[APP]: Flight Gear

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FlightGear

Filing Flight Plan
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FlightGear
I posted a poll on this forum (and other aviation forums) about my app a few days ago. After looking through the results, I found out that the vast majority of people are willing to pay about $3.99 for it. It is now available on the Google Play store:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.YouForgotWhat.flightgear

A YouTube demonstration can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Pj9pBbyPs

Flight Gear is an all-in-one Android app that contains backup flight instruments, important calculators, and other useful utilities for pilots. Instead of having to download and pay for multiple aviation apps, pilots can simply download this single app as a consolidated source for all their needs.

FEATURES:


  • Photorealistic Attitude Indicator (Uses gyroscope/accelerometer).
  • Photorealistic Heading Indicator
  • Weight & Balance calculator. Instead of having to calculate your moments and CG by hand every time you fly, you can simply save your aircraft's profile (Empty weight, CG Limits, Fuel Consumption, Arm Lengths, etc) and reuse the data that doesn't change. The app will also alert you if you go out of your aircraft's CG Limits or Max Takeoff Weight. Supports multiple aircraft.
  • Fuel timer. Use it as a supplement to your fuel gauges to estimate how much time you left in the air. Enter your total tank capacity, current fuel levels and your GPH rating. The app will start a countdown timer and also automatically alert you when you have 30 mins left.
  • Flight timer. A simple and attractive alternative to having to carry around another gadget with you whenever you fly. Displays Zulu Time underneath the Elapsed Flight Time for quick reference.
  • Dashboard: View your Attitude Indicator, Heading Indicator, Fuel Timer, and Flight Timer all in one screen.
  • Handy E6B Calculator functions. Enter your values and the tool will convert them to every type of parameter that it can think of. Currently includes distance, volume (Jet A1, Jet A, and AVGAS 100LL), True Airspeed Conversion, and Speed. If you'd like to see another tool added, please email or PM me!
  • Auto ATC Notepad [BETA]: Currently in BETA, but it works relatively well. Whenever you get a call from ATC, simply tap on the record button and everything you readback to ATC will be transcribed onto the app. Again, this feature is still being trained to understand every type of Aviation lingo so it may be a bit off at times.
  • Manual ATC Notepad: If the Auto ATC Notepad isn't a viable option for you, you can simply set your assigned instructions in this tool by swiping through the most common parameters (altitude, speed, heading). You can also take miscellaneous notes in the same tool if ATC gives you special instructions.
Since this app just came out, I'm definitely open for suggestions and improvements. If you'd like to see a certain feature implemented or changed, email me at youforgotwhat@gmail.com or PM me.
 
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Bump, anyone interested in this app? I'd just like to get a feel for what you guys think of it so far. I just added two more E6B functions about an hour ago (Wind Correction Angle and Crosswind Calculator). I'm currently coding other E6B functions (pressure converter, etc) right now and they'll be available by the end of today.

Is there something missing from my app that you guys would like to see implemented? Comments and criticism are welcome. Thanks!
 
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I'd recommend providing the app for free to some folks who review and can provide feedback, maybe get them to write a review and offer some advice on tweaks.

Asking someone to pay $4 for something then asking for feedback isn't a good business model. Apps with a time limit generally don't fly either, because I'm going to download it today while I read the thread.. and not fly for a few days. Then probably never come back to use it.

That said, I dont have anything android.
Might try steve at http://amileofrunway.blogspot.com/ - he is an android guy - could provide some feedback and maybe write a review on his site.

good luck,

-Mike
 
Interesting thought about the time limit... you're right, I probably should've considered people who don't fly on a frequent basis. Thanks for your suggestion Mike! I'm currently in the process of changing the free trial version model to something more flexible. And thanks for referring me to Steve as well. I'll be dropping him an email today.
 
can you tell us more about the ATC recording (beta) feature?
Do you plug the headset into the Android device via a splitter or something?
 
When I tested it out, I simply used the in-built microphone on my Android device. However, if you use a splitter (with mic support), and plug that into your Android device, you will see much more accurate results while transcribing. Keep in mind that your Android device should have an audio jack that has microphone support built into it (the vast majority of Android device have had this feature since 2009).
 
