Sky Demon Requirements
 

I am considering moving from my trusty Garmin 296 to a Mini Ipad and Sky Demon. I am getting conflicting advice on what I actually need in order to run it.

I am assuming the options are to go for a wifi only iPad plus a Bad Elf GPS unit or go for the 'cellular' iPad which I am assuming has GPS already fitted. If I go for option 1 then the only connector will be taken up with the Bad Elf. I am assuming option 2 leaves the connector free thereby allowing the iPad to be mains/aircraft powered. Am I correct?

I use an Ipad Mini with a GNS2000 GPS RX which talks by Bluetooth to the Ipad which leaves the ipad connector to supply power. This has worked well for the last 3 Years

I always vote for the cellular version due to the internal GPS. It will be working in 90+% of all cases without an external GPS and you still have the option to use an external GPS also.

You could go for the BadElf plug in, but I advice against as this is a connection prone to breaking in the cockpit and you cannot put it where ever you want.

If you go external, go wireless GPS and go Bluetooth. Simple reason - if you go GPSIP over WLAN you will loose the option to use the data net while using GPS and having a rainfall overlay at 1,500ft AGL in invaluable.

When I started to use moving map software with the original iPad (quite a while ago) I decided to go cellular/GPS and try to get along without external GPS as long as I feel unsafe. This did not happen until today and I am still on the internal GPS of the cellular model, now on my 6th iPad.

The current iPad will most probanly run a full flying day on internal power, so yes, power connection is nice, but seldom necessary (and finding a 12VUSB charger which causes no interference is science).

I can't comment on the iPad. I have used Skydemon for Android on a Nexus 7 and it has operated flawlessly and accurately for the last couple of months. I use the Nexus for little else other than SD to avoid any clashes. SD is also installed on my phone as a backup in case of Nexus trouble, though I have had no reason to use it yet.

I have never had a lost signal on my mini iPad 3g or this 4g. for 4yrs with its internal GPS. I've said somewhere else, in the flight bag, it's lid closed, in the back of the car, and it recorded the drive home, beeping at me that I was in some airspace! The internal battery is good for about at least 4hrs. Plugged into a charger, as long as required.
If it interferes with the radio, pull the CB while you talk.

The Bad Elf external GPS receiver will connect, with Bluetooth, up to six devices so no snags if you do go down that route. My preference would be to pay out the extra squids and go for the cellular version because you then have an option up your sleeve, even if you don't ever stick a sim card in it. I've got a normal iPad (with cellular) but use the Bad Elf anyway because then I never lose the GPS input and I find it works well in all aircraft environments i.e. big, small, metal, wood and plastic.

Thank you all, very helpful stuff. I think I will go for the 'cellular' iPad Mini and see how I get on. I am assuming 16Gb will handle everything? I don't use the iPad for storing photos etc, all of that goes straight to Google Photos so I am assuming 16Gb will suffice?

I would strongly recommend that you get an external GPS device. I've had both garmin GNS2000 (which died after just over a year) and garminGlo which I still use. The accuracy is incredible compared to Apple's own GPS.

The "cellular" version isn't that useful for me, but then I have an iPhone and a MacBook Pro generally with me!

I fly with my old iPad mini on a knee board (which isn't great TBH) but with the exception of the battery life occasionally dying on me... (I now also carry at least 1 Anker portable charger - which recharges both iPad and GPS at the same time, tested it on an 8 hour day of flying and still had 80% battery on the iPad on landing)

With regards to space, I find that it depends on the number of charts you download. I regularly get asked to download 150MB of charts updates. My installation currently is taking up 1.1GB of space so 16GB (which really is only about 12GB after OS and formatting) still plenty enough if that is its sole purpose!

I hope this helps!
Alex

I use a iPadMini2 cellular version with internal GPS and 32gb. I think you will be ok with 16gb but when I bought mine I felt that I might need the extra at some point.
The most reliable source for charging, if you have your own aircraft of course, is to fit a Charge2 or Charge4 and you will have interference free reliable charging. All the other stuff for charging will give you grief.
http://www.charge4.co.uk/

I used to use an iPad with external GPS receiver. Firstly the iPad was too big. Secondly (& more importantly), my external receiver kept unlocking when the aircraft was stationary for more than a few seconds. Hence i had to remind myself to set up the whole complicated process of coupling the receiver to the iPad just prior to departure. I now use a cellular iPad Mini (without sim card) and it works fine. It has just 16 GB.

