FlightPrep

New Data Available

noreply@blogger.com (Ross) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:07:00 +0000

Greetings from FlightPrep,

We've finally had a little break in the weather here at UAO and its time to do a little flying. Don't forget to download the latest charts, plates, and data for your FlightPrep program or app. As always the NavPlan.com site will be auto-updated so your online plans and stored routes can use the new data without you having to do a thing. As always we love to hear from you our customers about your flying, EFB's, and where your flying adventures have taken you lately, email us at support@flightprep.com.

FlightPrep to meet with the FAA

noreply@blogger.com (Ross) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:45:00 +0000

The FAA, or more specifically the Aeronautical Navigational Products Directorate (Aeronav), has announced that beginning April 5, 2012 it will start charging an undisclosed amount for distribution contracted access to digital charting products. FlightPrep has been in contact with the FAA and will be attending a meeting with the FAA on December 13th for more details on this new change. We have worked with the FAA directly for over a decade to provide our clients with digital aviation data and we are confident that this change will not interrupt any service to our customers. We look forward to hearing what the FAA is proposing at the meeting and discussing what changes may come. If you have questions that you would like to ensure that we ask please email those to support@flightprep.com. As soon as we have further information after the December 13th meeting we will share it with you, in the mean time have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Get iChart for just $75 for the first year!

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:13:00 +0000

iOS 5 is here! That means it's time to update your iPad and iPhone with the latest operating system. We're super excited to check out all the 200 new features in iOS5 and to celebrate we're having a special on iChart. For a limited time, you can get a one year subscription to iChart for only $75.

iChart and iCloud Storage

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:06:00 +0000

Important Notice

The latest version of iOS, the operating system for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, now includes the much anticipated iCloud update that Apple has been talking about for months. We encourage you to upgrade to iOS 5 when possible to take advantage of over 200 new features as well as fixes that Apple has built into this new OS. While iCloud does allow syncing of application data into the cloud, the free iCloud account will only allow for 5GB of data to be stored and synced between devices. If you typically download more than 5GB of data into your iChart application, download our latest technical tip using the link below and follow the instructions to disable iCloud sync for iChart to ensure that you have room in your iCloud for other items. We'll be posting a new version of iChart in the coming weeks that will better handle syncing data with iCloud. Please send email to support@flightprep.com with any questions.

Tech Tip: iChart and iCloud Storage

Buy a data subscription and get ChartCase Professional free!

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Summer is almost over and that means IMC is on the way and it will be time to get those IFR charts up-to-date. To help make sure you're ready for take-off, we're offering a free copy of our award winning ChartCase Professional software if you buy an IFR or VFR+IFR data subscription. But hurry, this offer ends on September 30, 2011!

Buy an IFR or VFR+IFR data subscription
and get ChartCase Professional free!

ADS-B, the social network of the sky

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:15:00 +0000

If you or your flying friends have been following the aviation magazines or newsletters over the past few years, you have probably heard of a new technology on the horizon called Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B for short. But what does that mean? What does it do? Well today, we are going to take a look.

For decades, the FAA has upgraded to better and better radar and transponder technology to track aircraft in both the VFR and IFR systems. At the same time, aircraft operators have been equipping themselves with GPS receivers for navigation and better technology for safety and efficiency of flight. While many of us used to have two VOR’s and maybe an NDB, most IFR equipped aircraft have now gone to GPS for enroute navigation. The ADS-B system can really be thought of as the evolution of your navigation system and your reporting or tracking system working together with radar and ground transmitters to provide a clearer picture of what is going on around you. With ADS-B your position, speed, heading, and aircraft information is broadcast to both ground stations and other aircraft nearby equipped with the system. Think of ADS-B like a “social network” that broadcasts where you are and where you are going shared with other pilots and controllers. But don’t be fooled, this is not a virtual crop farming or bubble game network. ADS-B could save lives by showing pilots aircraft on an intersecting flight path around mountains or approaching intersecting runways in all weather conditions. ADS-B will add a layer of safety and much greater efficiency to flying especially in congested airspace by providing pilots and controllers a better picture of what’s going on around us.

