If, as Sebastian says in #9, the ADL150 will provide a position source for the ADL app and for FF, that is a great solution, because my ADL150 is fed from a proper Antcom rooftop antenna.
EDIT: presumably I ought to be able to check that the GPS source is working on the Ipad, simply by running up the ADL app and leaving it on the screen as a moving map? I am not sure if it warns of a GPS position loss.
As a FF user since 2011, I’ve used the internal GPS on my iPad exclusively and not had any problems. Only time it lost signal was when the 430 also lost it due to NOTAMed jamming. Now it syncs with the IFD, so can use that as an external GPS if I want.
That was true with my old Ipad2 also; the GPS worked OK in other planes.
Using a panel mount GPS as the position source for the tablet removes the redundancy of the battery-powered device – unless there is a rapid auto fallback.
I see Apple are doing the apparently same refurbished deal directly as on Amazon. They offer various flash sizes, with 64GB too (is that any good for FF and some other stuff?).
64GB is ample for FF and SkyDemon.
As you’ll know, the thing that eats memory is video, followed by music. Keep those files in reasonable numbers and you’ll be fine.
Looks like the 64GB version was sold a lot less, since it is out of stock at Apple (refurb) except in only one colour.
I reckon black is best for heat dissipation, but while you can get a black front, you can’t get a black back unless you paint it 
White should be much better in front as it won’t absorb as much the heat from the sun
Yes that’s very true.
What I found with the other tablets, including the Ipad2, is that having them in a protective case made them get much hotter. The issue was covering the back surface of the tablet, from where the heat is mostly dissipated. Does anybody make a case which has a metal back, or a back with large holes? I have not found anything.
Obviously if you mount the device vertically, holding it just by the corners, that is ok, but in the TB20 there is no room for that.
My Mini 2 switches from panel to internal GPS as soon as I turn the GTN650 off.
If you buy a new one from John Lewis you get a 2 year guarantee and ex. VAT it will cost about 10 quid more than a refurb from Amazon.
Peter wrote:
Does anybody make a case which has a metal back, or a back with large holes? I have not found anything.
Dosn’t matter, you wouldn’t keep it in its case in the cockpit. I’d go for white or silver and a panel mount that leaves as much as possible of the back exposed.
I use a Wi-FI only iPad Mini, with a plug-in Bad Elf (not Bluetooth). FWIW that works fine without any additional antenna. Mine has some small amount of memory (32 GB? I forget) and that used to be a issue when downloading Foreflight updates as Foreflght wouldn’t erase old data until after it had downloaded new data. That issue seems to have been resolved somehow in Foreflight software updates. Anyway, the whole system requires relatively little memory (or attention).
I have noticed that if I don’t unplug and replug the plug-in (not Bluetooth) GPS regularly I get a ‘no GPS’ fault, presumably due to contact corrosion.
