Matronics Email Lists :: View topic - Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

Matronics Email Lists
Web Forum Interface to the Matronics Email Lists

Get Email Distribution Too! FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register

Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in

Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone
Goto page 1, 2, 3 Next

Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> RV10-List

View previous topic :: View next topic

Author Message

jesse(at)saintaviation.co
Guest

Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:21 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

For those who have iPhones and were interested in the discussions recently about EFB's, Foreflight just released version 3.0 that is a free App with a subscription-based service.  They are now able to cache Approach Plates, VFR Charts and IFR Charts by state for use while flying.  The subscription is $70/year or $25/quarter.  I personally think it's a great option for an inexpensive EFB (or maybe a backup for those who already have one).  It is also a great way to check weather and file a flight plan.  I always file through Foreflight personally, and love the quick access to radar and satellite imagery.



do not archive



 Jesse Saint

Saint Aviation, Inc.

jesse(at)saintaviation.com (jesse(at)saintaviation.com)

Cell: 352-427-0285

Fax: 815-377-3694

 

 



 [quote][b]

Lenny Iszak

Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 270

Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:28 pm Post subject: Re: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

They have a 1 Year Plan, for loyal customers (I assume who owns version 2) for $39.99. Which is a great price for this software.



Lenny

Tim Olson

Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2872

Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:02 pm Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

I agree fully.  I've used foreflight for nearing a year now I think, or 

maybe 9 months or so.  I like it so much that I think actually that

it's a big reason for a pilot to consider an iphone.  One of the best

things is how much faster it is to bring up weather imagery for

planning.  It's way nicer than trying to click through links on

websites and resize images for the screen.  Yes, all of the info

they have is available in other apps, but nobody puts it together

like they do.



This week I downloaded 3.0.  For being a "loyal customer" (anyone

who had 2.X before), it was $39.99 for this next year.  I assume

from there on it'll be $70/yr.  Yes, there are cheaper ways to do

things, but again, few will actually go together as nicely as well

written software.  Most .pdf plate viewers are very clumsy to use

from a menu perspective....this is not.  Today I took my first

long x/c flight using Foreflight 3.0 to file both IFR plan legs, and

I got to check out the chart functionality in flight.  I find

that it's probably the nicest way to file a flight plan that

there is....and when you file, you receive a great email full

briefing that you can then carry with you instead of that

32 page packet of paper.  It's all there..NOTAMS and all.

With 3.0 they added GPS integrated IFR low/high charts, and VFR

sectionals.  I tracked myself for a while using both and it

was very accurate.  When I approached some restricted airspace,

I could peek at the chart and I queried ATC as to the status

and all was quiet.  The new Download manager makes it easy to

cache all the approach plates for each state/region, and the

same for IFR low, and sectionals, and airport diagrams.  It's

not the fastest or perhaps best organized download manager in

the world, but it's much better than the 2.x versions were,

and the GPS integrated charts are fantastic.  Skycharts isn't

a bad app either, but with this version of foreflight, I now

see no reason to use skycharts.  Skycharts was not nearly as good

at dealing with approach plates (I don't think it cached them

until you actually viewed the plate), and they don't have IFR

maps.  I will probably delete that app now, because this one

just blew it away.  In talking to tech support at foreflight

with feature requests, I know they spent a lot of their

time in perfecting their maps to be smooth and they certainly

did a good job.



I can't go as far as saying it's an inexpensive EFB, but it

comes closer than anything else I've seen.  I also have

WingX, which has a terrain equipped GPS, but that app really

stinks from a menu/useability standpoint compared to Foreflight

3.0....so the only real nice thing is the GPS, and that isn't

as nice as a handheld GPS.  Once Foreflight or someone else

comes up with a great Garmin handheld type in-flight GPS,

I think that app will be a must-have addition.  It's the one

thing lacking.  That's one of the areas where EFB's like

Voyager start to pull away from something like foreflight.

Really, Foreflight on an iphone does much of what I'd need

for everyday IFR flights...the easier ones where I'm going to

familiar places.  But, I have no problems reading a small screen,

either.  For many pilots (the average pilot age is over 50 BTW),

the iphone might not be practical to use for things like

approach plates, or many of the other functions....certainly

not when you really need that info badly.  Voyager adds things

like a better route planning system, a weight and balance planning

system, wind integrated route and altitude planning, a truely

wonderful in-flight GPS, that allows nice routing and the normal

Bearing/heading/course/trk/speed/ete/eta blah blah blah stuff

that a good GPS would have, and they integrate it with every

possible chart you would likely want.  And, it's run on a

slightly larger platform, so it's visible for most any pilot.

Considering all the things it does, I think it's also a great

deal.  I just saw one product that had chart subscriptions,

I think it was just jepp approach plates, and they were calling

it a bargain at 700/yr for a subscription....Voyager when it was

on sale was less than that for a lifetime.  For me, I like

sitting at the PC with Voyager when I want to plan a flight,

because it will let me plan from Wisconsin to Oregon or

Nevada, or wherever, and it will keep me away from airspace,

from terrain, and everything else.  And, with fuel price

integration it really is what you need to do a nice plan to an

unfamiliar place.  For this flight that I did today though,

I just needed to doublecheck my fuel prices for a fuel

stop, but knew the route well, so I didn't use all of voyager's

features...I just popped it into the iphone and in seconds

I had the plan filed.  Today's flight was an iphone/Foreflight

type flight for me.



So there are many ways to skin cats, but those two things are

what I have found to be the best for flight planning and filing.

Both are actively developed and improved, which is another reason

their cost is worth it....I hate buying computer software that

could use more features but isn't actively developed because

the person isn't making enough money at it to justify their

hard work.



Oh, and a side note.....if you jailbreak an iphone or ipod touch,

there are lots of other options that you can have with them.

For instance, my wife has an ipod touch.  We got foreflight

3.0 for her too (which is one of my complaints...it used to

be free for my 2nd ipod, but the new user model they have ties

it to the device, so I pay twice to have it for 2 devices).

But anyway, most people would think an ipod touch wouldn't

be a good option for them because it has no GPS.  With a

jailbroken ipod touch, I was able to install a 3rd party

GPS bluetooth stack that connects to the same Holux m1000

(and other) bluetooth GPS's like I have.  She was able to

track our flight on a VFR/IFR chart too, with an external

GPS.  So lots of options there.



One thing about doing all of this stuff on an iphone...you

do NOT want to skimp when you buy...get the 32GB one.  A full

install of Foreflight with all the charts is over 5GB.

I have 16GB or more of music.  I've got a 32GB 3GS, and

I'm down to about 5GB free.  So consider 32GB a minimum

for any EFB, and if you're buying an iphone/pod, stick to

the larger ones too.



I'm pretty pumped about the functionality all these things can

give for such small cost.  I do plan to do a more complete

write-up comparison with pro's and con's in the near term

future. I know every time something like this comes up

there are dozens of folks talking about their favorite,

or their cheaper way to do things, but each one has an up

and a downside, and cheapest isn't always what people need.

For instance, some things only do approach plates, but you

really want IFR/VFR charts, too.  Skimping on necessary

info for planning a safe flight can have consequences, and it's

nice to know what the good and bad of various things are. I've

tried many from the cheap approach plate CD's, to the CD's

with some large charts on them, and various ways of doing

EFB's.  I've learned a lot about what doesn't work so well,

which is why some of this stuff that does is so exciting.

Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD



Jesse Saint wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   For those who have iPhones and were interested in the discussions 

 recently about EFB's, Foreflight just released version 3.0 that is a 

 free App with a subscription-based service.  They are now able to cache 

 Approach Plates, VFR Charts and IFR Charts by state for use while 

 flying.  The subscription is $70/year or $25/quarter.  I personally 

 think it's a great option for an inexpensive EFB (or maybe a backup for 

 those who already have one).  It is also a great way to check weather 

 and file a flight plan.  I always file through Foreflight personally, 

 and love the quick access to radar and satellite imagery.