What about aircraft that are not equipped with ADS-B, how would this system see them? Traffic Information Service-Broadcast (TIS-B) which is part of the ADS-B system is the answer to that question. TIS-B increases pilot’s situational awareness by providing traffic information on all transponder-based aircraft within the vicinity of the ADS-B equipped aircraft receiving the data by rebroadcasting radar information over the ADS-B network. Therefore, even if an aircraft flying near you is not ADS-B equipped but does have a transponder it will appear as part of the TIS-B service.

TIS-B also has a little something special about it that the FAA threw in a bit late in the game to encourage early adopters. TIS-B is only available to aircraft that transmit their information over ADS-B. This means you only get traffic if you give your info to the system. ADS-B is also described as ADS-B “in” and ADS-B “out”. TIS-B is where ADS-B “in” and ADS-B “out” come into the game. The “in” describes you taking in the available ADS-B information for display on a screen (EFB, MFD, or other system). Think of it as you getting a second by second report on the area around you, but without you. The “out” part of ADS-B indicates your participation in the system. TIS-B will only work correctly for you if you provide ADS-B “out” of your aircraft. If you are equipped with only an ADS-B “in” system like some portable units currently available, you will only have TIS-B info when another aircraft very nearby has turned on the TIS-B information for its area and if you're close by you can piggy back on it for a while. Once that other aircraft flies away from you, you will no longer have any TIS-B.

In addition to the ADS-B information about traffic there is also additional information broadcast from the ground based transmitters called Flight Information Service-Broadcast or FIS-B. FIS-B will allow receiving aircraft to see weather and flight service information including AIRMETs, Convective SIGMETs, SIGMETs, METARs, SPECI, National NEXRAD, Regional NEXRAD, D-NOTAMs, FDC-NOTAMs, PIREPs, Special Use Airspace Status, Terminal Area Forecasts, Amended TAFs, Winds and Temperature Aloft when in range of a ground based transmitter. So one may ask, is this FIS-B similar to XM weather some pilots receive now? Here is the FAA’s answer to that question:

"Yes. ADS-B’s Flight Information Services-Broadcast (FIS-B) provides all of the information you would get with an XM basic subscription, and more. In fact, at no subscription cost to the user, the ADS-B FIS-B product today is comparable to the mid-to-high-level XM subscription. The FAA currently is discussing with the vendor the possibility of adding even more "no-cost" products to the FIS-B service, such as: Lightning, Turbulence NOWcast, Icing NOWcast, Cloud Tops, 1 minute AWOS – uplinked every 10 minutes."

Unlike TIS-B, the FIS-B service is transmitted all the time with or without participation in the ADS-B system. FIS-B information is not usually available on the ground or at very low altitudes due to the range of the ground-based transmitters. Once at altitude (we have found and heard that at or above 3,000 is usually a good bet) you should receive data pretty well.

So when will ADS-B be available? Well according to the FAA it should be fully available in the US 48 by the end of 2014. When will ADS-B be required? Well that depends on where you fly. For some you may never have to install and for others it may be a good idea in the next few years. January 1, 2020 is the FAA's current date to require ADS-B according to the following:

"Under the rule, ADS-B Out performance will be required to operate in:

Class A, B, and C.

Class E airspace within the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia at and above 10,000 feet MSL, excluding the airspace at and below 2,500 feet above the surface.

Class E airspace at and above 3,000 feet MSL over the Gulf of Mexico from the coastline of the United States out to 12 nautical miles.

Around those airports identified in 14 CFR part 91, Appendix D."

The ADS-B Out rule does not apply in the airspace defined in items 1 and 2 above for any aircraft that was not originally certificated with an electrical system or that has not subsequently been certified with such a system installed, including balloons and gliders.

So when will FlightPrep have ADS-B capable applications? Soon, sometime in the next 12 months. Since the system is still being built there are currently dead spots in coverage throughout the country but 2014 will be here before you know it so we're getting ready. Stay tuned for more information on ADS-B in a future newsletter.

A Night for Flight Charity Auction for AOPA Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 23:59:00 +0000

Help FlightPrep raise funds for the AOPA Foundation by bidding on a copy of ChartCase Professional with a 1 year VFR+IFR data subscription for "A Night for Flight", a special charity event that will be held on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at the AOPA Aviation Summit in Hartford, CT.

The AOPA Foundation is dedicated to safeguarding the future of General Aviation and keeping pilots safe.

