IPad in a Calidus?

[aerobatic]

I got my Calidus today. Didn't fly it because of a strong crosswind and some turbulence.

It came with a surprise : I bought the strobe option but was surprise to see the red and green lights that came with it. Look like Auto-Gyro GmbH have now an option for night flight...

I've tried flying in the Calidus of my instructor with the iPad and the knee-pad RAM-mount. With the iPad facing the sky, the backlit is not strong enough to make it readable even with a glare film applied to the screen. Neither of my canopies have a sunroof so I have to find another solution.

Maher

[cfibob]

I use the iPad in place of paper charts exclusively now. Foreflight is the app I use. I travel in the Calidus quite a bit. Atleast ten trips over 800nm now and another to start this weekend. Use the iPad like a chart - look at it and then put it down. In the Calidus there is no comfortable way to wear it or mount it. I usually put it on the side in front of the rear rudder pedals when I am not looking at it. I have a Garmin 396 for navigation, however, the iPad is right on with its internal GPS. The TFR function of Foreflight is a great tool to avoid VIP TFR's during the campaign trail.

[Fly Army]

While I have yet to see a Calidus up close and personal I have built one to order with the configurator on the Autogyro USA website. There is a panel option that they show there that has a big open space in the middle of the panel with the idea being that you could put some kind of generic EFIS display in it. Just from eyeballing it appears to me that an iPad just might fit.

If it were me I would not hesitate to flat mount one directly to the panel just like they do in the Sport Cub fixed wing panel http://www.cubcrafters.com/sportcubs2/options
I think you naysayers haven't seen the apps that turn iPad into a primary flight display. Check out the Hilton software app http://www.hiltonsoftware.com/
When that's combined with a little AHARS box you can have a split screen with an attitude indicator on one side of the screen and a moving map on the other side. Also you could get an ADS-B receiver and have the same weather info you get on a Garmin 496 for free.

My company bought iPads for all of us pilots and I use one in the cockpit of a Boeing 777 with few problems. I do agree though, you should have opted for the sunroof option. What you can try though is to have an auto detail guy come out and professionally add some tinting to the whole canopy. That and maybe a small shade for the edge of the screen that you could make with some poster board and tape to see if that helps.

Just from looking at what the iPad can do now and not even considering what future apps will be designed for it make it way too valuable to leave at home IMHO.

[aerobatic]

For the moment I use my iPhone with a self-made plastic black hood and it fit most of my need.

But if the rumors are true, and they seem to pile about a mini 7inch iPad, I will buy one for sure to replace the iPhone as soon as they are available.

Maher