My attitude indicator doesn't work like stated. It basically is sideways regardless of the position of the screen.
 
Could you post the name of your device? I tested the app out on a Samsung Galaxy S3, S2, Galaxy Note 2, Nexus 7 and a Nexus 10. I'll get this issue fixed asap. (Also, did you press the "Switch ADI Position" button in the upper right corner?)
 
Ahh ok, I'm looking into the issue right now. I'll upload an updated version of the app and let you know as soon as I get the problem fixed. Thanks for giving me the heads up!
 
Do you happen to have the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (7" screen)? I was looking through the technical specifications for the product and it states that it does not have an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

(Scroll down to where it says "Technical Details")
http://tablets.venturebeat.com/compare/134-156/Nexus-7-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-2-7-0

If that's the tablet you have, then I'm sorry... you're simply out of luck. There is simply no way that your device can act as functional attitude indicator without an accelerometer or a gyroscope. :/
 
My friend happens to have the 10.1" Tab 2 as well. I'll go test it out on his device in an hour and get back to you. In the meantime, could you check to make sure that your gyro is correctly calibrated (download a free gyro app from the Play store to test it out)? The only time I had the ADI on my Nexus 7 and other devices go berserk on me was when the gyro was out of calibration. Thanks!
 
You know, with the ATC record feature what would be very handy...

If you have a splitter and such, have a rolling recording of the last 30s-1m that you could roll back at 5s at a time and replay...Not quite sure if ATC was calling you, play back the last 5 seconds and see! Have a "mark tape" function to save the current rolling buffer to a "permanent" record in case of a whoopsie.
 
^Excellent idea! I'll have that implemented into the app and ready by the end of today. :)

@Badger: You seem extremely interested in the ATC Notepad. Would the feature that JeffDG mentioned be worth it to you?
 
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FlightGear said:
If that's the tablet you have, then I'm sorry... you're simply out of luck. There is simply no way that your device can act as functional attitude indicator without an accelerometer or a gyroscope. :/
Click to expand...

The accelerometer is pretty irrelevant without a gyroscope, too... I hope you're not trying to do an AI representation with only an accelerometer. :dunno:
 
You're right. Generally speaking, an accelerometer by itself is very inaccurate/essentially useless for simulating an ADI. However, if an accelerometer is used in conjunction with a magnetometer (which almost all Android devices have), you can fuse the two sensors together using a complementary filter.

That's exactly what I did with my app. It first checks to see if you have a gyro. If you do, then it actually fuses inputs from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer together to get the most accurate representation of an ADI possible. If you don't have a gyroscope, then it'll fallback to the less accurate (but still usable) accelerometer + magnetometer fusion.

I tested out the app on a Droid 1 (the very first Droid from Motorola wayyyy back from 2009). The phone doesn't have a gyro, but it does have the accelerometer + magnetometer. As far as I can tell, both my Nexus 7 with a gyro and the Droid 1 have equivalent pitch and roll readings with a maximum variance of about 2-3 degrees.
 
One quick comment: Once you've defined an airplane, the W&B screen should be much simpler...just adding the weights and gallons for the particular flight. As it is you have all the datum points there which can accidently be changed, plus it makes it look too cluttered. Also, why not just calculate the empty moment rather than require the calculation? Empty weight and CG location should be all that's required from the user.
 
^Thanks for your suggestion. I think you've got a fair point there with simplifying the WB screen. I'll be releasing version 1.1 of my app either tonight or tomorrow afternoon (worst case scenario) and I'll make sure to take off the arm lengths from the actual calculation screen. (If anyone has any objection to this, speak now or forever hold your peace.)

And the only reason why I asked for empty moment is because my aircraft's POH lists the empty moment, but not the empty arm. After looking through other aircraft's POH, its clear to me that my aircraft's POH is using a non-standard format. Thanks for pointing this out... I'll fix that issue and replace "Empty Moment" with "Empty Arm".
 