"You love to fly. You love the sheer joy of it, to stay connected, for transportation and for business. You are a pilot—it's not just what you do, it’s who you are.

"Protect what you love! Be part of "A Night for Flight," a very special benefit for the AOPA Foundation on September 22 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut during the AOPA Aviation Summit.

"Your participation is vital. When you take part in "A Night for Flight" you are helping to fund the critical and tax exempt work of the AOPA Foundation. This is about the real future of GA. It's about safety for all pilots and their passengers; it's about growing the pilot population and improving flight training. Without pilots there won't be much need for airports or aircraft; it's about educating communities and the media on the value of GA airports and the activity we cherish. The U.S. is the last country to have any significant GA flight operations and we need to preserve the future.

"Ensure your children or grandchildren are able to experience the practicality and fulfillment of GA flight. If you do just one thing to keep GA strong, take part in "A Night for Flight."

Place your bid on a copy of ChartCase Professional with a 1 year VFR+IFR data subscription to help raise funds for the AOPA Foundation. But hurry, the auction ends Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 9:00pm Eastern.

Get a ChartBook-S for $995.99 ! ! !

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:59:00 +0000

Gee-whiz! Can you believe it's already the end of August? We can't either! We hope you've been busy flying. With plenty of great flying weather left, we've got a special offer to help get you on your way. We're offering the ChartBook-S with one year of VFR and IFR data for just $995.99.

ChartBook-S for just $995.99!
Get ChartBook-S with a 64GB Solid-State Drive (SSD) and Annual VFR+IFR Data Subscription for just $995.99! Don't settle for anything less than one of Plane and Pilot magazine's 2010 picks for "most impressive products of the year". Others try and imitate, but only the ChartBook-S comes with our award winning ChartCase Professional and solid state hard drives standard on all units.

ChartBook-S starting at $995.99

Maximize your investment by learning all the latest features and taking a simulated flight with a CFII plugged into your EFB with our one-on-one Spool Up Training course. You get an entire hour with a CFII on the phone and remotely connected to your EFB for just $99.99! Call our sales staff at (503) 678-4360 or email sales@flightprep.com to schedule your training slot.

Hurry and order yours today! This offer expires on Labor Day, September 5, 2011.

A look at traffic systems: PCAS and TIS

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:23:00 +0000

At Oshkosh we received quite a few questions regarding new technology in aircraft electronic systems and how they differ from one another. Over the next few blog entries we will try and cover some of the questions people threw our way in an effort to help sort through the systems, acronyms, and what it can provide for your airplane. As always if you have questions you would like us to answer please send them to support@flightprep.com.

In this post we're going to take a look at a few different types of traffic avoidance systems. How they work, where they work, and what costs may be involved. While the best traffic systems out there are TCAS, TCAS 2 and the good 'ol mark 1 eyeball, the ones we'll look at today are more geared towards GA.

The first traffic system we'll take a look at is a portable system. PCAS, which stands for Portable Collision Avoidance System is a small box made by Zaon that sits on your glare shield and is able to "see" other aircraft transponders. Zaon's original PCAS technology was developed in 1999. Now, their current MRX/XRX line of collision avoidance systems incorporates the fourth generation of PCAS technology. Through this technology, transponder-equipped aircraft are detected and ranged, and the altitude is decoded. Above is an image depicting how the PCAS picks up traffic targets from an enroute radar and a TCAS interrogation signal.

Traffic can be spotted by the PCAS systems out to a range of 6 miles and +/- 2500 feet. The Zaon MRX, priced at around $550, is a small unit that looks like an auto radar detector and works on its own without the option to plug it into other systems like your EFB or some other handheld or panel mount. The slightly larger Zaon XRX (priced at $1299.99 from FlightPrep for just the XRX or $1499.99 from FlightPrep with Bluetooth capability) gives more information on traffic targets and also can be connected to a wide variety of other systems to display traffic. Unlike TIS, PCAS does not need a Mode S terminal radar to work. The PCAS basically gives you a 6 - 12 mile lateral by 5000 foot vertical bubble that should spot transponders from other aircraft almost anywhere you fly. Above is an image of what Zaon calls Average Interrogation "Coverage" Area: Military, Terminal, Enroute RADAR and TCAS Interrogation. See Zaon's website for a more in depth look at what areas are covered.

