Pilot Project

[Tyler Johnson]

I'm currently assigned to a project aimed at developing a software specifically designed to meet the unique needs of pilots, addressing gaps that existing applications haven't filled. Recognizing the value of insights directly from those in the field, I'm reaching out to this community for input. I'm interested in learning about the tools and features you, as pilots, wish you had access to—those that would simplify your tasks or enhance your flying experience. Whether that’s a better flight planning tool, dispatch tool, scheduling tool, checklists, etc. Your professional insights would be huge in guiding my process to complete this assignment. Thanks guys I appreciate the help.

 

[mandm]

Foreflight pretty much has the market.

 

[MountainDude]

A tool that enables you to do the following:
I decide to visit an area, let's say around Bend, OR, for 3 days (Fri-Sun).
The tool would tell me for each airport within XY miles of Bend:
- rental cars available and total price
- airport fees (landing, parking...)
- 100LL price
- things to do in the area (I select the radius), such as hiking, skiing, rafting, kids' activities...
- I select which activities I want to do (check them off), and the app sends me an email with the list, their location, hours, costs...
I think this would invigorate the aviation community, as doing research on all this is time consuming, so a lot of pilots don't do it.

 

[aftCG]

Foreflight pretty much has the market.

So just make an Android version of that. Instant success.

 

[flyingpreacher]

To echo @MountainDude radius and filter searches.

Let’s say I want to take my wife to lunch. We know that there’s one restaurant that we love, but we want to try some other things. Draw a radius map (say 100 miles) then filter by airports with restaurants (they either get highlighted or the others disappear) so that I have, say 6 choices remaining. A burger joint, a diner, two Italian places, a Mexican restaurant, and a pub style restaurant.

Mind you, this is all available in a textual format at flightsforbites, but not visually depicted. We like pretty things. Make it pretty!

 

[William Pete Hodges]

I am a fan of 7-day VFR weather planning and have been doing so for years. I like to know that if I fly away from home for several days a good weather window will open up for my return trip. Believe it or not, good VFR days are relatively easy to predict, but they may be off by a day or two depending on how the weather is moving as it forms. You need a graphical weather forecast tool that allows you to put in your route and a time scale that shows how the weather will move around your route for the next 7-10 days. The NWS and the AWC both have access to this information at taxpayer's expense, but both refuse to make this information available in a pilot friendly way. I use Windy and the NOAA regional graphic forecast. I wrote an article about my system in 2013, but the NWS and the AWC have stubbornly refused to embrace the idea to enhance VFR safety.

7-day VFR cross country weather planning : Air Facts Journal

In the past two years we have completed a long VFR trip successfully five times. How have we done so well on such a long trip VFR when the weather is so unpredictable? We have a multi-level system and we follow it. It is not perfect but it works.

airfactsjournal.com

If you make an android app that is easy to use like the older version of the AWC planning ap I would go for it.

 

[MikeNY]

I use Windy

Also might consider a look at WeatherSpork … appears close to satisfying the request.

 

[TCABM]

Going a different route, a couple of things I would find handy…

Maintenance log/tracker. Input N#, it pulls ADs, organized them, let’s them be signed off. Proactively pulls the relevant bi-weeklies.

Also, add tach time component; tracks and forecasts oil changes, recurring ADs, etc.

Finally, bring in the maintenance manual, parts catalog, and 43.13. Let me pick oil change, and it links to the relevant info from the MM and 43.13. Diagrams, PN cross-references, etc.

 

[Clip4]

I would like a logbook app with voice data entry.

 

[Half Fast]

Finally, bring in the maintenance manual, parts catalog, and 43.13. Let me pick oil change, and it links to the relevant info from the MM and 43.13. Diagrams, PN cross-references, etc.

...then the app shops the web for pricing and availability of required parts and materials and presents me with a list for review and one-click ordering.

 

[TCABM]

...then the app shops the web for pricing and availability of required parts and materials and presents me with a list for review and one-click ordering.

Honestly, if it broke the maintenance task down on work cards and tools required, that with the last work card including the maintenance log entry, that would he awesome enough for me.

 

[Half Fast]

Honestly, if it broke the maintenance task down on work cards and tools required, that with the last work card including the maintenance log entry, that would he awesome enough for me.

You wouldn’t like for it to phone your A&P and schedule the work?