Ipad Mounts

[skippydiesel]

Ram Mounts are the way to go.

If you locate in front of an eyeball vent, no problems with overheating.

😈

[sfGnome]

I’ll second (third?) the RAM mount on the longish arm. I used to have an iPad mini on a 75(?)mm arm and it worked well (and that was in a low wing - never had a problem). On your panel, I’d look at putting the mount below the Hobbs meter. It doesn’t matter if you can’t see it in flight, and it’s easy to move the tablet to check it at flight’s end. 

[BurnieM]

Often there is more space on the right so I see a few people mounting it there.

But it is further away and you will spend more time looking at it to pull information from the display.

 

I would mount it on the left of the Sportstar panel with a RAM ball base about half way up the panel.

Before drilling any holes I woud get the complete mount and see where this puts your iPad screen

 

I would get a mount with a moveable arm so you can change the angle of the screen as the sun angle changes.

 

For my iPad mini 6 I am using a RAM-HOL-TAB12U which is a spring loaded cradle.

I believe it works with most iPad minis and also allows for a case on the mini.

I have the medium 3 inch arm (RAM-B-201U). You can use the longer 5 inch arm (RAM-B-201U-C) but you get more vibration.

I have a twist lock suction cup base (RAM-B-224-1U) but if I had my own plane I would use a bolt on ball base (RAM-B-202U).

 

With RAM parts it is cheaper to buy the complete cradle, arm, base together.

For the cradle, arm and suction base above this is RAM-B-166-TAB12U. This combined part is about AU$135.

 

For the cradle, arm and ball base this is RAM-B-101-TAB12U probably slightly cheaper.

 

On the school plane they had the same cradle mounted horizontally.

A bought one of the ebay shades (similar to this but a different brand) - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/357758936274?var=626276098411 - $20-ish.

You want the L168 for the iPad mini. I cut down the shade to 55mm above the screen/sides and tidied it up with black electrical tape along the edge.

 

I am planning to mount the suction cup on the left window with the iPad oriented vertically. Just waiting for the shade above. 

Planning to cut down the shade on the top and left side to 55mm with the bottom cut down to just above the rubber attachment say 15-ish mm.

 

[Moneybox]

I've got a box of various RAM mounts but they are all very heavy. My iPad is giving me battery trouble so I might end up with a new one and a fan mount to suit. First I'll see if I can find a suitable location to mount it.

I've been tossing up between the SuperEco AP that works alone and fits into the spare 3" hole in the dash, and the iLevel AP that needs the iPad. I don't trust the iPad but if I buy new with the cooling system it might be ok. The big difference is that the iLevel AP comes with ADSB-IN so the government rebate will pay for most of it.

[skippydiesel]

Hi Moneybox,

 

"I don't trust the iPad "

 

You shouldn't trust any device, that may let you down in flight.

 

That's why you have a paper flight plan, with all the necessary information to complet your flight safely.

 

Your flight plan should be updated, in flight,  with any changes to heading, altitude or flight time, so that a failure of your EFB will have little if any effect on the continuation of your flight.😈

[BurnieM]

Or a backup iPad 🙂

 

[Moneybox]

36 minutes ago, skippydiesel said:

Hi Moneybox,

 

"I don't trust the iPad "

 

You shouldn't trust any device, that may let you down in flight.

 

That's why you have a paper flight plan, with all the necessary information to complet your flight safely.

 

Your flight plan should be updated, in flight,  with any changes to heading, altitude or flight time, so that a failure of your EFB will have little if any effect on the continuation of your flight.😈

That's ok when the going is smooth but a few corrugations start the compass behaving badly. That can be ok too for a bit if I have a site in the distance but on the way up here I had haze and bright sunshine making finding a long distance target difficult.

[Blueadventures]

32 minutes ago, Moneybox said:

That's ok when the going is smooth but a few corrugations start the compass behaving badly. That can be ok too for a bit if I have a site in the distance but on the way up here I had haze and bright sunshine making finding a long distance target difficult.

I regularly make a written note of my total error between aircraft compass and chart heading on my flight record sheet so I can use that info for heading whenever / if ever needed.  Just a habit of mine. 

[skippydiesel]

1 hour ago, Moneybox said:

That's ok when the going is smooth but a few corrugations start the compass behaving badly. That can be ok too for a bit if I have a site in the distance but on the way up here I had haze and bright sunshine making finding a long distance target difficult.

Sorry Moneybox - No excuses. If whisky compass a dud,  get a new one. If OzRunways not giving heading info, reconfigure screen. Hand held (back up) GPS not very costly, in the scheme of aviation related costs. Pencil & paper is your freind.

 

For you & your Pax safety, some form of reliable backup(s)  is essential on a navigation flight outside your usual "home" range.

 

Fly safe.😈

Edited Wednesday at 11:57 PM by skippydiesel

[BurnieM]

I think he said earlier that he had a handheld GPS witth airfield waypoints. 

So not exactly no backup.

 

[skippydiesel]

40 minutes ago, BurnieM said:

I think he said earlier that he had a handheld GPS witth airfield waypoints. 

So not exactly no backup.

 

That's great!

 

So why the concern about iPad / magenta line, reliability and inability to establish a heading?

 

I have never flown in WA, it may be a little like western NSW (where I did all my GA training).

