I’d chose a tablet over any handheld aviation box. It delivers more functionality and comfort for essentially a fraction of the cost. FWIW for most VFR trips, Skydemon on the phone is completely sufficient. Never had problems with my S8.
I also have SkyDemon on my phone (a relatively small and old-ish Samsung).
It serves as a backup and I often use if for ad-hoc planning and airfield research if I get random ideas for a flight. The screen is a bit small (and the battery not robust enough) for serious in-flight use though.
I use an iPad mini 4 with SD, mounted on a Ram Mount attached to the co-pilot seat rail. This keeps it in my line of vision but out of the way of the avionics panel. This also keeps it in the shade to avoid the over heating shutdown, which I have had happen when it used to sit on my lap. Mounted in the shade it has never shutdown. I have also found that if you keep air flowing over the iPad from the vents, it prevents any shutdown, or, can get an overheated unit back to working quite quickly.
I have a back up SD available on my phone if it is required, but I have never had to use it.
Battery life is good and only on long flights over 3 hours do I consider using the onboard USB’s or external power pack.
One point I dislike is that SD does not interface with my avionics, whereas Foreflight does. I have the Avidyne IFD550.
Rallye wrote:
My question is would you choice a gps garmin or other or a tablet with apropriate software,like sky demon ?
As handheld, clearly tablet, because it does much more and you can carry your flight planning back and forth.
As source for the autopilot, Garmin or Avidyne, so far, as the tablet interfaces are still in prototype.
as the tablet interfaces are still in prototype
Surely that connection will never be certified for certified aircraft.
For homebuilts, it has been an option for many years. Even old Oziexplorer can output RS232… runs on an android tablet.
Another factor is that getting sound out of a tablet into a headset can be involved. Various past threads. It needs to be done so that ATC takes priority. In some scenarios you can do it with a 3.5mm double jack cable, and bluetooth is another route. Whereas an aviation unit like the Aera 660 gives you a permanent audio out which can be connected to the intercom (though the same could be done with a tablet, with some messing).
Peter wrote:
Surely that connection will never be certified for certified aircraft.
People quoted that not long ago for using a portable and surely non-certified GPS to drive an autopilot and now, we have it. I don’t see the big difference between a GPSMAP 296 and a tablet.
The 296 handheld GPS driving a certified autopilot?
Peter wrote:
The 296 handheld GPS driving a certified autopilot?
Allowed for the new digital autopilots. I started testing mine with a GPSMAP196, because the GNS430 was out for repair. No IFR in that configuration though ;-).
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2151/0625/files/Approved_GPS_List_Rev_C_186.pdf?15984329853419603659
https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/stcgroup/the_stc_group_FILES/PDF_DOCS/new_files/1006001+Rev.+C+Avionics+Compatibility+List.pdf
In certified aircraft?
Peter wrote:
In certified aircraft?
Part of the STC.