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UPDATE:

Flight Gear v1.1 is now out! I followed the suggestions of a few members on this forum to help improve the app. Here's what's changed/is new:

-- Updated Trial Version:
The trial version of the app is no longer restricted to 48 hours. Instead, you will be able to use the each feature of the app 5 times, irrespective of one another. For example, you will be able to use the Attitude Indicator 5 times, the CG Calculator 5 times, etc. Please uninstall the current version of your trial app and reinstall it from the Google Play store to clear the time limit.

-- ATC Playback (NEW):
With this feature, you can record everything that goes on between you and ATC. You will be able to scan through your recording and replay sections of it, in case you accidentally miss something they said. Please note that you will need a compatible 4-pole 3.5mm auxiliary cable that plugs into your Android device's headphone jack (see here). The other end of the cable will plug into your radio stack's output jack (The other end of the cable will be the same type as your headset's plug). You can find these cables at your local RadioShack or other electronics store. Email me or message me if you'd like more clarification on how to get this to work.

-- Simplified Weight & Balance Screen:
I removed the arm lengths from the Weight & Balance screen to make it look less cluttered and reduce the risk of accidentally changing a wrong value. You can always modify your arm lengths by tapping on "Edit Aircraft" in the top right corner of the Weight & Balance screen. The full details of the aircraft will be available on that page for editing.

If you have any more questions or suggestions, please message or email me! As always, I'm open to improving this app and making it fit around your needs.
 
Quick question for all those who are interested... Would you guys like me to add a flight logger to this app where you can save, edit and view your total flight hours + other flight information? I'm just trying to make Flight Gear as comprehensive as possible so pilots who use the app will have as many useful aviation tools as possible at their fingertips. The price will obviously remain the same at $3.99.

Also, after thinking about it overnight, I felt that 5 trials per feature was a bit on the low side so I upped the limit to 10. I uploaded the update to Google Play already but it may take a few hours for it Google to actually publish it so check again in the evening for that update! As before, please uninstall the current version you have before installing the new version (this will clear the trials that you may have already used and give you a fresh app to start with).

Thanks!
 
The update is now available on the Google Play store. I uploaded it this morning but Google takes a few hours to process it so that's why it took a while for it to be visible. You should be able to update to it now though.
 
something to consider: (probably easy and inexpensive to incorporate) have the AF/D within the app?

I noticed in another thread, people want this info on their devices.
 
I'll definitely look into adding that feature. By having it "incorporated into the app", do you mean that you want it to be available locally on your device (without a data connection)?
 
Sounds good, I'll start working on that feature and let you know when it's finished.
 
UPDATE: Flight Gear v2.0 is now out!

http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.YouForgotWhat.flightgear_free

This new version comes with the FAA's Airport Facility Directory (A F/D) integrated into the app. When you download the app (or update it), you will be able to access all ~19,500 US airports' data. The app now includes data such as radio frequencies, general airport information, the airport map, hours of operations, etc.

You can search for airports by their name, airport ID, or city. Additionally, the app includes over 2,000 Navigation beacons' information as well. Simply tap on an airport name in the search results list to access information about that airport.

IMPORTANT: You must have a PDF viewer (such as Adobe Reader (Free)) installed on your device to view airport information. When you first access the airport directory, the app will optimize its database for quick searching. Please be patient as this process may take a few minutes (if you have an older device, it can take as long as 5 minutes). This process only needs to be done one time. If your device says that the app isn't responding, don't quit the app. It is still running its optimization processes in the background and it just may take a few more minutes to respond.

Also, I had to raise the price of the paid app by $1 because I'm using a yearly subscription program for optimizing the airport data in the database. The program costs me about $3000 a year to sustain and as you can imagine, this amount adds up very quickly. I will be updating the airport directories regularly (every 3 months is when the FAA updates them) so rest assured that this extra $1 that you pay is going to benefit you directly. I hope you guys understand.

As always, if you guys have any questions, comments, issues, or suggestions, feel free to post on this thread, send me a PM, or email me directly at youforgotwhat@gmail.com.
 
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