DHC IPad Mounts

[GreenBastrd]

Just wondering what kind of mounts all the Beaver and Otter pilots are using for their iPads in the cockpit?

[Meatservo]

I'm going to hazard a guess and say there are probably a proportion of Otter and Beaver pilots who don't use their iPads in the cockpit. Handy they may be, but it would have to be a pretty good mount before I stopped worrying about the pad going "sploosh" one day or some other damn thing. Everything I own that was meant to go aboard a Beaver, Otter, or Twin Otter is beat-up and bashed-in in some way or another. I certainly wouldn't mount it anywhere near the door!

I guess if I was going to use one, I'd try to find a way to mount it in the crook of the double yoke, if you have one, like the autopilot box on the Twin Otter. If you have a single yoke, I guess that's out. Hard to think of a spot on a Beaver or Otter panel, other than the passenger side, where a semipermanent iPad mount won't obscure your view of something more important.

Personally, although I like being able to have the VNC on fore flight instead of a bunch of old ripped-up paper maps, I don't consider the iPad offers any advantage that isn't overridden by the fact that it might get broken and/or get in the way. As cool as it is, it's kind of a gimmick.

[I_Heart_Seaplanes]

Here is the setup I used while trying out Foreflight and Garmin Pilot. Its a RAM suction cup, 3" arm, and X-Grip. The system worked very well, didn't obstruct vision or block any instruments. If it was my own plane I might change the suction cup for a screw down plate, and get a holder designed specifically for the iPad.



Link to the setup I have:
http://www.gpscity.ca/ram-mount-univers ... -un9u.html

[PointyEngine]

Meat,

12 months ago I wold have agreed entirely, however in a LifeProof case, iPads are like cockroaches, hard to kill! I've found the minis to be great fro VFR and IFR ops. They're small enough to not take up much room in the cockpit, can sit on your knee and you can swap between a huge variety of base maps (VNC, HI, LOW, US Sectional, ETC). Gone are the days off unfurling cracked and torn VNC's. Plus, the overlay of the moving map is super handy for increased situational awareness.

And, with the AP on, makes a great MFD for a movie!!

[Meatservo]

Oh yeah, I use my mini for IFR too, it's great. It actually sits on my knee better than a book of approach plates, it replaces all my maps and charts. It's amazing.

I just have a hard time imagining myself not breaking it if I was flying a Beaver. I used to break, lose, drop into the water or spill coffee on everything I owned when I flew Beavers and Otters. Of course a lot of Beaver jobs are different than the one I had. We would try to fit almost anything into that plane. Using one mostly for passengers, I guess wouldn't be too hard on rigging.