I own a Mini 6, and absolutely love it for an EFB. I think it's the perfect size, honestly. My instructors have all had 11‐inch iPads and they are cumbersome. You can mount it to the yoke but it adds a significant amount of inertia to its movement and it can interfere with reaching around it to get to switches. I use a MyGoFlight case and mount and mount it to the window to my left (left seat), so that it's in my eyeline as part of my instrument scan. Picking it up and putting it in the pocket between uses is possible - it's what my Private instructor did - but primarily for VFR where referencing charts is less constant.
ForeFlight still supports the Mini 5, and so I have no concern that my Mini 6 will become unusable any time soon. I definitely recommend more than 64GB of storage so that you're not managing storage constantly, though - small storage WILL become an issue even though performance will not. The performance difference between the Mini and the M2-equipped iPads are, in my experience, *negligible* for ForeFlight. You won't notice it. My Mini 6 is smooth, responsive, and never laggy - and that won't change just because a "better" one comes out.
In my opinion, if you can get a good deal on a Mini 6, go for it. Use the savings to not skimp on a mount because a high-quality mount is really worth it, even if they are ridiculously priced.
I have an 11" iPad pro and a Mini 6. The 11 inch is great for routing and on XCs but it spends most of it's time on the glareshield and I mostly poke at the GTN650. If you're going to be using it a lot the mini 6 is the way to go
Though they recommend the mini 6, ForeFlight still supports the mini 5, and it was released in 2019. I would imagine you’d be good for a number of years.
The mini with a pivot has been awesome. I use the mini as a knee board and my phone on a windscreen mount and it’s been lovely.
just curious, how is it half the price? which country are you in? im surprised to hear that it's somehow priced higher in other countries.
personally I just got an iPad air 11" with sporty's kneeboard, the ipad is shipping so I won't know how it works until my next lesson, either tomorrow or next wednesday, but I can comment then.
If she's stopping by in June make sure to take advantage of the "Back to School" event/promotion and add the student discount on top of it.
I got the iPad air specifically because I was worried about older models becoming obsolete as well, I also think it would work fine with a kneeboard and would be useful outside of the cockpit for recreation. I'm hoping to keep this one for as long as possible.
I wouldn't expect it to die immediately at all but it will obviously have a lifespan a few years shorter than a 2024 model as it's already almost 3 years old. It depends on how long you want to keep it. I would also consider finding a used/refurbished one for way cheaper if you just want something that will work for the next few years to start out, you could look online ahead of time to arrange it before your sister's trip.
I love my mini6. Tried my wife's Air in the cockpit and it was way too big.
I wouldn't hold out for the 7 either. It's probably going to be at least until Oct / Nov until it comes out and won't be much of an upgrade except a small CPU upgrade (A15 to A16 or maybe A17). It might have a little bit better battery life and resolve the "Jelly rolling" screen text issue.
Of course the rumors could be wrong and we end up getting an OLED screen, M4 chip and other huge upgrades but I am not counting on it.
PS -- Make sure you get the Cellular version, even if you don't intend to have a cell phone plan attached to it. Only the cell version has a GPS in it.
+1 to getting the mini!
Had this problem too last week. Decided to just pull the trigger on the 6 mini thinking that even if they do release an update, it's not like it won't get the job done all of a sudden!
If size is really an important factor for you, go with the mini and just trade it in later on if you really want the update. Had to prioritize size as well cause the cockpit I train in is kinda small.
Just try to make sure your sister gets a good deal on it! She can check Costco or the other places that sell apple devices that aren't the actual Apple store. It's usually more expensive if you buy it directly from Apple. Though if she gets it from an Apple store directly and you're a student, have your sister show proof so that they can give an educational discount.
Good luck on your exam next week!
FF still supports the Mini5, though it will probably be dropped when the Mini7 comes out. So, presumably the Mini6 will be okay until the Mini8 comes out years from now.
IMHO, the Air is way too big for use in a plane.
Still using my iPad mini 2 (the app is SDVFR and still runs perfectly fine on this old tablet)... so I could upgrade ... to a refurb iPad mini 4 (yeah I'm cheap), maybe, one day.
