Flight Plan ACTIVATION Garmin Pilot

[FPK1]

I've been using Foreflight with iPad for about 6 months and since my new plane is all Garmin (G1000 NXi, GTN345 and FS510) I'm transitioning to Garmin Pilot on an iPad and Android phone.

So far only one flight made using Garmin Pilot and that was Bluetooth to GTN345 and legacy G1000 and I enjoyed Pilot. I have also made many flight plans on GP and so far find it pretty user friendly on the iPad.

The one function I am missing is the actual ACTIVATION of a filed flight plan. On FF it was very easy with an internet connection.

Am I missing something, is there an easy way to activate a filed flight plan just before take off? (On iPad or Android phone?)

Or back to old school calling up Flight Service on the radio?

Or how do you do it?

 

[MooneyDriver78]

I don’t remember the exact sequence, depends on whether you use iPhone or iPad, but yes you can activate (fill in flight plan) from a plan (trip) you’ve filed.
Maybe menu->activate, or activate is right on the trip page…it’s not something buried deep, I never had a problem finding it.

For the unfamiliar, trips page are saved flight plans, the flight plan page is the activate flight plan.

 

[Salty]

I know you didn’t ask, but foreflight works great with garmin equipment if you prefer foreflight. Personally, I preferred garmin pilot when I flew vfr, but I find foreflight better for IFR, so if you don’t plan on flying ifr, I do recommend sticking with garmin.

just didn’t want you to think interfacing with garmin equipment for flight would be better with garmin pilot.

 

[Warmi]

https://ipadpilotnews.com/2020/09/step-by-step-guide-to-planning-a-flight-in-garmin-pilot/

 

[texasclouds]

You have to “create a trip”, then in your trip planning area find the trip then “file” to file with flight services. “Activate” simply moves a saved trip to your active flight plan. You will find file and activate in the “actions” drop down.

 

[Hang 4]

Once you file, there’s a open plan button available. The “activate” button only moves it in the app.
https://ipadpilotnews.com/2018/02/file-open-close-vfr-flight-plan-ipad/

 

[WDD]

I know you didn’t ask, but foreflight works great with garmin equipment if you prefer foreflight.

My first thought as well. F Flight works hand in glove with Garmin.

 

[Gary Ward]

My first thought as well. F Flight works hand in glove with Garmin.

The only thing FF does not do is update garmin databases.

I fly with FF but use GP for wireless data updates through the FS510 which the poster above mentioned.

 

[Rgbeard]

If you’re on Facebook there’s a Garmin Pilot group that I have found very helpful.

 

[Jim K]

On the android version of gp I've never successfully been able to file ifr. I've not filed a vfr flight plan since training, so can't help with that. I've also not tried since I got an ipad. I find the briefings generated by gp to be lackluster as well, so I go to 1800wxbrief to brief anyway, and just file there. I find that site to be easy to use, so I've not put a lot of effort into doing things through gp. I know you can both activate and close vfr flight plans through that site as well.

 

[FPK1]

OP here thanks for the comments. I know FF works well with Garmin and you need GP with a FS510 for updates if using FF (and I will have that).

So I figured since I need GP anyway might as well see if I like GP better than FF for me and so far I think I like it. I miss the FF web functionality and tried Fltplan.com which I didn't like.

Sounds like from the above comments I can "open" (or activate) a filed flight plan via GP so I need to test that. I know how and used that in FF.

GP flight briefing seems very similar to 800WXBrief. I really want one stop shop; create, file, open/activate, and close flight plan all from one app.

Good news is I'm paid up on both so can keep testing. I have Sentry device and that only works with FF so maybe I go primary GP and FF w/Sentry is my backup...

 

[Paul V]

FF users swear up and down the walls that FF is the only option out there. FF is a great tool but honestly with the latest versions of GP and FF, there really aren’t a lot of differences between the two products anymore from a features standpoint. In fact I don’t know if the FF faithful that talk down GP have even used GP in its current iteration.

I use and prefer GP since I prefer the GP user interface and GP plays nicely with other Garmin products such as their panel avionics, portable devices, inreach satellite messengers, etc… I also prefer the rich interactive maps in GP which more closely resemble the maps in Garmin panel mount navigators.

GP works natively with garmin’s GTX 345 ADS-B in/out panel transponder as well as their GDL 50/51/52 portable ADS-B in products. They also recently added compatibility with Stratus 3 for ADS-B in data though I haven’t tested it myself (I have a GDL-50 which works great). I don’t think sentry is compatible (at present time).

As you have observed, the current version of GP has a briefing product that is essentially identical to the briefing from 1800wxbrief.com as it pulls from Lidos.

For flight plans you can file and activate flight plans through both Lidos and fltplan.com from within the app. GP will synchronize with flight plans created on the fltplan.com website but not with flight plans created either with the 1800wxbrief.com website or over the phone with a briefer. That would be very nice for the rare instances where you can’t use the GP app to create a flight plan.

overall I love it and encourage anyone who hasn’t done so to try both GP and FF in their current forms before determining which is right for them.

 

[FPK1]

Thanks for all the help, filed, and opened via the GP before take off, and closed once parked. All via the app, all good! Really enjoyed GP! Just upgraded to Premium to use it all for at least a year!