 

 do not archive

 

 Jesse Saint

jesse(at)saintaviation.co
Guest

Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 6:53 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

One nice thing that SkyCharts does, though, is give you a visual of what weather is doing at airports on the chart.  It paints dots on the map wherever there is a METAR and colors the dots according to the status (VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR), and you can just tap on the dot to see the details.  That is a really nice visual check while on the ground without access to a computer.  I've suggested that to Foreflight, so hopefully I will also be able to delete SkyCharts in the near future.  It does, however, cache the approach plates for the whole Sectional if you select that option in the settings.

For some it might not be a useable EFB, but for me it works just fine.  I always print a couple of plates for my destination and at least one alternate, as well as the AOPA kneeboard info sheet, but I know I have everything on the iPhone, which is always with me.

Another nice App that I like for a quick review of METARs for my "favorites" is AeroWeather.  It is much faster than Foreflight to really quickly check the METARs at airports that you check regularly, but does not go much beyond that.

Jesse Saint

Saint Aviation, Inc.

jesse(at)saintaviation.com

Cell: 352-427-0285

Fax: 815-377-3694

On Dec 22, 2009, at 12:01 AM, Tim Olson wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

 I agree fully.  I've used foreflight for nearing a year now I think, or maybe 9 months or so.  I like it so much that I think actually that

 it's a big reason for a pilot to consider an iphone.  One of the best

 things is how much faster it is to bring up weather imagery for

 planning.  It's way nicer than trying to click through links on

 websites and resize images for the screen.  Yes, all of the info

 they have is available in other apps, but nobody puts it together

 like they do.

 This week I downloaded 3.0.  For being a "loyal customer" (anyone

 who had 2.X before), it was $39.99 for this next year.  I assume

 from there on it'll be $70/yr.  Yes, there are cheaper ways to do

 things, but again, few will actually go together as nicely as well

 written software.  Most .pdf plate viewers are very clumsy to use

 from a menu perspective....this is not.  Today I took my first

 long x/c flight using Foreflight 3.0 to file both IFR plan legs, and

 I got to check out the chart functionality in flight.  I find

 that it's probably the nicest way to file a flight plan that

 there is....and when you file, you receive a great email full

 briefing that you can then carry with you instead of that

 32 page packet of paper.  It's all there..NOTAMS and all.

 With 3.0 they added GPS integrated IFR low/high charts, and VFR

 sectionals.  I tracked myself for a while using both and it

 was very accurate.  When I approached some restricted airspace,

 I could peek at the chart and I queried ATC as to the status

 and all was quiet.  The new Download manager makes it easy to

 cache all the approach plates for each state/region, and the

 same for IFR low, and sectionals, and airport diagrams.  It's

 not the fastest or perhaps best organized download manager in

 the world, but it's much better than the 2.x versions were,

 and the GPS integrated charts are fantastic.  Skycharts isn't

 a bad app either, but with this version of foreflight, I now

 see no reason to use skycharts.  Skycharts was not nearly as good

 at dealing with approach plates (I don't think it cached them

 until you actually viewed the plate), and they don't have IFR

 maps.  I will probably delete that app now, because this one

 just blew it away.  In talking to tech support at foreflight

 with feature requests, I know they spent a lot of their

 time in perfecting their maps to be smooth and they certainly

 did a good job.

 I can't go as far as saying it's an inexpensive EFB, but it

 comes closer than anything else I've seen.  I also have

 WingX, which has a terrain equipped GPS, but that app really

 stinks from a menu/useability standpoint compared to Foreflight

 3.0....so the only real nice thing is the GPS, and that isn't

 as nice as a handheld GPS.  Once Foreflight or someone else

 comes up with a great Garmin handheld type in-flight GPS,

 I think that app will be a must-have addition.  It's the one

 thing lacking.  That's one of the areas where EFB's like

 Voyager start to pull away from something like foreflight.

 Really, Foreflight on an iphone does much of what I'd need

 for everyday IFR flights...the easier ones where I'm going to

 familiar places.  But, I have no problems reading a small screen,

 either.  For many pilots (the average pilot age is over 50 BTW),

 the iphone might not be practical to use for things like

 approach plates, or many of the other functions....certainly

 not when you really need that info badly.  Voyager adds things

 like a better route planning system, a weight and balance planning

 system, wind integrated route and altitude planning, a truely

 wonderful in-flight GPS, that allows nice routing and the normal

 Bearing/heading/course/trk/speed/ete/eta blah blah blah stuff

 that a good GPS would have, and they integrate it with every

 possible chart you would likely want.  And, it's run on a

 slightly larger platform, so it's visible for most any pilot.

 Considering all the things it does, I think it's also a great

 deal.  I just saw one product that had chart subscriptions,

 I think it was just jepp approach plates, and they were calling

 it a bargain at 700/yr for a subscription....Voyager when it was

 on sale was less than that for a lifetime.  For me, I like

 sitting at the PC with Voyager when I want to plan a flight,

 because it will let me plan from Wisconsin to Oregon or

 Nevada, or wherever, and it will keep me away from airspace,

 from terrain, and everything else.  And, with fuel price

 integration it really is what you need to do a nice plan to an

 unfamiliar place.  For this flight that I did today though,

 I just needed to doublecheck my fuel prices for a fuel

 stop, but knew the route well, so I didn't use all of voyager's

 features...I just popped it into the iphone and in seconds

 I had the plan filed.  Today's flight was an iphone/Foreflight

 type flight for me.

 So there are many ways to skin cats, but those two things are

 what I have found to be the best for flight planning and filing.

 Both are actively developed and improved, which is another reason

 their cost is worth it....I hate buying computer software that

 could use more features but isn't actively developed because

 the person isn't making enough money at it to justify their

 hard work.

 Oh, and a side note.....if you jailbreak an iphone or ipod touch,

 there are lots of other options that you can have with them.

 For instance, my wife has an ipod touch.  We got foreflight

 3.0 for her too (which is one of my complaints...it used to

 be free for my 2nd ipod, but the new user model they have ties

 it to the device, so I pay twice to have it for 2 devices).

 But anyway, most people would think an ipod touch wouldn't

 be a good option for them because it has no GPS.  With a

 jailbroken ipod touch, I was able to install a 3rd party

 GPS bluetooth stack that connects to the same Holux m1000

 (and other) bluetooth GPS's like I have.  She was able to

 track our flight on a VFR/IFR chart too, with an external

 GPS.  So lots of options there.

 One thing about doing all of this stuff on an iphone...you

 do NOT want to skimp when you buy...get the 32GB one.  A full

 install of Foreflight with all the charts is over 5GB.

 I have 16GB or more of music.  I've got a 32GB 3GS, and

 I'm down to about 5GB free.  So consider 32GB a minimum

 for any EFB, and if you're buying an iphone/pod, stick to

 the larger ones too.

 I'm pretty pumped about the functionality all these things can

 give for such small cost.  I do plan to do a more complete

 write-up comparison with pro's and con's in the near term

 future. I know every time something like this comes up

 there are dozens of folks talking about their favorite,

 or their cheaper way to do things, but each one has an up

 and a downside, and cheapest isn't always what people need.

 For instance, some things only do approach plates, but you

 really want IFR/VFR charts, too.  Skimping on necessary

 info for planning a safe flight can have consequences, and it's

 nice to know what the good and bad of various things are. I've

 tried many from the cheap approach plate CD's, to the CD's

 with some large charts on them, and various ways of doing

 EFB's.  I've learned a lot about what doesn't work so well,

 which is why some of this stuff that does is so exciting.

 Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD

 Jesse Saint wrote:

> For those who have iPhones and were interested in the discussions recently about EFB's, Foreflight just released version 3.0 that is a free App with a subscription-based service.  They are now able to cache Approach Plates, VFR Charts and IFR Charts by state for use while flying.  The subscription is $70/year or $25/quarter.  I personally think it's a great option for an inexpensive EFB (or maybe a backup for those who already have one).  It is also a great way to check weather and file a flight plan.  I always file through Foreflight personally, and love the quick access to radar and satellite imagery.

> do not archive

> Jesse Saint

Tim Olson

Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2872

Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 7:33 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

True, the weather dots were nice if you like that.  I didn't use

it because it slowed the map load down too much, so unless

that's what you plan to use it for, it wasn't an easy on/off

button on the main screen so it wasn't convenient to toggle.

I know it has the option to cache charts, but a quick test

I did once (I maybe should try it again) a couple weeks ago,

showed that it didn't cache it for totally offline use unless

I had viewed the chart.  i.e. I don't think it auto-predownloaded

them.   But, either way, considering how foreflight is now,

I would disable that option in skycharts anyway...no sense

wasting space on 2 apps caching charts.  Foreflight at least

at one time made their app so that if your iphone timed out,

and you re-opened it, it would bring you immediately back to

the approach plate too, which is nice.  I don't know if you

can do that with skycharts.



Aeroweather is good too, and i used to use NavMonster web link,

which wasn't bad.



There is a definite difference in what apps are best when

you are talking doing a local flight, or a long x/c flight,

and how much on-device planning you want to do.  For local

flights or short there-and-backs, it's simple to do it basically

100% by iphone.  For a route like Wisconsin to Vegas Via Salt

Lake City, I haven't really found anything on the iphone that

does the job of a full flight planner/EFB.  You need fuel

prices, approach info, charts, terrain and mountain clearance

info, and much more than you can get on the iphone right now.

But, once you take off, with the plan made up, the iphone

can handle 99% of the tasks for those with the eyes to see it.

Some of this depends on if you get in-flight coverage, too.

Most areas I fly have no data coverage in the air.

And of course, with a full real EFB you have options to

connect XM weather, too.  If you could get realtime inflight

weather on an iphone, that would be pretty sweet.



Each tool has it's use, and some will need more than others.

It all depends on the needs.

Tim



Jesse Saint wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   

 <jesse(at)saintaviation.com>

 

 One nice thing that SkyCharts does, though, is give you a visual of

 what weather is doing at airports on the chart.  It paints dots on

 the map wherever there is a METAR and colors the dots according to

 the status (VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR), and you can just tap on the dot

 to see the details.  That is a really nice visual check while on the

 ground without access to a computer.  I've suggested that to

 Foreflight, so hopefully I will also be able to delete SkyCharts in

 the near future.  It does, however, cache the approach plates for the

 whole Sectional if you select that option in the settings.

 

 For some it might not be a useable EFB, but for me it works just

 fine.  I always print a couple of plates for my destination and at

 least one alternate, as well as the AOPA kneeboard info sheet, but I

 know I have everything on the iPhone, which is always with me.

 

 Another nice App that I like for a quick review of METARs for my

 "favorites" is AeroWeather.  It is much faster than Foreflight to

 really quickly check the METARs at airports that you check regularly,

 but does not go much beyond that.

 

 Jesse Saint Saint Aviation, Inc. jesse(at)saintaviation.com Cell:

 352-427-0285 Fax: 815-377-3694

 

 On Dec 22, 2009, at 12:01 AM, Tim Olson wrote:

 

> 

> 

> I agree fully.  I've used foreflight for nearing a year now I

> think, or maybe 9 months or so.  I like it so much that I think

> actually that it's a big reason for a pilot to consider an iphone.

> One of the best things is how much faster it is to bring up weather

> imagery for planning.  It's way nicer than trying to click through

> links on websites and resize images for the screen.  Yes, all of

> the info they have is available in other apps, but nobody puts it

> together like they do.

> 

> This week I downloaded 3.0.  For being a "loyal customer" (anyone 

> who had 2.X before), it was $39.99 for this next year.  I assume 

> from there on it'll be $70/yr.  Yes, there are cheaper ways to do 

> things, but again, few will actually go together as nicely as well 

> written software.  Most .pdf plate viewers are very clumsy to use 

> from a menu perspective....this is not.  Today I took my first long

> x/c flight using Foreflight 3.0 to file both IFR plan legs, and I

> got to check out the chart functionality in flight.  I find that

> it's probably the nicest way to file a flight plan that there

> is....and when you file, you receive a great email full briefing

> that you can then carry with you instead of that 32 page packet of

> paper.  It's all there..NOTAMS and all. With 3.0 they added GPS

> integrated IFR low/high charts, and VFR sectionals.  I tracked

> myself for a while using both and it was very accurate.  When I

> approached some restricted airspace, I could peek at the chart and

> I queried ATC as to the status and all was quiet.  The new Download

> manager makes it easy to cache all the approach plates for each

> state/region, and the same for IFR low, and sectionals, and airport

> diagrams.  It's not the fastest or perhaps best organized download

> manager in the world, but it's much better than the 2.x versions

> were, and the GPS integrated charts are fantastic.  Skycharts isn't

>  a bad app either, but with this version of foreflight, I now see

> no reason to use skycharts.  Skycharts was not nearly as good at

> dealing with approach plates (I don't think it cached them until

> you actually viewed the plate), and they don't have IFR maps.  I

> will probably delete that app now, because this one just blew it

> away.  In talking to tech support at foreflight with feature

> requests, I know they spent a lot of their time in perfecting their

> maps to be smooth and they certainly did a good job.

> 

> I can't go as far as saying it's an inexpensive EFB, but it comes

> closer than anything else I've seen.  I also have WingX, which has

> a terrain equipped GPS, but that app really stinks from a

> menu/useability standpoint compared to Foreflight 3.0....so the

> only real nice thing is the GPS, and that isn't as nice as a

> handheld GPS.  Once Foreflight or someone else comes up with a

> great Garmin handheld type in-flight GPS, I think that app will be

> a must-have addition.  It's the one thing lacking.  That's one of

> the areas where EFB's like Voyager start to pull away from

> something like foreflight. Really, Foreflight on an iphone does

> much of what I'd need for everyday IFR flights...the easier ones

> where I'm going to familiar places.  But, I have no problems

> reading a small screen, either.  For many pilots (the average pilot

> age is over 50 BTW), the iphone might not be practical to use for

> things like approach plates, or many of the other

> functions....certainly not when you really need that info badly.

> Voyager adds things like a better route planning system, a weight

> and balance planning system, wind integrated route and altitude

> planning, a truely wonderful in-flight GPS, that allows nice

> routing and the normal Bearing/heading/course/trk/speed/ete/eta

> blah blah blah stuff that a good GPS would have, and they integrate

> it with every possible chart you would likely want.  And, it's run

> on a slightly larger platform, so it's visible for most any pilot. 

> Considering all the things it does, I think it's also a great deal.

> I just saw one product that had chart subscriptions, I think it was

> just jepp approach plates, and they were calling it a bargain at

> 700/yr for a subscription....Voyager when it was on sale was less

> than that for a lifetime.  For me, I like sitting at the PC with

> Voyager when I want to plan a flight, because it will let me plan

> from Wisconsin to Oregon or Nevada, or wherever, and it will keep

> me away from airspace, from terrain, and everything else.  And,

> with fuel price integration it really is what you need to do a nice

> plan to an unfamiliar place.  For this flight that I did today

> though, I just needed to doublecheck my fuel prices for a fuel 

> stop, but knew the route well, so I didn't use all of voyager's 

> features...I just popped it into the iphone and in seconds I had

> the plan filed.  Today's flight was an iphone/Foreflight type

> flight for me.