Unlike PCAS systems, Traffic Information Systems or TIS for short is not a portable system. TIS is a first generation traffic system that almost exclusively uses one of two certified and installed hardware boxes, the Garmin GTX 330 or the Honeywell Bendix KT73. One of these units would then send information to a display in the panel to show traffic info but only when in a Mode S terminal radar facility area. If you are equipped with TIS and flying in a Mode S radar coverage area you will have a very large range of traffic targets and very accurate information. Unfortunately the FAA has decided not to continue supporting Mode S terminal radars and the last Mode S radar site is scheduled to be replaced by late 2012. Here is an image of TIS information being displayed on a Garmin 430 unit. For more information on TIS, see AOPA's discussion page.

Next time we'll take a look at ADS-B. What it means, who can get it, and when it may be available. Until then we wish you frequent, happy, and safe flying!

Proposed FAA Advisory Circular could eliminate EFBs

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:11:00 +0000

The FAA has published a draft advisory circular entitled "Guidelines for the Certification, Airworthiness, and Operational Use of Electronic Flight Bags (EFB)", that could eliminate portable navigators and chart readers as we know them for aviation, including Part 91 operations.

Robert Goyer covers the issue in his recent article in Flying Magazine. In the article, Goyer points out that the draft AC "strongly suggests that own-ship position (showing the little airplane on the moving map or chart) is an illegal function" and that the "FAA seems to be calling for individual approval of every portable device that goes in the cockpit, something that would cost individual operators thousands of dollars apiece".

Both Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) responded to the FAA saying, "AOPA/GAMA believes that electronic flight bag technology will be a critical tool to enable many expected NextGen capabilities at an affordable cost however, this proposed guidance material will limit much of that potential because of short-sited perspective."

FlightPrep agrees with AOPA, GAMA and Flying Magazine, and hopes that the FAA will revise the advisory circular and re-post it for public comment again. We'll keep following the issue and post any updates as they develop.

iPad KABOOM! A Success!

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:38:00 +0000

From our friends at Paperless Cockpit:

PaperlessCockpit.com’s iPad KABOOM! Community Project concluded successfully on July 15, 2011, when an iPad 2 passed a DO-160F Rapid Decompression test conducted by CascadeTek of Hillsboro, OR. The test was witnessed by representatives from FlightPrep.com, one of iPad KABOOM!’s premiere sponsors. Throughout the test, the iPad 2 ran FlightPrep’s iChart 2.0 App.

During the first stage of the test, iPad 2 running iChart 2.0 was placed in the altitude chamber and stabilized at an altitude of 8,000 ft for two hours. FlightPrep’s iChart 2.0 is designed to keep the iPad “awake”, and it remained operational.

During the next stage, the chamber simulated a rapid decompression event, causing the altitude to transition from 8,000 ft to 51,000 ft in under fifteen seconds. The iPad 2 continued to operate and exhibited no physical defects (i.e. flying shards of plastic and glass, or chemical fires resulting from catastrophic battery failure) for ten minutes. The chamber altitude was returned to ambient altitude, and the test concluded.

The iPad 2 survived the rapid decompression eve and continued to operate after the conclusion of the test.

While PaperlessCockpit.com failed to blow up an iPad, the iPad 2 Community Project is a success.

iPad KABOOM! Community Project Sponsors

PaperlessCockpit.com would like to thank all of the contributors to the iPad KABOOM! Community Project, particularly our project sponsors: FlightPrep.com and OzRunways.com.

See you at Oshkosh!

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:11:00 +0000

It's that time of year again! Time for the annual pilgrimage to AirVenture Oshkosh! And we're excited to be there this year! We've got some great new features to show. Here is a quick list of where we'll be, along with where some of our partners will be.

FlightPrep Exhibitor Booth

Stop by and see all of our applications and services. We'll be in Hangar C, Booth 3023 for the entire week. We'll have iChart, ChartBook-S, ChartCase Professional and more in the booth for demos.

FligthPrep Forum

Come listen to Curt Anderson talk about How to Get the Most from ChartCase Professional and iChart. Curt's talk will be on Monday, July 25 from 4:00pm to 5:15pm in Forum Pavilion 06.

