iPad nav option

[Russ]

Airnav VFR Sentient are the builders of this tool, I used this nav product for some yrs, it was brilliant, but was not available to be used within the iPad ........until now, I believe May 2014 is the release, google the site, read their promo.

 

Issues that some folks have with ozrunway, might be no longer, by changing to this other nav product. I for one shall use the sentient one again, now that it,s iPad friendly.

 

 

[Russ]

www.sentientsoftware.com.au

[kaz3g]

I gave Sentient away recently...or rather, they lost me because I felt badly let down after years of loyalty as a customer.

 

I ran their program with moving map on a laptop long before the advent of the iPad. In 2009 I used it on a round Australia trip in the Auster. The laptop in the back seat was linked to a small TFT screen in the front of the cockpit and blue toothed to a GPS receiver. It was great. I even purchased their tablet GPS although it wasn't much chop as it turned out.

 

A year ago I started to have problems. I spent quite a bit of money seeking technical help but it wouldn't work Sentient ended up telling me they hadn't supported the moving map for Windows-based pc's for quite a while.

 

I had just paid another subscription and asked to cancel and get my money back. They cancelled, but no refund. I thought about going to VCAT with a Consumer Law complaint but, what the heck, I'm happy to tell others how I feel instead.

 

Ozrunways every time for me. The only thing I miss is an option I can select where the moving map display automatically goes to the chart with the best resolution as the flight progresses across boundaries.

 

Kaz

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...Ozrunways every time for me. The only thing I miss is an option I can select where the moving map display automatically goes to the chart with the best resolution as the flight progresses across boundaries.

Kaz

Good idea Kaz. I'm sure the boys will look at that suggestion, but they are currently too busy to add new features.

 

 

[Jaba-who]

I've tried Airnav VFR, oz runways and Avplan EFB

 

I must admit only used Airnav on windows format on a pc not the ipad but I swore by it from the very first version they produced. But they have been left behind by oz runways and I haven't transitioned to the ipad version.

 

AVplan has the most features but some of the nice little features they have are being included in oz runways.

 

The best features in avplan are the total inclusion of all data onto the map you are using at the time. Radar Weather, predicted rain, radio and CTR altitude boundaries, runway directions etc can all be overlaid on the map you looking at and it automatically changes to the most appropriate map for your location.

 

But all things have a down side. I find it very non-intuitive. And I have had a bit of time away from flying in the last year and each time I come back to do a plan I can't remember how to use it so have to get the manual out and learn to use it.

 

Oz runways is much easier and intuitive to use but it lacks some of the features of avplan EFB.

 

 

[Bevan]

Good idea Kaz. I'm sure the boys will look at that suggestion, but they are currently too busy to add new features.

I can assure you that we at AvPlan EFB always want to hear from the pilots who use our app, and are always interested in feedback, suggestions etc!

 

 

[robinsm]

will avplan be able to use the adspi raspberry pi device?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

There you go Bevan.....ease of use is a big must you seem to have the rest right although I haven't tried yours yet but I may do so...OZrunways really is very easy to use I love it and now with the adsb overlay I made it really shows what these things can be capable of

 

 

[Bevan]

Yup, support for a raspberry pi based adsb receiver will come in the next release. We have supported adsb for a while using 3rd party adsb receivers (which have gps and AHRS as well)

 

Plus a lot of other really useful stuff as well.

 

 

[Marty_d]

A noob question - are these apps only available for Ipad or are they available for other tablet types as well? (Android etc).

 

We're looking at getting a tablet soon - being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century - but I have an aversion to Apple so would prefer a Samsung or similar.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

We're ... - being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century - but I have an aversion to Apple so would prefer a Samsung or similar.

Apple has been the leader in so much of this tech; their devices lead the way in ease of use. Why the aversion?

 

 

[Marty_d]

Apple has been the leader in so much of this tech; their devices lead the way in ease of use. Why the aversion?

We have an Ipod - very restrictive software. Plus I think they're overpriced and I don't like their release process, where they hype up each successive model whereas in reality it has one extra USB port and a software upgrade or something... in other words they hold back on features in order to make more money off the same poor saps by doling them out bit by bit.

Plus as a company they are overly litigious - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc._litigation

 

 

[SDQDI]

Apple has been the leader in so much of this tech; their devices lead the way in ease of use. Why the aversion?

I myself have an iPhone and a iPad but only because I couldn't get ozrunways on android, I find apple very annoying they don't have micro sd slots they don't have USB they don't accept flash player thy are good for connecting between apple devices but lack in plenty of places. I personally think that they survive on their name another thing they don't let me download anything more than 20mb unless I'm on wifi which is mega frustrating as I have to use my phone as a hotspot to download big apps or files, their reasoning is they don't want to clutter mobile networks but they don't understand that mobile network is all some of us have.