If you don't load huge amounts of garbage on the iPad, the smallest memory version will do the job. You only need large memory versions in case you have the addictions to tons of music or videos, or are unable to delete things.

I use both, Jeppesen MFDVFR and Skydemon in parallel on an iPad and plenty of space available, even though it is also my main businessPad with the MS Office suite etc on board. Memory usage is not dramatic; JeppMFDVFR: total 3.0 GB; Skydemon: 1.1 GB, and both have lot of countries, VAC and AIP loaded.

Yes, a 16GB Mini will do the job just fine and if you go cellular you have all options for GPS, internal or external (and I suspect in 95% of the aircraft you don't need an external - focus on deciding with respect to need, not status). The cellular will also enable you to do a lot of things while on travel, such as filing delays for your FPL, or have a look at current weather, or do a vacation trip with daily flight planning on the iPad ... etc. If your flying is i.e. density altitude sensitive, you will find things like the AutoDens.app very useful - and experience is vastly improved with working internet connection. I also advice to stick a SIM card in there even if never used, as the first GPS fix is usually a lot faster with the assisted "a" of the A-GPS.

One more experience, I started using an original 9,7" iPad and found it a slightly too big in the cockpit - or better, I thought I needed it mounted somehow to always have a look at it. I then switched to a Mini, which I believe is still the best solution for crowded cockpits and was happy with it for quite a while. But, after a while I realized that the use of the permanently mounted iPad degrades my biological navigation ability, because I was sucked into Magenta Line and follow the blue line addiction. The same time the magnificent iPad Pro was presented to public in the original 9.7" form factor and I went for that. My feeling - the Apple Pencil with the 9.7" iPad Pro is probably the best solution in the cockpit, at least for me.

No one has mentioned PilotAware, it will give the GPS position to your iPad AND give you traffic information on SkyDemon. It's £159+vat.
PilotAware Hardware | PilotAware Hardware

If you use the search, you'll find quite some discussion on the Pilotaware solution, but it is not really thought to be a professional solution.

I'm one of the PilotAware development team.

I don't know why you think it's not a professional solution, it has moved on from when it was a kit, and the full unit is now available from the website above.

I agree, back in the EARLY days of the beta unit you had to solder things together yourself. Those days are long gone.

It's all CE tested now etc.

The original website for the home building beta testers is being rewritten as we speak, and the official hardware outlet is now open and it's being manufactured. There are over 500 units out there right now.

I only mentioned it as the discussion had turned to which external GPS to use for an iPad and SD, and it makes sense to use a PilotAware for GPS AND you'll get traffic.

It's a no brainer at the price, but I would say that wouldn't I ?!

+ 1 .....(10 characters+!)

Although the link posted didn't work for me about pilotAware, (as in the page didn't even tell me what the product was... And links didn't work... [iphone 6, iOS 9.2]) I am assuming that the solution provided only provides ADS-B in? Does it also show traffic without ADS-B? Because I find it rather useless to have ADS-B in without broadcasting your own location and therefore you'd get loads of planes finding out where traffic is, but not actually show the people flying with it on it. (Which to me defeats the purpose of have the technology in the first place!! Doesn't it?

I have never used it - only occasional heard heresay so please do elaborate on what your company is offering! It'd be interesting to see if for only £30 more than the Garmin Glo - you still get the same quality GPS and also get the traffic info on adsb & mode C/A transponders (can't remember the name) then it might be pretty useful!

Suggest you look it up here:
pilotawarehardware.com/support

But in brief it displays and gives audio warning :
1) other pilotaware units...pos+rel alt
2) ADSB-out...pos+rel alt
3)mode S...rel alt+ sig strength
4)mode C...rel alt +sig strength(beta at present)

I'm not involved with pilotaware, just a user hoping to get more aircraft equipped with this inexpensive device, over 500 already in use in uk apparently.