CSC DUATS Forums

DUATS will be holding three seminars during the week showing the ins and outs of using Golden Eagle: Monday, July 25 from 11:30am to 12:45pm; Thursday July 28 from 4:00pm to 5:15pm; and Saturday, July 30 from 2:30pm to 3:45pm.

Michael Combs Forums

Also, come listen to FlightPrep user and world record setter Michael Combs talk about How to Plan a Cross Country Trip on Monday, July 25 from 11:30am to 12:45pm and 20 of the Best Places to Fly on Friday, July 26 from 1:00pm to 2:15pm.

See the AirVenture Visitors Grounds Map to find the Exhibitors Booths and Forum Pavilions.

Can't make it to Oshkosh? No problem! Follow us on Twitter or Facebook for show specials all next week. We'll be sending out links for them all week long!

We hope to see you in Oshkosh next week!

Planned Outage on Monday, June 27, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 23:13:00 +0000

IMPORTANT NOTICE

We are planning on performing a system upgrade on Monday, June 27, 2011 starting at 11:00PM Pacific Time. The scheduled downtime is expected to last 4 to 6 hours and will affect all of our online systems. During the outage our website, online planner and data download systems will be unavailable.

We're making some big changes to our web servers that will require the entire site to be taken offline. After the upgrade, we will have more capacity and capability. This will allow us to develop more features and services in the future.

If you have any questions please call or email us; (503) 678-4360 or support@flightprep.com.

UPDATE: We've completed our system upgrade. All our online applications and services should be operational. We thank you for your patience while we performed this upgrade.

Helm X650 Units Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:03:00 +0000

FlightPrep now offers the Helm X650 loaded with our ChartCase Professional software and one year of US-CONUS VFR+IFR data for just $2,399.99!

The Helm X650 is the first open GPS system designed for aircraft use. Running Windows XP allows the user to install and run the software of their choice in a panel mount, or yoke mount configuration. The X650 was designed, from the ground up, to be used in aircraft. It fits neatly in the avionics stack utilizing a snap in mount that maintains the units portable status. This allows the owner to install the X650 in the avionics stack of a certified aircraft. Remove that old Loran and ADF and install a state of the art GPS. A log book entry by an A&P is all that is required. The X650 is also set up to use the RAM mount system of mounts. This allows the unit to be yoke mounted. It’s perfect size means that it fits nicely between the rams horn yokes of any Cessna. The X650 is the perfect solution for any aircraft, and it never gets old. Simply install the latest software, and it is like a new GPS all over again.

Helm X650 Features:

6.5” Touch Screen
1000 Nits Brightness
VGA Resolution 640x480
Solid State Storage
Built-in Two Axis Gyro
Built-in GPS
Compatible with standard Ram Mount Systems
Panel Mountable with Optional Avionics Tray
Built-in Power Supply for 9 to 36 Volts
Built-in Fan with extra large heat-sink
Processor upgradable from 1.0 to 2.1 Ghz
Dual CF Storage for inexpensive replacement or storage upgrade

Call or email our sales staff for more details, (503) 678-4360 or sales@flightprep.com.

iChart 2.0 Video

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:31:00 +0000

Check out our latest YouTube video with Ross showing the latest features in iChart 2.0. This quick introduction shows you some of the new features in iChart, including GPS moving map, seamless charts, and more! You can watch more videos about FlightPrep products on our YouTube channel.

FlightPrep Donates iPad2 for iPad KABOOM! Community Project

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:49:00 +0000

From our friends at Paperless Cockpit:

FlightPrep, a division of Stenbock & Everson, Inc., joined the iPad KABOOM! Community Project as a premier sponsor earlier this week. FlightPrep helped gain industry-wide attention for the project as an early supporter, and as one of the project’s leading sponsors, FlightPrep is donating an iPad2 to be used for DO-160 rapid decompression testing. During the test, the iPad will be operating using FlightPrep’s latest release of iChart 2.0.

"FlightPrep is proud to sponsor the iPad KABOOM! project with PaperlessCockpit.com. Since the iPad was announced, FlightPrep has been working hard to make our applications and services available on this revolutionary platform," said Travis Cannon, FlightPrep’s Director of Engineering and Spokesperson. "Our goal is to help make electronic flight bag technology available to every pilot."

