Below you’ll find information on preparing your aircraft for the colder months. If you have questions, require assistance with any of these tasks, or need your aircraft serviced or upgraded, our factory-trained experts are here for you.

• If you’re using a straight weight oil, get an oil change before late October. If you’ll fly less often this winter, consider adding CamGuard to ward off corrosion and inhibit engine deposits.
• Ground check your TKS panels to make sure they’re all wetting out completely, allowing up to 15 minutes or more if this hasn’t been done in a while. This is something you may be more comfortable having a professional do.
• It’s also a good idea to ops check your engine heater. With your engine cold, plug it in for an hour and either use your engine gauges to make sure your oil and each of your cylinders are well above ambient temperature, or remove your cowl and physically check to make sure they’re warm. If you are not comfortable doing it, we’ll be happy to test it for you. 
• If cold seats are not your thing, Cirrus sells an avionics heater add-on for your Tanis system that raises cabin temperature by as much as 30 degrees and preheats your sensitive avionics equipment. The kit is between $850 and $1,000 installed and well worth the investment for the improvement to both your safety and your comfort. Cirrus typically has to back-order them, so if you’re interested, don’t wait until it’s already winter to order.
• Don’t forget – we love detailing! Keep your aircraft looking like new with the special treatment of our extraordinary detailers. This is something we can do while it’s here for service or we can make a separate appointment for you.

Take care of these simple checks and changes, and you’ll be ready for the ice, snow, and freezing temperatures — or at least your aircraft will be!

If you’re not comfortable doing the steps above or just don’t have the time, call us at (260) 267-5505 to discuss your Cirrus needs and get your maintenance scheduled.

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Recently, Sporty’s has been promoting the sale of its new Stratus receiver. This $800 receiver allows Foreflight, a popular flying-related app, to display weather on the iPad while in flight! Although the price tag seems high, the good news is that this receiver obtains its information from the free ADS-B ground-based service. That means you avoid the monthly fees required by an XM service. As another benefit, this receiver also provides a WAAS-enabled GPS signal that interfaces well with Foreflight on your mobile device.

I purchased one of these Stratus receivers, and after multiple flights in various aircraft, found the system to work very well. Within the first 1,000 feet of your climb out, your iPad starts receiving weather information through the Stratus ADS-B receiver. The receiver works well, without having to be placed up on the glare shield of the aircraft. In fact, we placed it inside the glove compartment of the aircraft, and it still received a good signal! The Stratus receiver connects to your iPad through a wireless signal. This allows for multiple iPad, iPhone, and/or iPods to display weather, with only one Stratus receiver onboard the aircraft.

As with any other electronic device, this iPad/Foreflight/Stratus combo has its costs as well as its limitations. However, we believe this system can certainly serve as an excellent resource for any pilot and, in particular, for those pilots who tend to fly cross-country or IFR, or who simply enjoy electronic gadgets.

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The FAA has created a comprehensive collection of rules, regulations, and guidelines to help you determine the “whens” and “wheres” of inter-cockpit use of the iPad. It’s something of a complex topic, so we won’t attempt to delineate it here. Luckily, our friends at ipadpilotnews.com have tackled the topic in great detail – and here’s how it breaks down.

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Many of the companies that have been providing great flight-training products for years have modified their products for iPad use. These apps are great in that they allow more user interaction, and the content is presented in a very user-friendly way. Both Sportys and King Schools have a wide selection of apps to help you achieve just about any certificate or rating. Most of their ground-school apps come with a guarantee that if you don’t pass your written test on the first try, your money will be refunded.

There are also many other apps, and one that I’ve used is a VOR trainer. It helped me learn the indications I can receive, as well as figure out where I was in relation to the VOR. There are numerous apps out there to help you learn specific hardware or avionics, from auto pilots, GPS, or integrated avionics suites. If you want to learn it, there’s probably an app for it!

A great index of apps can be found at Aviator Apps. They have over 600 apps listed there, so you should be able to find something to help you in your quest to get a new rating or certificate, or to learn how to use that shiny new resource you just had installed in the aircraft’s instrument panel.