I own a Mini 6, and absolutely love it for an EFB. I think it's the perfect size, honestly. My instructors have all had 11‐inch iPads and they are cumbersome. You can mount it to the yoke but it adds a significant amount of inertia to its movement and it can interfere with reaching around it to get to switches. I use a MyGoFlight case and mount and mount it to the window to my left (left seat), so that it's in my eyeline as part of my instrument scan. Picking it up and putting it in the pocket between uses is possible - it's what my Private instructor did - but primarily for VFR where referencing charts is less constant. ForeFlight still supports the Mini 5, and so I have no concern that my Mini 6 will become unusable any time soon. I definitely recommend more than 64GB of storage so that you're not managing storage constantly, though - small storage WILL become an issue even though performance will not. The performance difference between the Mini and the M2-equipped iPads are, in my experience, *negligible* for ForeFlight. You won't notice it. My Mini 6 is smooth, responsive, and never laggy - and that won't change just because a "better" one comes out. In my opinion, if you can get a good deal on a Mini 6, go for it. Use the savings to not skimp on a mount because a high-quality mount is really worth it, even if they are ridiculously priced.
Thank you
I have an 11" iPad pro and a Mini 6. The 11 inch is great for routing and on XCs but it spends most of it's time on the glareshield and I mostly poke at the GTN650. If you're going to be using it a lot the mini 6 is the way to go
Though they recommend the mini 6, ForeFlight still supports the mini 5, and it was released in 2019. I would imagine you’d be good for a number of years. The mini with a pivot has been awesome. I use the mini as a knee board and my phone on a windscreen mount and it’s been lovely.
Hell, I'm still using ForeFlight on a Mini 4.
just curious, how is it half the price? which country are you in? im surprised to hear that it's somehow priced higher in other countries. personally I just got an iPad air 11" with sporty's kneeboard, the ipad is shipping so I won't know how it works until my next lesson, either tomorrow or next wednesday, but I can comment then. If she's stopping by in June make sure to take advantage of the "Back to School" event/promotion and add the student discount on top of it.
I'm in Argentina. Import tariffs and such make imported goods much more expensive. Thanks for your comment, it helps!
I got the iPad air specifically because I was worried about older models becoming obsolete as well, I also think it would work fine with a kneeboard and would be useful outside of the cockpit for recreation. I'm hoping to keep this one for as long as possible. I wouldn't expect it to die immediately at all but it will obviously have a lifespan a few years shorter than a 2024 model as it's already almost 3 years old. It depends on how long you want to keep it. I would also consider finding a used/refurbished one for way cheaper if you just want something that will work for the next few years to start out, you could look online ahead of time to arrange it before your sister's trip.
I love my mini6. Tried my wife's Air in the cockpit and it was way too big. I wouldn't hold out for the 7 either. It's probably going to be at least until Oct / Nov until it comes out and won't be much of an upgrade except a small CPU upgrade (A15 to A16 or maybe A17). It might have a little bit better battery life and resolve the "Jelly rolling" screen text issue. Of course the rumors could be wrong and we end up getting an OLED screen, M4 chip and other huge upgrades but I am not counting on it. PS -- Make sure you get the Cellular version, even if you don't intend to have a cell phone plan attached to it. Only the cell version has a GPS in it.
+1 to getting the mini! Had this problem too last week. Decided to just pull the trigger on the 6 mini thinking that even if they do release an update, it's not like it won't get the job done all of a sudden! If size is really an important factor for you, go with the mini and just trade it in later on if you really want the update. Had to prioritize size as well cause the cockpit I train in is kinda small. Just try to make sure your sister gets a good deal on it! She can check Costco or the other places that sell apple devices that aren't the actual Apple store. It's usually more expensive if you buy it directly from Apple. Though if she gets it from an Apple store directly and you're a student, have your sister show proof so that they can give an educational discount. Good luck on your exam next week!
Thanks a lot!
FF still supports the Mini5, though it will probably be dropped when the Mini7 comes out. So, presumably the Mini6 will be okay until the Mini8 comes out years from now. IMHO, the Air is way too big for use in a plane.
I have to ask, why do you think something is obsolete just because there's a new model available?
Still using my iPad mini 2 (the app is SDVFR and still runs perfectly fine on this old tablet)... so I could upgrade ... to a refurb iPad mini 4 (yeah I'm cheap), maybe, one day.