The iPad2 donated by FlightPrep, along with a one year subscription to iChart 2.0 and a copy of the DO-160 decompression test certification, will be auctioned off at a charity event this fall.

"FlightPrep’s generous donation of the iPad2 hardware and its continued support of iPad KABOOM! is a major step forward to successful completion of PaperlessCockpit.com’s first Community Project", said Curtis Oden, Managing Editor of PaperlessCockpit.com. "We hope the iPad KABOOM! project can serve as a future model for collaboration across the industry."

Including the value of the donated iPad2 and contributions from donors from all around the world, the iPad KABOOM! Community Project has raised about seventy percent of the funds needed to complete the project.

"The iPad KABOOM! project will help the aviation community get even closer to a truly paperless cockpit," said Cannon. "Please join us in supporting Paperless Cockpit and the iPad KABOOM! project."

For more information about the iPad KABOOM! Community Project, visit http://www.PaperlessCockpit.com/projects/iPad2. For more information about FlightPrep, visit http://www.FlightPrep.com.

iChart is one of the 20 Great Aviation Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:12:00 +0000

Plane and Pilot just published a list of 20 aviation apps for your iPad and iChart is one of them! And with the launch of iChart 2.0, the application is even better and has even more features!

"The introduction of iPad 2 has only made it easier to bring some apps on your next flight. Not only is the newest iPad lighter and faster, it has pushed the prices on the first-generation iPads into reach of the pilot who has misplaced his or her E6B (regardless of shape). With new hardware pieces, like GPS units for the iPad, pilots now have a choice of several solid applications for an electronic flight bag. For around a thousand dollars, you can ditch the heavy bag of charts, and carry everything in the side pocket. We fly in interesting times."

20 Great Aviation Apps
via Plane and Pilot

iChart 2.0 Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 21:12:00 +0000

iChart 2.0 is now available in the iTunes App Store! Now you can see your GPS position on your charts, plates, and airport diagrams. All at a great price that is the best deal for geo-referenced plates and charts in the App Store - just $99 per year!

The new version of iChart is easy. Simple features that go way beyond just bookmarks of charts or plates. Features that help you get the data you need, right when you need it. An intuitive and simple design that lets you learn and know the app inside.

iChart 2.0 delivers these great new features:

GPS moving map on plates, charts, and diagrams
Seamless VFR & IFR charts for the US 48 States
Legend data available through Chart Selector
SIDs, STARs, and Approach Procedures (IAPs)
Airport information
AC 91-78 Class I & II EFB application
XM Weather Ready (awaiting Baron Services Mobile WX Link Device)
Easy to use favorites, nearest, and recent functions
In application help
AirPrint support for printing approach plates

Do you already have iChart? You can get the latest features by downloading the update. Just visit the App Store to upgrade to the latest version. And thank you for being a customer!

Get Ready for Summer Specials

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:13:00 +0000

Summer is here and that means it's time to start flying! What better way to start the summer flying season than with some special offers - and we've got three of them ready for take off! But hurry! These offers end on June 15, 2011!

Summer Special #1
Get ChartBook-S with a 64GB Solid-State Drive (SSD) and Annual VFR+IFR Data Subscription for just $1,095.99! Don't settle for anything less than one of Plane and Pilot magazine's 2010 picks for "most impressive products of the year". Others try and imitate, but only the ChartBook-S comes with our award winning ChartCase Professional and solid state hard drives standard on all units.

ChartBook-S starting at $1,095.99

Maximize your investment by learning all the latest features and taking a simulated flight with a CFII plugged into your EFB with our one-on-one Spool Up Training course. You get an entire hour with a CFII on the phone and remotely connected to your EFB for just $99.99! Call our sales staff at (503) 678-4360 or email sales@flightprep.com to schedule your training slot.

Are you already a ChartCase Professional customer? No problem! You can upgrade to a ChartBook-S with 64GB SSD for just $895! Call our sales staff at (503) 678-4360 or email sales@flightprep.com for this special current customer offer.

Summer Special #2
Already have a Tablet PC or just want to use your existing Windows laptop? No problem! Just buy our award winning ChartCase Professional software and you'll be ready for take-off. And with this special offer, you can buy ChartCase Professional with one year of VFR+IFR data for only $299.99!