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In comparison to its big brother, the iPad mini is a lot easier to handle, hold, and carry. Its 7.9-inch size is a great adjustment from the larger iPad. This one is small enough to put in a coat pocket, light enough to hold for long periods of time, and compact enough to hold with one hand.

For us flying in a cockpit that seems to get more cluttered and full as time goes on, this can be a great blessing. In a DA-20, there just isn’t room for a full 10.1-inch iPad. The mini is also about half the weight of the larger tablet and is actually thinner than the new iPhone 5. When I was giving the mini a test drive at the store, I was amazed at how small and light it was. I also found it very easy and natural to type on, much easier than the full-size tablet.

This much-smaller package does come at a price though. The internal hardware and resolution is the same as the iPad 2. It also only has a resolution of 1024 x 768. This is squeezed into a smaller display than the iPad 2, so it still looks better than its big brother. For those of you used to the third or fourth generation of the iPad, you might be able to see iPad the difference. The newest iPads have a resolution of 264 pixels per inch, while the iPad mini has a resolution of 163 pixels per inch. In all practicality, unless you are editing photos, this should be plenty adequate. The mini compares favorably with all the other 7-inch tablets out there. Internally, the mini has the same processor as the iPad 2, a dual-core chip as opposed to the quad core in mounting the newer full-size tablets. Unless you are running graphics-heavy games, this should not be an issue. Some features are the same between the newest full size and the mini. They have the same front and rear camera, one of the best found on a tablet. Even though the resolution is different, the size ratio is the same, meaning that all the apps you use should run with no adaption needed.

Now for the all-important price factor. The iPad mini starts at a price of $329 for the 16GB model all the way up to $659 for the 64GB with 4G. This compares to a price range of $499 up to $829 for the iPad 4.

My thoughts on whether to accessorizing upgrade or not: If you need the smaller-size factor, then certainly go for it. You will be buying one of the best 7-inch tablets on the market today. If you have the full-size iPad 1 or 2 and are looking for an upgrade, I would seriously consider making the switch to the mini. If you have the iPad 3 or 4, you may feel it would be a bit of a downgrade. If the lack of the high-res retina display is a factor for you, I would say wait a year. My bet is that Apple will have figured out how to fit the better processor and the higher-resolution display into the smaller package.

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Each of these three apps has its strong points, some things it could do better, and a ton of shared similarities. They each have all the sectionals and charts you could ever want, a way to check weather, and a way to plan a flight. I have used all three of them to some extent, and in the end I feel it boils down mostly to personal preference. I am the most familiar with WingX Pro because that is the one I have used the most. Almost all of the other pilots around here like ForeFlight. The good news is that you can try each app for free for 30 days so you can find the one you like.

—The ForeFlight‘s strengths lie in preflight planning, viewing documents, and in ease of updating.

—The WingX Pro‘s strengths lie in advanced navigation features like track up on sectionals and even synthetic vision. A big plus for me is that it has a built in E6-B.

—The Garmin Pilot‘s strengths lie in the basics of ease of app navigation and presentation of info in flight.

The iPad yearly price for the apps can also weigh into the mix. Each app has a basic package that covers all the charts and approach plates and an advanced package that has geo-referenced approach plates so you can see  your exact location on the approach plate. WingX pro also sells the synthetic vision package and an option to download current fuel prices.

This is just a basic overview of the three apps. For a more detailed review, check out ipadpilotnews.com. You can also sign up there for a monthly email with all the news about iPad’s in aviation.

So, whichever app you use, the key is to know how to safely use it in flight, to get the most out of it, without it being a distraction. Our primary responsibility, even with all kinds of cool technology at our fingertips, is still to fly the airplane. And as to which app is the best, we may just have to agree to disagree.