> 

> So there are many ways to skin cats, but those two things are what

> I have found to be the best for flight planning and filing. Both

> are actively developed and improved, which is another reason their

> cost is worth it....I hate buying computer software that could use

> more features but isn't actively developed because the person isn't

> making enough money at it to justify their hard work.

> 

> Oh, and a side note.....if you jailbreak an iphone or ipod touch, 

> there are lots of other options that you can have with them. For

> instance, my wife has an ipod touch.  We got foreflight 3.0 for her

> too (which is one of my complaints...it used to be free for my 2nd

> ipod, but the new user model they have ties it to the device, so I

> pay twice to have it for 2 devices). But anyway, most people would

> think an ipod touch wouldn't be a good option for them because it

> has no GPS.  With a jailbroken ipod touch, I was able to install a

> 3rd party GPS bluetooth stack that connects to the same Holux m1000

>  (and other) bluetooth GPS's like I have.  She was able to track

> our flight on a VFR/IFR chart too, with an external GPS.  So lots

> of options there.

> 

> One thing about doing all of this stuff on an iphone...you do NOT

> want to skimp when you buy...get the 32GB one.  A full install of

> Foreflight with all the charts is over 5GB. I have 16GB or more of

> music.  I've got a 32GB 3GS, and I'm down to about 5GB free.  So

> consider 32GB a minimum for any EFB, and if you're buying an

> iphone/pod, stick to the larger ones too.

> 

> I'm pretty pumped about the functionality all these things can give

> for such small cost.  I do plan to do a more complete write-up

> comparison with pro's and con's in the near term future. I know

> every time something like this comes up there are dozens of folks

> talking about their favorite, or their cheaper way to do things,

> but each one has an up and a downside, and cheapest isn't always

> what people need. For instance, some things only do approach

> plates, but you really want IFR/VFR charts, too.  Skimping on

> necessary info for planning a safe flight can have consequences,

> and it's nice to know what the good and bad of various things are.

> I've tried many from the cheap approach plate CD's, to the CD's 

> with some large charts on them, and various ways of doing EFB's.

> I've learned a lot about what doesn't work so well, which is why

> some of this stuff that does is so exciting.

> 

> 

> Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD

> 

> 

> 

> Jesse Saint wrote:

>> For those who have iPhones and were interested in the discussions

>> recently about EFB's, Foreflight just released version 3.0 that

>> is a free App with a subscription-based service.  They are now

>> able to cache Approach Plates, VFR Charts and IFR Charts by state

>> for use while flying.  The subscription is $70/year or

>> $25/quarter.  I personally think it's a great option for an

>> inexpensive EFB (or maybe a backup for those who already have

>> one).  It is also a great way to check weather and file a flight

>> plan.  I always file through Foreflight personally, and love the

>> quick access to radar and satellite imagery. do not archive Jesse

>> Saint

> 

> 

>

scottmschmidt(at)yahoo.co
Guest

Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 2:31 pm Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

I downloaded Foreflight 3.0 to try out their 30 day free trial and I already know that I will be purchasing this.  

To have everything in one spot is incredible for doing your preflight.

One thing I noticed the other day on the VFR maps was the fact that it switches from a section to a terminal chart when zoomed in enough. 



With rumors of a 10" screen "iPhone" being announced in January I am excited about programs like Foreflight in the future.  

http://mashable.com/2009/09/29/apple-tablet-iphone-os/



It is incredible how fast these programs are evolving.

It is nice to have Tim and others as our early adopters of all the new technology to let us know which one we should buy.  

Merry Christmas, 



Scott Schmidtscottmschmidt(at)yahoo.com



From: Tim Olson <Tim(at)MyRV10.com>

To: rv10-list(at)matronics.com

Sent: Tue, December 22, 2009 8:15:47 AM

Subject: Re: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone



 --> RV10-List message posted by: Tim Olson <Tim(at)myrv10.com (Tim(at)myrv10.com)>



True, the weather dots were nice if you like that.  I didn't use

it because it slowed the map load down too much, so unless

that's what you plan to use it for, it wasn't an easy on/off

button on the main screen so it wasn't convenient to toggle.

I know it has the option to cache charts, but a quick test

I did once (I maybe should try it again) a couple weeks ago,

showed that it didn't cache it for totally offline use unless

I had viewed the chart.  i.e. I don't think it auto-predownloaded

them.   But, either way, considering how foreflight is now,

I would disable that option in skycharts anyway...no sense

wasting space on 2 apps caching charts.  Foreflight at least

at one time made their app so that if your iphone timed out,

and you re-opened it, it would  bring you immediately back to

the approach plate too, which is nice.  I don't know if you

can do that with skycharts.



Aeroweather is good too, and i used to use NavMonster web link,

which wasn't bad.



There is a definite difference in what apps are best when

you are talking doing a local flight, or a long x/c flight,

and how much on-device planning you want to do.  For local

flights or short there-and-backs, it's simple to do it basically

100% by iphone.  For a route like Wisconsin to Vegas Via Salt

Lake City, I haven't really found anything on the iphone that

does the job of a full flight planner/EFB.  You need fuel

prices, approach info, charts, terrain and mountain clearance

info, and much more than you can get on the iphone right now.

But, once you take off, with the plan made up, the iphone

can handle 99% of the tasks for those with the eyes to see it.

Some of this depends  on if you get in-flight coverage, too.

Most areas I fly have no data coverage in the air.

And of course, with a full real EFB you have options to

connect XM weather, too.  If you could get realtime inflight

weather on an iphone, that would be pretty sweet.



Each tool has it's use, and some will need more than others.

It all depends on the needs.

Tim



Jesse Saint wrote:

[quote] --> RV10-List message posted by: Jesse Saint

 <jesse(at)saintaviation.com (jesse(at)saintaviation.com)>

 

 One nice thing that SkyCharts does, though, is give you a visual of

 what weather is doing at airports on the chart.  It paints dots on

 the map wherever there is a METAR and colors the dots according to

 the status (VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR), and you can just tap on the dot

 to see the details.  That is a really nice  visual check while on the

 ground without access to a computer.  I've suggested that to

 Foreflight, so hopefully I will also be able to delete SkyCharts in

 the near future.  It does, however, cache the approach plates for the

 whole Sectional if you select that option in the settings.

 

 For some it might not be a useable EFB, but for me it works just

 fine.  I always print a couple of plates for my destination and at

 least one alternate, as well as the AOPA kneeboard info sheet, but I

 know I have everything on the iPhone, which is always with me.

 

 Another nice App that I like for a quick review of METARs for my

 "favorites" is AeroWeather.  It is much faster than Foreflight to

 really quickly check the METARs at airports that you check regularly,

 but does not go much beyond that.

 

 Jesse Saint Saint Aviation, Inc.  jesse(at)saintaviation.com (jesse(at)saintaviation.com) Cell:

 352-427-0285 Fax: 815-377-3694

 

 On Dec 22, 2009, at 12:01 AM, Tim Olson wrote:

 

> --> RV10-List message posted by: Tim Olson <Tim(at)myrv10.com (Tim(at)myrv10.com)>

> 

> I agree fully.  I've used foreflight for nearing a year now I

> think, or maybe 9 months or so.  I like it so much that I think

> actually that it's a big reason for a pilot to consider an iphone.

> One of the best things is how much faster it is to bring up weather

> imagery for planning.  It's way nicer than trying to click through

> links on websites and resize images for the screen.  Yes, all of

> the info they have is available in other apps, but nobody puts it

>  together like they do.