ChartCase Professional with 1-year VFR+IFR for $299.99

Summer Special #3
Purchase an annual VFR, IFR, or VFR+IFR data subscription and get Golden Eagle Plus for FREE. Golden Eagle Plus is the premium flight planner for the discerning pilot. An upgrade to our free Golden Eagle software, Golden Eagle Plus adds fuel stop planning, multiple altitudes, and a planning wizard.

Golden Eagle Plus for FREE with an Annual Data Subscription

iPad KABOOM! – A Community Project

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:31:00 +0000

Our good friends over at Paperless Cockpit, want to run an experiment. They want to have an iPad2 sent through rapid decompression testing and then share the test results, but they need your help to do it.

"There’s been a great deal of buzz lately about the iPad and iPad2 being “approved” by the FAA. While the FAA has granted EJM (and perhaps a few others) operational approval, this is only after the operators jump through several hurdles. One of the biggest hurdles EJM had to pass was proving the iPad (and subsequently the iPad2) could survive a rapid decompression event.

"Unfortunately, Jeppesen only shared the data with EJM, and PaperlessCockpit.com’s request for copies of that data have gone unanswered. Other operators have met with similar results when trying to get the documentation out of Jeppesen. Current EFB policy requires all certificated and operators of large and turbine powered aircraft (Part 91F) to test EFBs to DO-160 Rapid Decompression test standards before eliminating paper charts."

Paperless Cockpit wants to raise $2,500 to pay for an iPad2 and perform the DO-160 Rapid Decompression Testing. If you're interested in helping, head over to their site and make a donation via PayPal. Everyone who donates to the project will receive an electronic copy of the testing certification.

If you have question about the testing procedure or would like to volunteer your services, send an email to editor@paperlesscockpit.com.

iPad KABOOM! – A Community Project
via Paperless Cockpit

How To Update Your iPhone or iPad

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Wed, 18 May 2011 23:09:00 +0000

With a new version of iChart just around the corner and the recent release of iOS 4.3, we thought we would take the opportunity to remind all of our pilots to update their iPad, iPhone and/or iPod Touch devices. Updating the operating system on your iOS device is different than updating the applications, below is a list of what you will need and the steps to update your device.

Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, updating your iOS device to the latest version of the operating system can take 30 minutes to several hours. We would not recommend trying to do this right before a flight.

What you will need:

A Windows PC or Mac computer
Your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch
The latest version of iTunes installed
An Internet connection; a high-speed connection is recommended

How to update your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to the latest version of iOS:

Before you begin, make sure that you have an active Internet connection and the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer.

If you do not have the latest version of iTunes installed, simply go to Apple's website and download the latest version of iTunes.

Launch iTunes on your computer.
Using the cable that came with your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, connect the device to your computer's USB port.
Wait for the device to become visible in iTunes, then select the device from the navigation panel on the left side of the screen in iTunes.
From the Summary tab, click on Check For Update, then follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the latest version of iOS.

It may take some time to download and install the latest version of iOS depending on the speed of your Internet connection.
Do NOT unplug your device until the update is complete!

After the update has been installed, unplug the device from the computer.

That's it! Your device is now running the latest version of iOS and is ready for take-off. Have a safe flight!

International Learn to Fly Day

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:44:00 +0000

International Learn to Fly Day is just a few days away on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Announced at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009, International Learn to Fly Day is a cooperative effort set in motion by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) of pilots, companies, governments, and organizations in countries around the world to raise interest in flying and encourage current pilots to get others involved in aviation.

If you're already a pilot is the perfect excuse to take someone flying. Whether it's a family member, friend, work associate. It's as simple as inviting them to go flying on May 21. Or you can hold an International Learn to Fly Day event. Check out the host an event page to find out how you can get involved in sharing the fun of flying.

If you've ever dreamed of flying, if you've ever said to yourself, "someday I really want to experience the freedom of flight," then your opportunity is International Learn to Fly Day. Check out the find an event page to find a Learn to Fly Day event near you and start your dream today.

Have a safe flight!