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Most pilots are aware that Wi-Fi-only iPads don’t have built-in GPS capability. I bought my iPad with 3G just to have the GPS built in, and it has done very well. I have lost signal a few times, but I have been generally pleased with the reception and accuracy of mounting the onboard GPS. If you have a Wi-Fi-only iPad or want the extra reliability and accuracy, it is very easy to add an external GPS. The Bad Elf GPS is the simplest to use, as it plugs into the connector on the iPad (it doesn’t fit the new connector on the iPad 4/Mini/iPhone 5). The iPad charges it, so you don’t have to worry about a separate battery. It retails for $99. The more common type is an external with its own battery that connects via Bluetooth. Some of the newer ones have the ability to support multiple devices and even provide GPS WAAS accuracy.

They vary in price from $99 for the Dual 150 model to $149 for the Bad Elf Pro model. They have a battery life of around eight hours and can be charged in-flight from any 12V plug. From the customer reviews on Sporty’s, the Dual 150 model seems to be the huge favorite.

The iPad also has several options to provide the current weather in the cockpit. For $900, you can get an XM Satellite receiver that will transmit that info to the iPad, but a monthly subscription is required. The more popular option has become ADS-B receivers. They connect to the growing network of ground stations for free broadcasts of radar and text weather. When it comes to the receivers, they tend to be very app specific.

The Stratus works with ForeFlight, the Dual XGPS170 works with WingX Pro, and the Garmin GDL 39 works with Garmin Pilot. Each of these devices runs around $800. This is the new, big thing in aviation weather products, and the playing field is changing with new receivers hitting the market all the time. The system does have its limitations; coverage is not available on the ground and in some areas of western USA. Some of the newer devices advertise traffic depictions on the apps, but that comes with a big disclaimer. The ADS-B system only broadcasts the traffic info when an aircraft equipped with ADS-B OUT triggers it. These devices are all ADS-B IN. They will receive the information, but only if another aircraft is in the area with the right equipment.

If you are flying a lot and using the iPad extensively in the cockpit, especially with the added drain of the internal GPS, a backup battery pack may be a good investment. Most battery backs have about half the capacity of the battery on the iPad 3 or 4. The packs connect with the normal charging cable to a USB port on the battery. It makes a great back up, as it can charge basically any device, be it a cell phone, tablet, etc.

Hopefully, this makes things a little more clear. If you have any questions about a specific piece of hardware, just let me know, and I will be happy to answer them.

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When it comes to a mount, there are basically two different options. You can either put it in one of the kneeboard mounts so it?s available in your lap, or you can mount it on a yoke, a glare shield, or even off of a seat track. If you own your own airplane, a mount in the aircraft may be your best option, but for me flying many different airplanes on a daily basis, a kneeboard becomes more practical.

For a kneeboard, there are a lot of options with many different features. Some of them are a kneeboard you put the iPad in for flight, while others are a full case that can strap on to your leg. You can also find them with other storage built-in for documents, papers, and pens. Another handy feature some have is the ability to still rotate between landscape and portrait mode while attached to your leg. This can be helpful when switching between viewing a section and viewing an approach plate. Probably the biggest practical feature that I would look for in a kneeboard is the ability to adjust the viewing angle. With any display, glare can be an issue, and the ability to adjust the angle is the only practical way to overcome that. The price of a kneeboard is usually less than a mount, so for many, it may be a better option. Kneeboards start around $25.00 and go all the way up to the high end, where you have the MyGoFlight’s iPad Kneeboard Pro C which retails for $189.00. A quick Google web search for iPad Kneeboards is a great place to start looking. There are a lot out there, so just peruse around till you find one in the right price range with the features you want.

If you are looking for a more has semi-permanent installation, go with an aircraft mount. The two biggest factors on choosing a mount are the aircraft it’s going in, and where exactly you want it. Some people use a yoke mount– it is easily viewable and centrally located in front of you, but it can cover up some of the instrument panel. Others would rather have it mounted up higher, either on the glare shield or even up on the windshield or a side window. Sportys has a large selection of different mounting options as well as a helpful article on which mounting options will work best in different types of aircraft. The RAM iPad mounts that Sportys sells use the same cradle for the iPad, yet attaches to multiple mounting options, making for an easy, modular system. Aircraft mounts range in price from around $50.00 up to $150.00 depending on the options.

Next month, we will take a look into the host of accessories that can dramatically increase the capabilities of an iPad.

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