> 

> This week I downloaded 3.0.  For being a "loyal customer" (anyone who had 2.X before), it was $39.99 for this next year.  I assume from there on it'll be $70/yr.  Yes, there are cheaper ways to do things, but again, few will actually go together as nicely as well written software.  Most .pdf plate viewers are very clumsy to use from a menu perspective....this is not.  Today I took my first long

> x/c flight using Foreflight 3.0 to file both IFR plan legs, and I

> got to check out the chart functionality in flight.  I find that

> it's probably the nicest way to file a flight plan that there

> is....and when you file, you receive a great email full briefing

> that you can then carry with you instead of that 32 page packet of

> paper.  It's all there..NOTAMS and all. With 3.0 they added GPS

> integrated  IFR low/high charts, and VFR sectionals.  I tracked

> myself for a while using both and it was very accurate.  When I

> approached some restricted airspace, I could peek at the chart and

> I queried ATC as to the status and all was quiet.  The new Download

> manager makes it easy to cache all the approach plates for each

> state/region, and the same for IFR low, and sectionals, and airport

> diagrams.  It's not the fastest or perhaps best organized download

> manager in the world, but it's much better than the 2.x versions

> were, and the GPS integrated charts are fantastic.  Skycharts isn't

>  a bad app either, but with this version of foreflight, I now see

> no reason to use skycharts.  Skycharts was not nearly as good at

> dealing with approach plates (I don't think it cached them until

> you  actually viewed the plate), and they don't have IFR maps.  I

> will probably delete that app now, because this one just blew it

> away.  In talking to tech support at foreflight with feature

> requests, I know they spent a lot of their time in perfecting their

> maps to be smooth and they certainly did a good job.

> 

> I can't go as far as saying it's an inexpensive EFB, but it comes

> closer than anything else I've seen.  I also have WingX, which has

> a terrain equipped GPS, but that app really stinks from a

> menu/useability standpoint compared to Foreflight 3.0....so the

> only real nice thing is the GPS, and that isn't as nice as a

> handheld GPS.  Once Foreflight or someone else comes up with a

> great Garmin handheld type in-flight GPS, I think that app will be

> a must-have addition.  It's the  one thing lacking.  That's one of

> the areas where EFB's like Voyager start to pull away from

> something like foreflight. Really, Foreflight on an iphone does

> much of what I'd need for everyday IFR flights...the easier ones

> where I'm going to familiar places.  But, I have no problems

> reading a small screen, either.  For many pilots (the average pilot

> age is over 50 BTW), the iphone might not be practical to use for

> things like approach plates, or many of the other

> functions....certainly not when you really need that info badly.

> Voyager adds things like a better route planning system, a weight

> and balance planning system, wind integrated route and altitude

> planning, a truely wonderful in-flight GPS, that allows nice

> routing and the normal Bearing/heading/course/trk/speed/ete/eta

> blah blah  blah stuff that a good GPS would have, and they integrate

> it with every possible chart you would likely want.  And, it's run

> on a slightly larger platform, so it's visible for most any pilot. Considering all the things it does, I think it's also a great deal.

> I just saw one product that had chart subscriptions, I think it was

> just jepp approach plates, and they were calling it a bargain at

> 700/yr for a subscription....Voyager when it was on sale was less

> than that for a lifetime.  For me, I like sitting at the PC with

> Voyager when I want to plan a flight, because it will let me plan

> from Wisconsin to Oregon or Nevada, or wherever, and it will keep

> me away from airspace, from terrain, and everything else.  And,

> with fuel price integration it really is what you need to do a nice

> plan to an unfamiliar  place.  For this flight that I did today

> though, I just needed to doublecheck my fuel prices for a fuel stop, but knew the route well, so I didn't use all of voyager's features...I just popped it into the iphone and in seconds I had

> the plan filed.  Today's flight was an iphone/Foreflight type

> flight for me.

> 

> So there are many ways to skin cats, but those two things are what

> I have found to be the best for flight planning and filing. Both

> are actively developed and improved, which is another reason their

> cost is worth it....I hate buying computer software that could use

> more features but isn't actively developed because the person isn't

> making enough money at it to justify their hard work.

> 

> Oh, and a side note.....if you jailbreak an iphone or ipod touch, there are lots of other options that you can  have with them. For

> instance, my wife has an ipod touch.  We got foreflight 3.0 for her

> too (which is one of my complaints...it used to be free for my 2nd

> ipod, but the new user model they have ties it to the device, so I

> pay twice to have it for 2 devices). But anyway, most people would

> think an ipod touch wouldn't be a good option for them because it

> has no GPS.  With a jailbroken ipod touch, I was able to install a

> 3rd party GPS bluetooth stack that connects to the same Holux m1000

>  (and other) bluetooth GPS's like I have.  She was able to track

> our flight on a VFR/IFR chart too, with an external GPS.  So lots

> of options there.

> 

> One thing about doing all of this stuff on an iphone...you do NOT

> want to skimp when you buy...get the 32GB one.  A full install  of

> Foreflight with all the charts is over 5GB. I have 16GB or more of

> music.  I've got a 32GB 3GS, and I'm down to about 5GB free.  So

> consider 32GB a minimum for any EFB, and if you're buying an

> iphone/pod, stick to the larger ones too.

> 

> I'm pretty pumped about the functionality all these things can give

> for such small cost.  I do plan to do a more complete write-up

> comparison with pro's and con's in the near term future. I know

> every time something like this comes up there are dozens of folks

> talking about their favorite, or their cheaper way to do things,

> but each one has an up and a downside, and cheapest isn't always

> what people need. For instance, some things only do approach

> plates, but you really want IFR/VFR charts, too.  Skimping on

> necessary info for  planning a safe flight can have consequences,

> and it's nice to know what the good and bad of various things are.

> I've tried many from the cheap approach plate CD's, to the CD's with some large charts on them, and various ways of doing EFB's.

> I've learned a lot about what doesn't work so well, which is why

> some of this stuff that does is so exciting.

> 

> 

> Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD

> 

> 

> 

> Jesse Saint wrote:

>> For those who have iPhones and were interested in the discussions

>> recently about EFB's, Foreflight just released version 3.0 that

>> is a free App with a subscription-based service.  They are now

>> able to cache Approach Plates, VFR Charts and IFR Charts by state

>> for use while flying.  The subscription is $70/year or

>>  

  	  Quote: 	
		  [b]

lbgjb10

Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Posts: 67

Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 2:30 pm Post subject: Re: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

If you file your flight plan with Foreflight 3.0, do you get any feedback that the flight plan went thru??

_________________
Larry and Gayle N104LG

Tim Olson

Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2872

Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:20 pm Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

You get WAY more than that....confirmation AND the full briefing.  I  

had an awesome couple of days with 3.0 so far....this should be a  

great trip write-up.  Flying the STAR into KLEE as I type this...with  

the star on the iPhone!

Tim



On Dec 23, 2009, at 5:30 PM, "lbgjb10" <lbgjb(at)gnt.net> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   



 If you file your flight plan with Foreflight 3.0, do you get any  

 feedback that the flight plan went thru??



 --------

 Larry and Gayle N104LG





 Read this topic online here:



 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p 78735#278735

Tim Olson

Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2872

Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 8:07 pm Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

Now that I'm back on the ground and have my laptop handy again, here

is a quick snapshot set that I just put together.  It is basically

the 2 emails that I received when I filed my flight plan for the

return trip today.  It shows a great example of the notification

email you get, plus the briefing email that you get when you file

a flight plan in Foreflight 3.0.



http://www.myrv10.com/tips/IFR/Foreflight_Filing_Example



This trip so far I have filed all my IFR plans in Foreflight Mobile

3.0, and I filed them all less than 20 minutes before departure, and

my plan was on hand when I called for clearance.



