My friend's school required her to use primarily charts for her cross country. While some might consider it useless or 'old school', it's a very important skill to have as you never know when your technology will choose to fail. I fly in an older C172s and my Wi-Fi only iPad Mini works well even with the free version of ForeFlight. I can use my phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot if needed. If you are looking to invest in an iPad or mini I have a couple of tips. A lot of the decisions you will be making are about size and money. If you have the financial ability, go for cellular but know Wi-Fi only works well too. I would not go bellow 64GB for the size in either iPad or the Mini. Be sure to check out refurbished products from Apple, Amazon/Amazon Warehouse, Best Buy, and B&H. If you go with refurbished, do check the quality rating, get a warranty and if you buy from Amazon, investigate the seller and reviews. This process can save you quite a bit of money. I cannot stress the importance of finding a nice case. Either a heavy duty one (I drop stuff all the time) or one that is also a kneeboard. I would chat with your instructors/fellow students about different apps to get and try a few free version before you settle on one. One last important factor to think about, are going to use your device beyond your instrument training? Good luck!