In the pre GPS era, I was comfortable, in what the city VFR pilots called features terrain. 

I moved to the Sydney Basin, had to have a local pilot with me for the first few flights - I couldn't see the landmarks for the buildings. Its what you get used to.

I was trained to take heading notes. While heading will change over time, the failure of devices (compass/heading indicator & now EFB/GPS) should not be anything more than a minor inconvenience .

The X country pilot expects not to easily recognise subtle features - fly your heading.

Horizon indistinct - fly your heading.

Your last heading, will likly get you to some feature, that will allow you to reorient  (if necessary).😈

 

[Blueadventures]

2 hours ago, Moneybox said:

That's ok when the going is smooth but a few corrugations start the compass behaving badly. That can be ok too for a bit if I have a site in the distance but on the way up here I had haze and bright sunshine making finding a long distance target difficult.

That's how it is 95% of the time, when clear too many visual references can be seen so hard to find the right heading without compass or the GPS aides.

[skippydiesel]

18 minutes ago, Blueadventures said:

That's how it is 95% of the time, when clear too many visual references can be seen so hard to find the right heading without compass or the GPS aides.

Please expand - particularly on ".......so hard to find the right heading without compass or the GPS aides."

 

No offence but it reads like you may need some nav. refresher training.😈

[Moneybox]

2 hours ago, skippydiesel said:

Sorry Moneybox - No excuses. If whisky compass a dud,  get a new one. If OzRunways not giving heading info, reconfigure screen. Hand held (back up) GPS not very costly, in the scheme of aviation related costs. Pencil & paper is your freind.

 

For you & your Pax safety, some form of reliable backup(s)  is essential on a navigation flight outside your usual "home" range.

 

Fly safe.😈

 

I do have OzRunways in the iPhone and YCUE as a waypoint in my GPS but my magnetic compass is only good in smooth flight. 

[BrendAn]

On 04/03/2026 at 4:34 PM, Moneybox said:

Ok, I take a look at that. I'm low-wing so direct sunlight is likely to hit anything and everything. I guess I can plug an adapter into the cigarette lighter socket then cover it with the iPad mount.

thruster is low wing too and it works for him

[skippydiesel]

It could  be my imagination - have we come full circle back to RAM Mounts.

 

I had one for my iPad in the Zephyr. Went "out" on overheat twice (in winter) before I fitted a dedicated eyeball vent, delivering cool outside air to the back of the cradle/ipad.

 

I now have one in my Sonex, for my back up GPS - if need be can be cooled by Pax vent. The iPad is in a fan cooled dock on the panel.

 

The iPad panel dock looks the goods/professional but is actually not as adaptable as the RAM system, which can be adjusted to suit the pilots or pax view but for reading issues like glaire. .

😈

 

[BurnieM]

On 04/03/2026 at 11:14 PM, BurnieM said:

Often there is more space on the right so I see a few people mounting it there.

But it is further away and you will spend more time looking at it to pull information from the display.

 

I would mount it on the left of the Sportstar panel with a RAM ball base about half way up the panel.

Before drilling any holes I woud get the complete mount and see where this puts your iPad screen

 

I would get a mount with a moveable arm so you can change the angle of the screen as the sun angle changes.

 

For my iPad mini 6 I am using a RAM-HOL-TAB12U which is a spring loaded cradle.

I believe it works with most iPad minis and also allows for a case on the mini.

I have the medium 3 inch arm (RAM-B-201U). You can use the longer 5 inch arm (RAM-B-201U-C) but you get more vibration.

I have a twist lock suction cup base (RAM-B-224-1U) but if I had my own plane I would use a bolt on ball base (RAM-B-202U).

 

With RAM parts it is cheaper to buy the complete cradle, arm, base together.

For the cradle, arm and suction base above this is RAM-B-166-TAB12U. This combined part is about AU$135.

 

For the cradle, arm and ball base this is RAM-B-101-TAB12U probably slightly cheaper.

 

On the school plane they had the same cradle mounted horizontally.

A bought one of the ebay shades (similar to this but a different brand) - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/357758936274?var=626276098411 - $20-ish.

You want the L168 for the iPad mini. I cut down the shade to 55mm above the screen/sides and tidied it up with black electrical tape along the edge.

 

I am planning to mount the suction cup on the left window with the iPad oriented vertically. Just waiting for the shade above. 

Planning to cut down the shade on the top and left side to 55mm with the bottom cut down to just above the rubber attachment say 15-ish mm.

 

Edited 3 hours ago by BurnieM

[RossK]

Hi MB,

I've got a RAM mount with a table tholder that sticks to the canopy, just in front of vent, but angles back past the vent.

It's easy to reach, doesn't block any instruments and gets cooling air from the vent.

 

This is the best pic I've got though.

[skippydiesel]

BurniM & RossK,

 

Looks like the same iPad  bracket that I had in the Zephyr - worked well. 

 

I did modify it a bit, by drilling extra holes in the back to facilitate better air flow from the eyeball vent - don't actually know if this improved things or not, as the fitting of a dedicated vent coincided with cooling mods - no further overheating occured.

 

I don't like suction mounting systems - they seem to pick just the wrong moment to let go. I do use them to place the device (?) in various locations around the cocpit,  decide on the best, install a fixed ball for security.😈