Today was a particularly thrilling day....I departed Key West and

flew straight north over about 90 miles of water.  I filed direct

to Leesburg in central FL.  As I was climbing and leveling off at

8000', they threw me a curve ball and asked me if I've got the

Minne.4 arrival on hand because they needed me to fly the minne.4

STAR with the RSW entry.  Since I had my tablet and iphone on board,

I said "well sure, but do you need me to have it right away, or

can I wait until I'm over land".  (I didn't want to do anything

at all to upset the apple cart while flying over that vast water

stretch, so didn't want to dig out anything and turn on devices

immediate as I was still leveling out and leaning to LOP fuel

flows (10.5 gph today)).  They said sure, just head direct RSW

and let them know when I had it handy.  So after we settled in,

I decided to leave the tablet stowed and just try the iphone

with Foreflight Mobile 3.0 instead.  Sure enough, I had the STAR

downloaded with all my Florida items, and I pulled it up and

read through it.  It was pretty simple, with a few various fixes,

and then some vectoring at the end.  So I called back and said

I had it, and I loaded it into the Cheltons.  It was easy on

the Cheltons to load it up, and it displayed the entire arrival

sequence, and was ready for me to add the IFR approach if necessary.

It drew the whole arrival on my MFD.  Then they gave me a 5000'

crossing altitude for one of the fixes, so I punched in the VNAV

on the Cheltons and set a 2.2 degree descent with automatic VNAV

to 5000' exactly as I hit the fix.  It was awesome....filing

with an iphone, getting the STAR (something that I rarely need

to do for the places I fly) on the iphone using foreflight,

and then playing with the STAR and VNAV on the EFIS and having it

all work perfectly.  It was an awesome flight to wrap up before

Christmas....hopefully the rest of the trip home will go as

smoothly.



Although I really like Voyager and plan to use the tablet for

those scuzzy low approaches, because it's geo-referenced approach

plates are awesome and it's nice stuff, today I wasn't in the

clouds too much and it was a perfect day to leave it stowed and

rely on the iphone.



The above link is the textual emails I received, printed and

cropped to .jpgs for viewing here on the web, so you can see

how it's formatted.  I'm pretty impressed, because if you just

check your mail after filing the plan, you have that whole

briefing in your inbox.  On the way down to FL, I was able to

review in more detail the whole thing even hours in advance, for

lots more information than I'd care to hear from a briefer by

phone.



Coming up on 600 hours in the RV-10 pretty soon...it's been

such a wonderful plane.



Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD



lbgjb10 wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   

 

 If you file your flight plan with Foreflight 3.0, do you get any feedback that the flight plan went thru??

 

 --------

 Larry and Gayle N104LG

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p 78735#278735

Strasnuts

Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 502
Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 8:37 pm Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

Nice work ITIM.



Can't wait until my T-Mobile contract is up in April 2010 so I can join in 

the fun.  Scott rubs it in my face too!

---

_________________
40936
RV-10 SB N801VR Flying
780 Hours
SuperSTOL 60 hours

robin1(at)mrmoisture.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 12:45 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

You can also use the Apple Touch to do all this correct? 



System Requirements:

You need one of the following to run ForeFlight Mobile 3:

Apple iPhone, Firmware Version 3.0 or later (any iPhone) - iPhone 3GS

recommended

Apple iPod touch, Firmware version 3.0 or later (any iPod touch) - iPod

touch 2G recommended



It may be cheaper than a $100 cell phone monthly bill and crappy cell

reception. Don't get me wrong I love my iPhone, it does everything

including dropping calls I could not hear anyway. 

I have two iPhones = $200/month. I have 5 cell phones = $226.00/month.



Looking forward to Apples new 10" tablet. Errrr rumored tablet due to

announce in January for late spring, early summer release.

 

Robin 



--

jim(at)CombsFive.Com
Guest

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 4:52 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

Wonder how long before the Google Droid phone is supported?  Then one would not be tied to the At&T network.Jim C (N312F)Do Not Archive----------------------------------------> RV10-List message posted by: "Robin Marks" <robin1(at)mrmoisture.com>You can also use the Apple Touch to do all this correct?System Requirements:You need one of the following to run ForeFlight Mobile 3:Apple iPhone, Firmware Version 3.0 or later (any iPhone) - iPhone 3GSrecommendedApple iPod touch, Firmware version 3.0 or later (any iPod touch) - iPodtouch 2G recommendedIt may be cheaper than a $100 cell phone monthly bill and crappy cellreception. Don't get me wrong I love my iPhone, it does everythingincluding dropping calls I could not hear anyway.I have two iPhones = $200/month. I have 5 cell phones = $226.00/month.Looking forward to Apples new 10" tablet. Errrr rumored tablet due toannounce in January for late spring, early summer release.Robin--

Tim Olson

Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2872

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 5:25 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

Yes, I also agree with your point...the overall cost of owning

an iphone can be pretty high, unless maybe you get rid of

another cellphone to offset the cost.  For Andrea, she still

only has a verizon cellphone, and an ipod touch 3rd Generation.

If Verizon had the iPhone, I'd throw away all the phones

I have today and buy immediately 2 Verizon iPhones, because

in my area, AT&T stinks big time and Verizon rocks.

For things like Foreflight, an iPod touch will work great

except for data transmitting....your only choice is WiFi.

(more on that below).

Anyway, here's the way to go if you want to do it on an

iPod touch...  Get the Touch 32Gb version if you plan to use

it for lots more than Foreflight...like lots of music.

My 32GB is down to 5GB remaining already.  The 8GB would

suffice if you ONLY use it for Foreflight, and the 16GB

would do if you're not into any videos on the device and

tons of apps.  The processors are faster in the 16 and

32GB models, so I wouldn't buy the 8GB either way.



You get the iPod touch, then jailbreak it.  This is super easy.

The only restriction is that if you use a 3rd Gen ipod Touch,

you can't reboot it once it's jailbroken unless you tether

it to the PC and run the jailbreak software.  (I used

Blackra1n to jailbreak...other methods may not have this limitation

but I think Blackra1n is the simplest method...any idiot

can jailbreak it in 2 minutes)  With the jailbroken iPod

Touch, you can go to the cydia app store and buy ROQYBT. It's

a Bluetooth GPS stack for the ipod touch.  To license

it will cost you just over $12 US.  With this, you now

can get a cheap little GPS (I use a holux M-1000 for about

$40-45), and still have all the same GPS functionality that

a real iPhone 3GS would have.  It's pretty awesome.

So it's cheap and easy and you can have in-flight map

tracking on VFR and IFR charts. (not approach plates).



Now, one more cool tip.  For guys like you, who have an

iPhone already, you can actually share your data service

to that iPod Touch.  If you jailbreak your iPhone, you can

go to "Rock" app store, and buy MyWi, a WiFi tethering

app that works with Edge mode or 3G.  It's $10, and what

it does it set up a little WiFi AdHoc network that your

ipod Touch can connect to, and the touch can then use it's

wifi to use your 3G service.  It's darn cool stuff.

I've used it with the kids iPod touches so that they

can get online while we travel, via my iphone.  Very neat

stuff indeed.



So for the person who doesn't want a cellphone plan but wants

software like this, the ipod touch is a way to do it.  At our

house, we ended up with 3 touches and 1 iphone for now, so that

everyone has their own device and it's awesome because we all

can check our email and play games...the kids play UNO with

people and stuff all the time.  It's really been handy on this

trip because just that one device and provide music, movies,

and games, and you can't find much that weighs less to carry.

I have a 4-port USB charger and every night we're all charged

back up.



I'm writing this on my laptop, via my iphone 3G connection. 



Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD



Robin Marks wrote:

[quote] 

 

 You can also use the Apple Touch to do all this correct? 