How to use Golden Eagle or ChartCase on a Mac

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Mon, 09 May 2011 22:35:00 +0000

We often get asked if there is a Mac version of Golden Eagle or ChartCase. The answer right now is no, sadly. But you can still run either program on a Mac using a virtual machine. Below is a quick guide on how to setup a virtual machine on your Mac to run Golden Eagle or ChartCase.

First, what you'll need:

Mac desktop or laptop with an Intel processor
VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop
Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 operating system disk
Golden Eagle or ChartCase Professional, and your account information
USB or Bluetooth GPS receiver (optional)
USB or Bluetooth XM/WX weather receiver (optional)

Follow these basic steps to install Golden Eagle or ChartCase on a Windows virtual machine:

Download and install VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop on your Mac.

You can download a free trial of VMware Fusion 3 for 30 days from VMware's website or you can download a free trial of Parallels Desktop 6 for 14 days from Parallels' website.
Detailed instructions on how to install either VMware Fusion 3 or Parallels Desktop 6 are available if you need more help getting either application installed.

Create a virtual machine for Windows using VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop and install Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista to your new virtual machine.

Again, both VMware Fusion 3 and Parallels Desktop 6 have detailed instructions on how to setup and install a Windows virtual machine.

Install Golden Eagle or ChartCase inside your Windows virtual machine.

You can download the latest version of Golden Eagle or ChartCase Professional from our website.

Configure your GPS and/or XM/WX weather receiver to work with your Windows virtual machine.
Configure Golden Eagle or ChartCase to use your GPS and/or XM/WX weather receiver.

That's it! Most of the functions in Golden Eagle and ChartCase are supported when running it in a virtual machine. If you have any questions just send an email to support@flightprep.com.

UPDATE: You can also use VirtualBox to create a Windows virtual machine. VirtualBox is a free open-source virtualization program. -- Thanks for the tip Ruhil!

Golden Eagle and ChartCase 6.2.4 Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Mon, 02 May 2011 20:01:00 +0000

Version 6.2.4 of Golden Eagle and ChartCase is now available for download. Here is a list of what changed:

Fixed an issue with approach plates not being marked as non-georeferenced.

To update your software:

While connected to the Internet, launch the application and follow the on-screen prompts to download the latest update. The software will prompt you to re-launch the application and install the software update.

-OR-

Download the latest version from our website directly: Golden Eagle or ChartCase. Save the download to your hard drive, then run the installer to update your software.

Have a safe flight!

iChart update adds Seamless Charts, GPS, and future XM Weather support

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Cannon) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 17:48:00 +0000

The next release of iChart from FlightPrep will add seamless charts, GPS moving map and future XM weather support. Available on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, iChart allows pilots to see their current position on Sectionals, Terminal Area Charts (TACs), Low Enroutes, Approach Plates and Airport Diagrams using the on-board GPS built into 3G versions of both the iPhone and iPad or using an external GPS for iOS devices.

Along with the addition of GPS moving map, the latest version of iChart also introduces Seamless Charts allowing pilots to see the entire U.S. as one chart instead of viewing individual charts. Pilots no longer need to switch from one chart to the next; iChart will automatically make the switch when moving from one chart to the next. These features will give pilots better situational awareness without increasing their workload during flight.

The latest version of iChart also includes early support for the upcoming Baron Mobile Link being released later this year. The Baron Mobile Link attaches via USB to a WxWorx Portable XM WX Receiver, allowing pilots wireless access to the latest XM Weather data in their iChart application.

The next version of iChart will be available in the Apple iTunes App store as a free download after the Sun n’ Fun 2011 Fly-in. iChart comes with a 30-day trial subscription to non-geo-referenced data that can be downloaded for offline use. An annual subscription to non-geo-referenced data is just $59.99 for up to two iOS devices. A geo-referenced annual data subscription is just $99.99 for up to two iOS devices.

The iChart application is an AC 91-78 compliant application, which allows an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch to be used as a Class I or II EFB. High Enroute charts, as well as additional chart types, will also be available in iChart in the upcoming months. For more information about iChart, visit FlightPrep in Booth B-036/037 at Sun n’ Fun or learn more at http://www.flightprep.com.

UPDATE: Some additional information on the new Baron Mobile Link device.

AOPA Online: XM weather soon available on iPad
Flying Magazine: XM Weather on the iPad, Android Devices
General Aviation News: XM WX Mobile Link debuts