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Two questions about using an iPad Mini in the cockpit.

1) I'm tired of balancing the thing on my knee. The market offers a dizzying selection of dash mounts, so much so I have no idea where to even start. Are there one or two that are generally preferred by DA40 owners -- and any I should absolutely avoid?

2) Flying over big spaces in the west, GPS reception on my iPad isn't always everything it should be. In fact, it drops out often enough (for long enough) that I don't really consider the iPad a reliable adjunct/backup to the G1000. It may just be that my 3-year-old iPad is due for replacement. But I'm also wondering of anyone running a G1000 has found it worthwhile to invest in a Stratus as well.

Also -- if I went that route, wouldn't there be a conflict between the Stratus ADS-B out signal and the ADS-B that I've already got on board courtesy of my GTX345?

And if Stratus isn't a solution for boosting GPS signal, what other options are there?

I use the Go Flight for my mini. Re the Stratus, it's only an ADSB IN unit. It is not an ADSB out unit so no conflict. However, it does have built in WAAS GPS that would probably be better than the GPS in your mini.

Sorry -- brain fart. Of course the Stratus is ADS-B in, and thus it makes sense that there would be no conflict. What's a Go Flight?

For mounting, check this relatively recent thread: link

My preferred solution is on page 7.

Chris

Sorry it's MyGoFlight. http://www.mygoflight.com/

This item on Sportys is the closest I see to what I am using. And, yes, I felt much better after I got a Stratus 2s, which meant that I had a backup for my backup. That actually came in handy when I had my AHRS failure.

For really long flights the battery on the 2s is a concern, which is one of the things that drove me to install the USB power ports in the new plane. If I didn't have those I would probably get a big fat battery with a USB port on it, so that I knew I could do a 20hr day in the plane if I had to (or, more likely, I'd be okay if I forgot to turn off the Status...).

Oh. That Stratus sits on the carpeted floor of the luggage area.

My Stratus sits on the console between the front seats, just aft of the Hobbs. I've never had to hook up a GPS antenna to it, this works just fine where it is. But I did hook up an external ADS-B antenna to it. It hangs from the hand hold bar behind and above the pilot's seat. This improved ADS-B tower reception and maybe direct traffic reception, though that's hard to be sure.

Be aware that the size of the iPad mini 4 is slightly larger than the previous 3 and if you use the custom RAM mount you need to be sure to get the right one.

The mount that Chris linked to at the RAM site is exactly the same item at Sporty's that Colin linked to, which looks to me like a brewing consensus. I like the idea of mounting it right about where the number plate on the dash is, next to the air vent. I've gone ahead and ordered one (with the diamond-shaped plate, which I suspect will fit the space better than a round or square one). My iPad is a first-gen mini, and they do have a mount for it.

I'm a bit worried about sinking screws into my dash -- God only knows what's back there that the screw could be poking into. A small thing, but the potential consequences are big. What's the recommended way to attach the RAM mount without chewing up what's behind the panel?

I have a terrific portable battery for my iPad/iPhone that goes with me, fully charged, on every flight, and is capable of recharging it twice or running the device for 12 hours. It's the size of a 3x5 card, so it tucks quite nicely into the side pockets in front. If I got a Stratus 2 (which sounds like a supportable decision), it sounds like I'd want get a second perhaps slightly bigger battery to power it.

For the record: I am never voluntarily doing a 20-hour day in a plane. Just sayin'.

BlueYonder wrote:Also -- if I went that route, wouldn't there be a conflict between the Stratus ADS-B out signal and the ADS-B that I've already got on board courtesy of my GTX345?

Question for you: I always though the GTX345 would allow you to pair your iPad and gave you location, attitude and heading along with traffic. Is that not the case or is there a reason you would not want to use it?