. Details here.
But still, 20 years later, panel mounted kit has crappy mapdata for VFR flying. Avidyne had MFDs which were pretty good but that’s all dead (especially as Jepp stopped their VFR/GPS charts in 2013). My son has been flying VFR around Croatia just now and amazingly the 25 year old KMD550 has the VRPs etc
For IFR, panel kit does the work. You just need a “VFR solution” for emergencies.
I don’t think there is always a solution for tablet mounting. There isn’t one for the TB20; every one I have seen jams the controls at the extremes of travel. One can probably do an Ipad Mini or the old Samsung T705, but the huge Ipads in current vogue will be far harder.
The only way I found adequate to mount a tablet was this. You can also stick it in the middle of the windshield, up front, and then the tablet ends up just above the glareshield. The device is awkwardly called Sea Sucker and you can bend the arm considerably.
A bit crazy though, innit? Buying a factory new, 600k plane, just to make it a project straight away (removing and selling some of the avionics, putting some sort of mount to put an ipad to give you the information that the installed brandnew avionics don’t give you…
People who buy new aircraft are usually the ones who do it because all they want to do is fly…
I do agree though that an ipad within more or less the primary field of view is indispensable. But that’s one of the many reasons that make the DA40 such a terrible aircraft: no space to put an ipad on the lap, and no space “on the panel” either.
Flyingfish wrote:
For 150 € per year, one gets Garmin Pilot including SV, SafeTaxi and all IFR charts in Europe. Downloading updates is a breeze.
Of course one can also install Foreflight, Skydemon, you name it… it is OUR choice!
Apologies for the thread hijack, but why exactly did you end up with Garmin Pilot as opposed to the other ones?
I am rebounding on gallois’ post.
For us owners, fully integrated suites like the G1000 mean we are tied to the goodwill of the manufacturer and are unable to source alternative parts should anything fail or become obsolete. Experience has shown that there is no such thing as a manufacturer’s goodwill: whether DAI or Garmin, what they want is P R O F I T and if we happen to be too small a cash-cow herd , they’ ll go milk others before helping us. See G1000 saga on the TDI Diamonds.
I think the G1000 belongs in 300 knot plus IFR aircraft where it makes complete sense. But the point is moot in this thread since the only way Diamond makes DA40s is with G1000.
So here’s how I would resolve the issue.
The goal is to implement what I have proven to work: shifting the CG of avionics as much as possible towards an iPad.
The "as much as possible " is increasing steadily btw. For whatever it’s worth I am so satisfied that I have just upgraded to my THIRD iPad Pro in the Extra 400.
Doing this in a DA40 is challenging: it requires freeing up real estate in the panel!
The side mount arms are not good enough if we want the ipad to do so much work IMO.
So here’s a way to do it:
Order the plane with the standard standby instruments.
Replace (and resell) the attitude indicator with a combo instrument which has primary attitude and secondary altitude and airspeed. Plenty of choice.
This will be a minor project costing around 5-6 K minus quite some money for the brand new AI which will easily sell .
Now we have one integrated backup instrument which could replace all three.
While we must keep the backup altimeter and airspeed indicator for paperwork reasons, there’s nothing stopping us from covering them with an … iPad as long as it can be easily removed in flight.
And here we have the centrally mounted iPad mini.
For 150 € per year, one gets Garmin Pilot including SV, SafeTaxi and all IFR charts in Europe. Downloading updates is a breeze.
Of course one can also install Foreflight, Skydemon, you name it… it is OUR choice!
The possibilities are endless and apps keep coming and getting better at “iPad pace”.Throw in the 4G connectivity, the fact you can even display weather from an ADL and you have a powerhouse of an avionics suite for basically 1000€ or so.
If I could order a custom DA40 I would certainly have them put a big tablet (like the one I have in the Extra) right in the middle of the panel!
Summary: do not listen to G1000 marketing. Only buy what MUST be in there and keep your freedom of movement for what can be had on a tablet. And please don’t get me wrong: IFR approaches and all critical phases of flight MUST be done with the certified avionics. This does not preclude us from enjoying a massive increase in functionality, situational awareness and … flying pleasure with the tablet-centric approach.
AND it is perfectly legal.