 

 System Requirements:

 You need one of the following to run ForeFlight Mobile 3:

 Apple iPhone, Firmware Version 3.0 or later (any iPhone) - iPhone 3GS

 recommended

 Apple iPod touch, Firmware version 3.0 or later (any iPod touch) - iPod

 touch 2G recommended

 

 It may be cheaper than a $100 cell phone monthly bill and crappy cell

 reception. Don't get me wrong I love my iPhone, it does everything

 including dropping calls I could not hear anyway. 

 I have two iPhones = $200/month. I have 5 cell phones = $226.00/month.

 

 Looking forward to Apples new 10" tablet. Errrr rumored tablet due to

 announce in January for late spring, early summer release.

  

 Robin 

 

 --

Tim Olson

Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2872

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 5:26 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

They have started a small subset of the app for the Droid already.

Many of the weather functions are available. I think the app is

only like $10 or $20. I haven't paid much attention to their

Droid announcements, and it doesn't have the full feature set,

but over time I think you'll find a huge portion of those features

will indeed be available on Droid.  Checkout their website and

you should find more info.  Here is something I quick googled.

http://foreflight.wordpress.com/



I can't stand the AG&T network in my area.  I haven't dropped

calls and had crappy service in years (since switching away

from their network)....but I suffer through it for the iphone.

I didn't drop my old cellphone because I can't rely on even

being able to make or receive calls at home on my iPhone.  I love

the device though...never been happier.  So, I'm patiently

waiting for something to happen where Verizon can offer the

iPhone.  If that happens, I will cancel every phone contract

I have, and replace it will all new Verizon iphone contracts,

and I wouldn't even blink at a 2 year or 3 year committment

if they keep the service as good as I've had with them in the

past.



Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD



Jim wrote:

[quote] Wonder how long before the Google Droid phone is supported?  Then one 

 would not be tied to the At&T network.

 

 Jim C (N312F)

 

 Do Not Archive

 

 --------------------------------------

 

 

 You can also use the Apple Touch to do all this correct?

 

 System Requirements:

 You need one of the following to run ForeFlight Mobile 3:

 Apple iPhone, Firmware Version 3.0 or later (any iPhone) - iPhone 3GS

 recommended

 Apple iPod touch, Firmware version 3.0 or later (any iPod touch) - iPod

 touch 2G recommended

 

 It may be cheaper than a $100 cell phone monthly bill and crappy cell

 reception. Don't get me wrong I love my iPhone, it does everything

 including dropping calls I could not hear anyway.

 I have two iPhones = $200/month. I have 5 cell phones = $226.00/month.

 

 Looking forward to Apples new 10" tablet. Errrr rumored tablet due to

 announce in January for late spring, early summer release.

 

 Robin

 

 --

cloudvalley(at)comcast.ne
Guest

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 5:53 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

Hi Tim, 

 I was a biochem major. What is "jailbreak"??  My wife and I are thnking of getting rid of our XM radio subscription and buying an IPOD touch for our music, and other things. We have a 696 we will use only for WX and traffic. We installed a new PMA 7000 audio panel and want to use the IPOD with it. 

Thanks in advance. 

  

Brian and Ruth Preston 



---

Tim Olson

Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2872

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 6:27 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

. It's a term for a hack you can do that gives you access to more features and apps than you normally can get from apple, some of it very useful functionality.  It's definitely not for everyone, but for those with a few pc skills or who don't mind doing a little online reading, you can do some cool things with a jailbroken phone.   If only things like myWi, sbsettings, and roqyby Bluetooth stack were on the apple app store there would be no need for jailbreaking, but apple is a bit restrictive in their offerings so it forces people to do things to bypass them when they want that functionality.  Just google the term and you'll find tons of info, but it's probably best for tech savvy folk....surprisingly there are tons of geeks who build planes though.

Tim





On Dec 24, 2009, at 8:52 AM, cloudvalley(at)comcast.net (cloudvalley(at)comcast.net) wrote:



[quote]

Hi Tim, 

 I was a biochem major. What is "jailbreak"??  My wife and I are thnking of getting rid of our XM radio subscription and buying an IPOD touch for our music, and other things. We have a 696 we will use only for WX and traffic. We installed a new PMA 7000 audio panel and want to use the IPOD with it. 

Thanks in advance. 

  

Brian and Ruth Preston 



---

wcurtis(at)nerv10.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 7:57 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

This is interesting.  I too have been waiting for an iPhone from Verizon.  AT&T service absolutely sucks in the NY/NJ area--and AT&T is based there!  You can't beat Verizon for voice quality/reliability.  The only problem I have with Verizon is they often cripple their devices and then offer to enable those features for a monthly fee.  Case in point is the GPS on my Blackberry Storm.  The unit has a built in GPS but Verizon disables it but makes it available only with thier crappy Navigation software for $10 per month--no thanks.  I did find with the non vendor specific version of the Blackberry OS, the GPS is availabe to applications such as Google maps and others.

   

 You bring up an interesting idea however.  I have often said I would get an iPhone if I could get it only with a data plan--not that the AT&T 3G data service is any better than their voice service, but and iPod touch with a Sprint Mi-Fi may just fit the bill.  From my research, you may not even need to jailbreak it--have to verify this.  With a single device the size of about 5 stacked credit cards you would have both GPS and Internet connectivity "on the go" for the iPod touch--and any other device with Wi-Fi connectivity.  The Mi-Fi device is available from both Sprint and Verizon but again Verizon has disabled the GPS in thier unit.  For now I will start by upgrading my Sprint USB 598U to the Mi-Fi.

 



 On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 8:20 AM, Tim Olson <Tim(at)myrv10.com (Tim(at)myrv10.com)> wrote:

 [quote] --> RV10-List message posted by: Tim Olson <Tim(at)myrv10.com (Tim(at)myrv10.com)>

Yes, I also agree with your point...the overall cost of owning

an iphone can be pretty high, unless maybe you get rid of

 another cellphone to offset the cost.  For Andrea, she still

only has a verizon cellphone, and an ipod touch 3rd Generation.

If Verizon had the iPhone, I'd throw away all the phones

I have today and buy immediately 2 Verizon iPhones, because

 in my area, AT&T stinks big time and Verizon rocks.

For things like Foreflight, an iPod touch will work great

except for data transmitting...your only choice is WiFi.

(more on that below).

Anyway, here's the way to go if you want to do it on an

 iPod touch...  Get the Touch 32Gb version if you plan to use

it for lots more than Foreflight...like lots of music.

My 32GB is down to 5GB remaining already.  The 8GB would

suffice if you ONLY use it for Foreflight, and the 16GB

 would do if you're not into any videos on the device and

tons of apps.  The processors are faster in the 16 and

32GB models, so I wouldn't buy the 8GB either way.



You get the iPod touch, then jailbreak it.  This is super easy.

 The only restriction is that if you use a 3rd Gen ipod Touch,

you can't reboot it once it's jailbroken unless you tether

it to the PC and run the jailbreak software.  (I used

Blackra1n to jailbreak...other methods may not have this limitation

 but I think Blackra1n is the simplest method...any idiot

can jailbreak it in 2 minutes)  With the jailbroken iPod

Touch, you can go to the cydia app store and buy ROQYBT. It's

a Bluetooth GPS stack for the ipod touch.  To license

 it will cost you just over $12 US.  With this, you now

can get a cheap little GPS (I use a holux M-1000 for about

$40-45), and still have all the same GPS functionality that

a real iPhone 3GS would have.  It's pretty awesome.

 So it's cheap and easy and you can have in-flight map

tracking on VFR and IFR charts. (not approach plates).