End of rant:ecstatic:I feel better already:yes:

 

My favourite phone I ever had was a htc desire extremely user friendly, have heard good things about the toshiba tablet/laptop, had a good run out of Samsung but not as user friendly as htc.

 

Anyway I just think apple is a bit overrated they could do so much more to make their products better

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I love the apple gear and have a lot of it BUT I hate that virus called iTunes...I don't agree with some of the stuff apple does but it all works with its apple brothers and sisters and works really well and the hardware has been super hardy and never seems to fall over. I use windows at work here I use it at my other workplace and I use the mac stuff here mostly rather than windows. The only real reason I use windows at work here is my accounting program is windows based so I run it on my Mac Pro desktop at the same time with Mac OSX under parallels..it all works seamlessly and very fast. My first job was at the ford assembly plant here in Brisbane back in 1977 building XC falcons...I would NEVER own a ford after working and seeing what I saw done there yet other people swear by them so when it gets down to tin tacks its what you want or need to use to make your life easier and better that counts

 

Mark

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

"Ask and you will be answered". Despite being an Apple Disciple (those of us who stuck with Apple products thru the lean times) I must grudgingly agree with much of the criticism. Apple still has the edge in quality, but they have lost their moral compass.

 

Apple once stood for innovation and design excellence. Now it's just about obscene profits.

 

They have become all that we despised in Bill Gates' Microsoft. Had Steve Job lived a few more years beyond seeing his little company become the world's richest, maybe he too would have mellowed and done something worthwhile with his fortune.

 

 

[Jaba-who]

Sadly have to agree but it's gotten worse.

 

The reason I have stuck with Microsoft stuff is that it is so flexible. If you want an application to do some variation of its primary action there is usually a way you can do it. With apple you have no choice but to only use the application in the manner apple want. Even blatantly obvious sensible uses may be impossible because apple have decided they don't want you to do it that way.

 

Up till now I have stuck with Microsoft but used apple where I had not much choice (ipad). But windows 8 is starting the slide of Microsoft turning into an appliance as well. :-(

 

 

[JUSTNUZZA]

Avplan will be my next choice if they incorporate a (MAP PRINT OPTION). The program is a bit harder to use but more refined. Have been using Ozrunways for two years and there seems to be to many bug issues everytime an update is done. Weather radar overlay is lot better on Avplan, Flight plans are more user friendly, So to is Mega VFR map which automatically changes from WAC to VNC to VTC as you pinch to zoom making planning easier.

 

 

[Bevan]

We'll see what we can do to add printing soon - thanks for the feedback!

 

Bevan..

 

 

[DrZoos]

I agree on the bug issues after updates for oz runways.

 

If your going to run one of these products it needs to be extremely easy to use and very reliable. Otherwise its taking your concentration off what you should be doing. And that should dictate your choice more then a few dollars either way. I had both and i would have said a few months back that Ozrunways is best, but with the new zoom feature on avplan and the weather overlay plus the bugs in ozrunways after my last update...Avplan has become the best by quiet a margin in my opinion.

 

Im not bagging ozrunways as if it had these features and got rid of the bugs i think it would be best. Hopefully they will catch back up.

 

 

[horsefeathers]

Avplan will be my next choice if they incorporate a (MAP PRINT OPTION). The program is a bit harder to use but more refined. Have been using Ozrunways for two years and there seems to be to many bug issues everytime an update is done. Weather radar overlay is lot better on Avplan, Flight plans are more user friendly, So to is Mega VFR map which automatically changes from WAC to VNC to VTC as you pinch to zoom making planning easier.

I was using AvPlan, and testing Ozrunways at the same time, and the deciding factor for me was the ability to print maps. When I asked about this functionality being included in AvPlan, I was told ( in a rather rude, and brusque manner), that only a few people had asked for that ability, and so it was unlikely to be included.

 

After that really unpleasant brushoff, I dropped Avplan, and went to ozrunways instead.

 

 

[Bevan]

That was me replying, and to be honest, yours was only the first or second time it was requested and at the time that was my honest answer. Given that in the interim more people have asked for it, plus we have a better method of actually doing it, its become more likely we will do it.

 

I certainly didn't mean to sound like I was brushing you off, but I guess a brief email sometimes appears so.

 

Thanks,

 

Bevan..

 

 

[JUSTNUZZA]

I can assure you that we at AvPlan EFB always want to hear from the pilots who use our app, and are always interested in feedback, suggestions etc!

Another suggestion is to make terrain annunciation on terrain overlay go all the way to 10 feet instead of 500 feet just like commercial airliners.

 

 

[Bevan]

That's a great idea. Not sure that the GPS is up to the level of vertical accuracy required however. Well experiment with it and see how useful it is.

 

Thanks,

 

Bevan..