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Tight fit

After I purchased Ariel, I bought a new iPad Mini to use while flying. The airplane came with a RAM mount attached to the panel, at the far right. It also came with a holder for an iPad Mini. My iPad fit in the holder, but it was more difficult to put it in and remove it than I thought it should be.

My tablet is brand new, so it's a 5th generation iPad Mini. The first three generations were the same size, but the 4th and 5th generations are slightly taller. I wondered if the holder was for the smaller size.

I went ahead and ordered a new holder for the 4th and 5th generation units, figuring that I'd find a use for the old one if they were the same size. Today I went out to the airport to check on the plane and also to look at the existing holder. It's labeled "iPad Mini" on the back, which means it's for the first three generations. From pictures, I know that the newer holder is labeled "iPad Mini 4".

The new holder should be here next week so I should have it for the next time I go flying. I'm also going to mount it to the yoke so it's easier to read and access. There's already a mount on the yoke shaft so all I have to do is move the holder over.

I don't know if I'll mount anything to the ball on the panel. I took my iPad Pro out as well to see whether it would fit there. I could probably mount it there but it would be a tight fit. I'd have to angle it just right so it doesn't interfere with the right yoke, or block access to the radio stack. I don't know if it would be worth the hassle, to be honest. What I might end up doing is getting a suction cup mount to hold my phone and stick it to the side window, or to the windshield.

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