jgmusic wrote:
It’s not something I’d like to take a chance on in the air
I’ve had overheats 1 on my former iPad. I didn’t find it a super big issue as:
1) It won’t happen in IMC (where having approach plates / better terrain awareness is more cricial)
2) I plan things long enough in advance that there is normally plenty of time to let the iPad cool down and restart (it used to be a 1-2 min downtime) without me being lost.
3) If you direct a vent to the iPad (works as both a fix and as prevention), problem is gone if the air you fly in is at reasonably cool temperatures.
1 Also “underheats” – I’ve had the "overheat sign show up at somethink like -20 degrees at night on top of Kilimanjaro (~FL200)
The new iPad pros have a big advantage:
1) Face recognition works very well
2) The pen attachment is decent (unlike “my” ipad pro, which doesn’t have a way to attach the pen, or charge it without taking a lot of space, looking very silly, and creating a way to potentially damage the pen / ipad charging port)
BTW I dont completely understand why so many people use an iPad type device in the cockpit ALL the time?
For most flights I find a 430 / 530 has more than enough information if you have done just a little of the basic pre flight planning. Of course if things go wrong, or it is in the nature of a reasonably aimless bimble the iPad moving map has many advantages for working things through on the fly – that I accept, but for point to point?
Noe wrote:
It won’t happen in IMC
Never? My understanding is that iPads can overheat at any time, especially with faster processors and drawing more power for certain apps, as discussed?
Fuji_Abound wrote:
BTW I dont completely understand why so many people use an iPad type device in the cockpit ALL the time?
It depends on the flight (particularly VFR/IFR) but I have done some analysis for the CAA Airspace Infringement Working Group which indicates that people using tablet moving maps properly don’t infringe. The same is not true of IFR Navigators such as the GNS.
One tip that a friend gave me for those using a tablet on their knee is to put a damp cloth under the tablet (ok, soaked then wrung out so not really “wet” enough to cause a tablet issue). By the end of a trip, the cloth and pants are dry, but the evaporating cloth moisture keeps the tablet cool.
jgmusic wrote:
Never? My understanding is that iPads can overheat at any time, especially with faster processors and drawing more power for certain apps, as discussed?
Last week I was flying in the UAE. OAT was in the region of 38 Celcius, cockpit temps about 43 Celcius and the temperature on the coaming, in direct sunlight, 65 Celcius (we measure it). An iPad, or indeed any tablet, lasts about 20 minutes in the 65 Celcius environment. In all other locations there is no issue unless you’re at the top end of the scale and you choose to use your tablet/iPad and charge it at the same time.
I’m flying in Qatar next week (add about 5 degrees to all of the above figures) and will take a picture of our set-up using iPad Pros (latest version) and Microsoft Surface tablets.
Our experience it to ensure ‘air space’ around the back of the tablet and, obviously, try to minimise exposure to direct sunlight.
Timothy wrote:
It depends on the flight (particularly VFR/IFR) but I have done some analysis for the CAA Airspace Infringement Working Group which indicates that people using tablet moving maps properly don’t infringe. The same is not true of IFR Navigators such as the GNS.
I accept and understad that is so, and especially when the pilot departs from the planned route and is OCAS.
For me, I find it useful to have, but actually rarely actually use it.
I think for many it can be comforting because we are so accustom to relating our position to a detailed map.
jgmusic wrote:
Never? My understanding is that iPads can overheat at any time, especially with faster processors and drawing more power for certain apps, as discussed?
I’ve never known of an iPad overheating 1 unless in direct sunlight. If you have direct sunlight, you are not in IMC.
I’ve owned 3 for many years, with often some intensive use / charging at the same time.
1 As said before, I’d have the iPad shutdown saying it had overheated, but that was at the top of a mountain, FL200, at night, with wind chill (phone had died of cold and I wanted to take some pictures), but that doesn’t really qualify as overheating :)
