It's called a ring, but it's not a perfect circle. It accounts for wind and terrain, and uses your aircrafts performance numbers. It extends further in front of you than behind, and with the wind than against, etc.
Missing aviation niche app/tool?
- Thread starter CJones
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Yeah, Garmin has definitely put some work into this between the ring and autoglide or whatever its called. Props to them for doing so. I would just have to see it in an actual aircraft to better evaluate it. What's concerning to me is they say it's based on best glide speed and glide ratio which then uses aircraft altitude and wind to determine ring. Problem is these inputs are likely not actual, so garbage in = garbage out...
AWM had a ring which could be on or off in settings, and an arc in emergency view only. I found the ring marginally useful. The arc was magic. The arc wasn't based on theoretical inputs; it was based on your actual altitude, speed, rate of descent, terrain data, etc. The end result was a very very accurate predictable point at which the aircraft would touchdown; as I say, it was magic.
Understand that the ring and the arc are related but different tools.
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Ok, I’m with you. If you had the terrain data it would be pretty trivial. Not sure how accurate gps derived vertical speed would be though.
Iflydogs
Pre-takeoff checklist
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Iflydogs
Well, I would pay for a cop plinking app. When I am bored I go up and hunt patrol cars on the interstate, and tag them on Waze. But it is a pain to use that app, it would be nice to have something with crosshairs, maybe even sound effects, ideally something that would correct the position for the slant range. The way I see it, they hunt us. Turnabout is fair play.
exncsurfer
Pattern Altitude
I havent seen the arc he was referring to, but I suppose if the ring had a target highlighted wherever your flight path was headed it would be similar, like this red mark I added:
Hold not thy breath.
When I tried to talk with the FF people at SNF about an Android version they basically told me to pound sand. They have no intention of ever supporting Android.
The well-known Boeing arrogance has infected FF surprisingly quickly.
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Albany Tom
I can't help but see it as funny. For a company to be cuckold to one of their suppliers and arrogant at the same time is puzzling. But to each their own. I certainly wouldn't brag about it. It did make sense for the original developers, though, if their goal was to sell the company, as it's cheaper to develop for a single platform.
As much as I hate to say it, even garmin pilot is a much better experience on an iPad than an android.
- sent from my Samsung 10" tablet that I use for flight planning and literally everything else, but not actual flying.
I've heard this before. It is one of the reasons I choose to not use that product. Salty may be right regarding it being a sound business decision, but we don't have to reward the companies doing so.
What’s the reason you won’t use what product? I’m not quite clear.
The tangent went to a discussion of the Garmin Pilot app and that particular app being better on an ipad than an android. That is a function of the software being more well developed for the apple platform rather than a comparison of the hardware. I have read many reports this is the case with the GP app. Perhaps this information is outdated; I don't know. It is good to see companies offering software for both platforms, but the company seems to have made the android version a secondary focus. So, one of the reasons I would not use the GP app is because of this.
schmookeeg
En-Route
A niche app I think the market needs -- I encountered while trolling through the facebook "plane for sale" ads this morning.
Plane for sale ads are either devoid of the barest minimum of details, or they're basically the last 10 years of logbooks. There needs to be some sort of "minimum viable airplane ad" that can be enforced.
It would be nice to create an "ad generator" for a plane ad. Recommend a basic-B ad, prompt for the important details, and generate a compatible listing for the various online sites one might post an ad.
Make sure they include things like engine MOH, TTAF, useful load, etc. prompt them for a picture of the exterior, interior, avionics as a minimum.
Basically be opinionated and try to stomp out lame plane ads. They're maddening.
Plane for sale ads are either devoid of the barest minimum of details, or they're basically the last 10 years of logbooks. There needs to be some sort of "minimum viable airplane ad" that can be enforced.
It would be nice to create an "ad generator" for a plane ad. Recommend a basic-B ad, prompt for the important details, and generate a compatible listing for the various online sites one might post an ad.
Make sure they include things like engine MOH, TTAF, useful load, etc. prompt them for a picture of the exterior, interior, avionics as a minimum.
Basically be opinionated and try to stomp out lame plane ads. They're maddening.
ateamer
Pattern Altitude
A niche app I think the market needs -- I encountered while trolling through the facebook "plane for sale" ads this morning.
Plane for sale ads are either devoid of the barest minimum of details, or they're basically the last 10 years of logbooks. There needs to be some sort of "minimum viable airplane ad" that can be enforced.
It would be nice to create an "ad generator" for a plane ad. Recommend a basic-B ad, prompt for the important details, and generate a compatible listing for the various online sites one might post an ad.
Make sure they include things like engine MOH, TTAF, useful load, etc. prompt them for a picture of the exterior, interior, avionics as a minimum.
Basically be opinionated and try to stomp out lame plane ads. They're maddening.
And include the overhaul date. Hours don’t tell the whole story - it might be 200 SMOH, but if that overhaul was in 1990…
Oh, and give the seller a “You really ought to edit this, this gadget is no longer cool alert” when they make a point of noting that it has a marker beacon indicator.
Do you think a company should invest equivalent money to support a platform with far less customers?
after I create a flight plan, I use either MSFS if I have the windows machine turned on, otherwise it’s XPlane just for this purpose. Run at 10x to review the route. There is an app for XPlane to do this. Not as easy/elegant as you’d like, but it works.
* completely astonished that such a variety exists….or that people buy them…or wear them….*
Not my choice to make. Honestly the platform companies choose is not something that bothers me really. I can choose what companies to associate with and products I do spend money for however.