Now, one more cool tip.  For guys like you, who have an

iPhone already, you can actually share your data service

 to that iPod Touch.  If you jailbreak your iPhone, you can

go to "Rock" app store, and buy MyWi, a WiFi tethering

app that works with Edge mode or 3G.  It's $10, and what

it does it set up a little WiFi AdHoc network that your

 ipod Touch can connect to, and the touch can then use it's

wifi to use your 3G service.  It's darn cool stuff.

I've used it with the kids iPod touches so that they

can get online while we travel, via my iphone.  Very neat

 stuff indeed.



So for the person who doesn't want a cellphone plan but wants

software like this, the ipod touch is a way to do it.  At our

house, we ended up with 3 touches and 1 iphone for now, so that

 everyone has their own device and it's awesome because we all

can check our email and play games...the kids play UNO with

people and stuff all the time.  It's really been handy on this

trip because just that one device and provide music, movies,

 and games, and you can't find much that weighs less to carry.

I have a 4-port USB charger and every night we're all charged

back up.



I'm writing this on my laptop, via my iphone 3G connection.   



Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD



-- 

William

N40237 - http://wcurtis.nerv10.com/

[b]

sean(at)hangerg.com
Guest

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:12 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

The blackberry storm is GPS is available for use on Verizon. I have that device and the GPS works great.  I have many GPS based applications that I do not have a fee for. Granted there are no apps for flying except the Wing-X and AOPA version of Wing-X that is free . As soon as Verizon release iPhone I will have it unless android sees some tracking with applications in the aviation industry  

From: owner-rv10-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-rv10-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of William Curtis

 Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2009 10:56 AM

 To: rv10-list(at)matronics.com

 Subject: Re: Re: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone  

This is interesting.  I too have been waiting for an iPhone from Verizon.  AT&T service absolutely sucks in the NY/NJ area--and AT&T is based there 1  You can't beat Verizon for voice quality/reliability..  The only problem I have with Verizon is they often cripple their devices and then offer to enable those features for a monthly fee.  Case in point is the GPS on my Blackberry Storm.  The unit has a built in GPS but Verizon disables it but makes it available only with thier crappy Navigation software for  410 per month--no thanks.  I did find with the non vendor specific version of the Blackberry OS, the GPS is availabe to applications such as Google maps and others.  

You bring up an interesting idea however.  I have often said I would get an iPhone if I could get it only with a data plan--not that the AT&T 3G data service is any better than their voice service, but and iPod touch with a Sprint Mi-Fi may just fit the bill.  From my research, you may not even need to jailbreak it--have to verify this.  With a single device the size of about 5 stacked credit cards you would have both GPS and Internet connectivity "on the go" for the iPod touch--and any other device with Wi-Fi connectivity.  The Mi-Fi device is available from both Sprint and Verizon but again Verizon has disabled the GPS in thier unit.  For now I will start by upgrading my Sprint USB 598U to the Mi-Fi.  

On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 8:20 AM, Tim Olson <Tim(at)myrv10.com> wrote:    

--> RV10-List message posted by: Tim Olson <Tim(at)myrv10.com>  

Yes, I also agree with your point...the overall cost of owning

 an iphone can be pretty high, unless maybe you get rid of

 another cellphone to offset the cost.  For Andrea, she still

 only has a verizon cellphone, and an ipod touch 3rd Generation.

 If Verizon had the iPhone, I'd throw away all the phones

 I have today and buy immediately 2 Verizon iPhones, because

 in my area, AT&T stinks big time and Verizon rocks.

 For things like Foreflight, an iPod touch will work great

 except for data transmitting.....your only choice is WiFi.

 (more on that below).

 Anyway, here's the way to go if you want to do it on an

 iPod touch...  Get the Touch 32Gb version if you plan to use

 it for lots more than Foreflight...like lots of music.

 My 32GB is down to 5GB remaining already.  The 8GB would

 suffice if you ONLY use it for Foreflight, and the 16GB

 would do if you're not into any videos on the device and

 tons of apps.  The processors are faster in the 16 and

 32GB models, so I wouldn't buy the 8GB either way.

 You get the iPod touch, then jailbreak it.  This is super easy.

 The only restriction is that if you use a 3rd Gen ipod Touch,

 you can't reboot it once it's jailbroken unless you tether

 it to the PC and run the jailbreak software.  (I used

 Blackra1n to jailbreak...other methods may not have this limitation

 but I think Blackra1n is the simplest method...any idiot

 can jailbreak it in 2 minutes)  With the jailbroken iPod

 Touch, you can go to the cydia app store and buy ROQYBT. It's

 a Bluetooth GPS stack for the ipod touch.  To license

 it will cost you just over  412 US.  With this, you now

 can get a cheap little GPS (I use a holux M-1000 for about

  440-45), and still have all the same GPS functionality that

 a real iPhone 3GS would have.  It's pretty awesome.

 So it's cheap and easy and you can have in-flight map

 tracking on VFR and IFR charts. (not approach plates).

 Now, one more cool tip.  For guys like you, who have an

 iPhone already, you can actually share your data service

 to that iPod Touch.  If you jailbreak your iPhone, you can

 go to "Rock" app store, and buy MyWi, a WiFi tethering

 app that works with Edge mode or 3G.  It's  410, and what

 it does it set up a little WiFi AdHoc network that your

 ipod Touch can connect to, and the touch can then use it's

 wifi to use your 3G service.  It's darn cool stuff.

 I've used it with the kids iPod touches so that they

 can get online while we travel, via my iphone.  Very neat

 stuff indeed.

 So for the person who doesn't want a cellphone plan but wants

 software like this, the ipod touch is a way to do it.  At our

 house, we ended up with 3 touches and 1 iphone for now, so that

 everyone has their own device and it's awesome because we all

 can check our email and play games...the kids play UNO with

 people and stuff all the time.  It's really been handy on this

 trip because just that one device and provide music, movies,

 and games, and you can't find much that weighs less to carry.

 I have a 4-port USB charger and every night we're all charged

 back up.

 I'm writing this on my laptop, via my iphone 3G connection.      

 Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD

 -- 

 William

 N40237 - http://wcurtis.nerv10.com/  

   	  Quote: 	
		    www.aeroelectric.com 	
0 	  Quote: 	

1 	  Quote: 	

2 	  Quote: 	

3 	  Quote: 	

4 	  Quote: 	

5 	  Quote: 	

6 	  Quote: 	

7 	  Quote: 	

8 	  Quote: 	

9 	  Quote: 	

0 	  Quote: 	

1 	  Quote: 	

2 	  Quote: 	

3 	  Quote: 	

4 	  Quote: 	

5 	  Quote: 	

6 	  Quote: 	

7 	  Quote: 	

8 	  Quote: 	

9  

 [b]E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.513)

 Database version: 6.13990

 http://www Epctools.com/spyware-doctor-antivirus/[/b]  

E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.513)

Database version: 6.13990

http://www Epctools.com/spyware-doctor-antivirus/

      [quote][b]

cloudvalley(at)comcast.ne
Guest

Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 5:20 am Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

Hi Tim, 

Thanks!  Merry Christmas! 

 Brian and Ruth  



---

Bill Schlatterer

Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 195

Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:55 pm Post subject: Foreflight Mobile 3.0 for iPhone

Tim, just wondering how that works?  I just flew several legs into Fort

Worth and out and never could get the iPhone to pick up consistently.  Text

messages went OK (not instantly) up to about 2000 but higher than that was

intermittent.  My old crack berry was better than that.  Internet access for

pulling up anything was not useable.  My iP is on AT&T.   Does Foreflight

cache the plates or do you have to load them up before getting in the air?



I have been using the new AOPA Mobile ap and it is also very good!  It's

also free with your AOPA subscription.



Bill S

7a almost flying



--

Display posts from previous:

	Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> RV10-List	All times are GMT - 8 Hours Goto page 1, 2, 3 Next
Page 1 of 3

Jump to:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum