John wrote:
I am super excited. Hopefully, it will cross out some major items from the "Wish List."
The wait is killing me!
Not me. I love innovation and fancy doo-dads and all that; but for flying from here to there--or even from hither to yon--nothing beats simple and readable.
So I really hope I'll be able to continue with:
- the bulletproof and always direct-sunlight-readable 740 (with the very useful remote control) installed in my SeaRey's rather compact instrument panel, driving the autopilot; and
- supplemented by and coordinating with the EFB version of iFly on my iPhone. (There's no room in the left 3/4 of the airplane for a full-size tablet, and in any case the visibility in Seareys is so good that NO tablet or phone is ALWAYS bright enough. And who the heck would knowingly trust their life to a device that is usually readable?!)
I've been using moving-chart GPS hardware and software since the old "Flying Pilot" Palm Pilot app and have come to understand that (beyond the threshold of moving sectional charts and basic data about airports, airspace, terrain, and wind) simple beats complex. That's why I chose iFly in the first place.
And like Smoke, N854HC, Royerm, and Alasdair (and probably everyone else with a 740 or 740b semi-pemanently mounted in the panel) I feel very uncomfortable without strong assurance that the iFly hardware devices will either continue being developed or else be replaced by something better. I haven't found that assurance in either the video or the emailed announcement.
Without that assurance, I'll start looking around for yet another hardware GPS device, to replace the 740 in my Searey. I hate that idea--but the 740 replaced the Lowrance Airmap 2000c, which replaced the Lowrance Airmap 500, which replaced the Palm, so I know the routine.
And if I have to change the hardware, will I still want iFly on a phone or tablet when it would mean dealing with two different GPSs in flight?