With regards to the statement of platform with far less customers above...
- According to StatCounter, in 2020, Android owned 71.93% of the worldwide mobile operating system market share while iOS took 27.47%.
https://www.mobileapps.com/blog/android-vs-ios-market-share
Betcha among pilots the numbers are reversed.
Substantially closer then I expected:
Id guess it's more to do with the ease of writing a stable program within the locked down apple platform vs the wide variety of hardware android is found on.
Although ifly seems to do it, and with a much smaller team than ff/ garmin.
Id guess it's more to do with the ease of writing a stable program within the locked down apple platform vs the wide variety of hardware android is found on.
Although ifly seems to do it, and with a much smaller team than ff/ garmin.
schmookeeg
En-Route
I wonder how many of those are kindles and derivatives. Android tablets seem to be universally underpowered/optimized for price junk with a very few samsung exceptions.
I had the same thought. There's 6(!) Fire tablets in my house.
I did have a couple Asus tablets that had very comparable specs to a Mini, with the not insignificant exception of the display (which is arguably the most important part...), for 1/4 of the price. I agree there are very few "nice" android tablets, and the few that are on par cost nearly the same amount. I just really find ios annoying, but part of that is because I haven't used it enough.
iFly has a different approach. It seems to sit on top of the OS rather than being integrated into it, so it's a bit less susceptible to underlying problems.
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Bro do you even lift
Arnold
Cleared for Takeoff
Are you referring to FSS briefers. If so I find that it helps to remind them that I am PIC and they are the briefer. "I tell you what, you brief and I'll decide." Seems to work.
Arnold
Cleared for Takeoff
I have always been an android person and prefer iFly GPS. My current employer (yes I took an aviation job - some people don't learn) used Jeppview until it was folded into Foreflight and issued me an iPad. I still prefer the iFly just because it is simpler and more intuitive. For the employer I use FF for myself I use iFly.
midwestpa24
Final Approach
Foreflight has chosen not to support Android products because of reliability and stability. Because they are marketed at the larger corporate flight departments, that use Foreflight for a lot more than hobby flying and in many cases is part of the Part 121/135 operating specifications, they have to ensure the product is as stable as possible. That is why they even test every update to iOS before clearing FF for use on it.
With Android, there are dozens of different versions floating around, on hundreds of different devices. It would be near impossible to ensure that same level of reliability. Honestly that's one of the reasons I migrated to FF and an iPad myself. I had been using an Android tablet trying different apps, from Garmin Pilot to Avare or iFly. They worked well 90% of the time, but 10% of the time I'd run into an issue, usually at the most inopportune time.
I've yet to have a crash of FF while operating on a tested and approved version of iOS.
Randomskylane
Line Up and Wait
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Randomskylane
these probably exist but I’m dumb times 2
1. Active runway at xyz airport right now (metars doesn’t help when calm) - hard to plan approach before leaving home airfield
2. X-Plane and ForeFlight already communicate so why can’t I just load my ForeFlight fpl into X-Plane like I do irl? Fpl to fms converters exist but is a pain the rear
3. a big fat wind direction arrow with speed in ForeFlight. Yes, on the ground at airport x metars say whatever but I’m 20 miles away at a different altitude and I’ve got smoke coming from the dash I want answers NOW. Signed it happened two times which is two times too many
1. Active runway at xyz airport right now (metars doesn’t help when calm) - hard to plan approach before leaving home airfield
2. X-Plane and ForeFlight already communicate so why can’t I just load my ForeFlight fpl into X-Plane like I do irl? Fpl to fms converters exist but is a pain the rear
3. a big fat wind direction arrow with speed in ForeFlight. Yes, on the ground at airport x metars say whatever but I’m 20 miles away at a different altitude and I’ve got smoke coming from the dash I want answers NOW. Signed it happened two times which is two times too many
1 Something that could combine yelp or google reviews with the nearby places to eat and stay.
2 Would be nice to have a eHSI that could show (marked VFR only) LOC and GS for approaches, most all modern devices have baro sensors, pretty good GPS chips and manometers, it would be nice to be able to practice shooting a approach in older or more basic planes that don’t have much of a panel
2 Would be nice to have a eHSI that could show (marked VFR only) LOC and GS for approaches, most all modern devices have baro sensors, pretty good GPS chips and manometers, it would be nice to be able to practice shooting a approach in older or more basic planes that don’t have much of a panel
How does it do that, unless it has the planes ADHRS data?
Or is it just taking a guess based on the last set of wind data it downloaded from NOAA?
midwestpa24
Final Approach
If wind is calm, that would be hard for any app to determine, at least at an uncontrolled airport. Besides which, it could change 100 times between you leaving your home airfield and arriving at your destination. This is just part of aeronautical decision making, no app can replace that.
I’d plan the one that requires the least amount of turns, but getting close and listening on the radio, if everyone is using a runway be wise to go with the flow.
ForeFlight shows the best runway for the winds the field is advertising, be interesting if it could be coded in to pickup the D-ATIS and understand the runway in use for towered fields with a d-atis, but what would be very fun is if the software could be coded to look at ADSB traffic, based on location and alignment of runways at uncontrolled fields, and expect the likely runway IN USE.
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ateamer
Pattern Altitude
Foreflight has been clear since Day 1 that they will never produce an Android version.
Daleandee
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Dale Andee
Randomskylane
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AI listens to local ctaf, updates runway info in ForeFlight