iFly GPS Forum

Thanks.

I understand the first part of your statement, but I don't understand the second part about circling back. I can't think of why I would circle back after an Alert, except for possibly an Airspace Alert. Is that what you meant? (And even then, I would probably turn 90 degrees at the max.)

But that got me thinking about a Terrain Alert, and I want to amend my original suggestion. I had originally suggested that the VP pop up as a visual indicator of Terrain. But although the VP would instantly show us that we're on a collision course with terrain, it can't tell us at a glance which way to turn.

I was probably thinking initially that the User would look at the map for that info. That might still be okay. But I suggest that the better way is a new (to iFly) plain old boring it's-been-done-before TAWS window. It would be all black background (like the Traffic Instrument) with red and yellow terrain highlights. I don't know what a good pre-set zoom would be, but something tight, like 5 miles to quickly show the User which way to turn to avoid CFIT.

I know that's not innovative. But as Martin Hollmann said of his Super Stallion design (which looks a lot like a C-210), there's a reason aircraft look the same.

Hi Cobra:

I didn't know that quotes disappear. I looked back at what I had posted and it looked okay to me. But I'll check carefully next time, to see if it displays correctly. (As in the next sentence.)

As for cycling thru Alerts - I'm taking a giant step backward to brainstorm and asking "What is the purpose of an 'Alert'"?

I submit that an Alert is something to get your attention quickly about something critical when you're either not looking or when you're looking elsewhere. But it must be more than just a generic "Whoop, whoop" siren that signals that something is wrong when you're not looking at a display. A good Alert will also tell you what's wrong. (So, for example, iFly has the "Terrain" voice alert. (Although I can barely hear it on my tablet in flight. (Should there be an override setting for Android sound to max this out?)))

For example, it used to be in the old days that ARTCC radar flashed targets that the computer predicted were on a collision course. (And maybe it still does.) Hopefully the Controller is looking at his scope, but he might be looking somewhere else or might not see the potential collisions just yet. So the flashing targets draw his eye to get his attention. (I know many have complained about flashing stuff and iFly (vertigo). I'm just giving an example of an intuitive Alert for a Controller in a chair.)

The nature of an Alert is that it's time critical. So anything that can be done to intuitively draw the eye to the problem is quicker than reading lines of text. And if one has to cycle thru text, which, in addition to more reading requires user interaction - well, that takes even more time. Especially when the user should probably be looking out the window for the life threatening Alerts. (So perhaps have the text window expand to match the number of Alerts? - Or to paint three at a time max? - to minimize tapping?)

[Something with the text editor in the forum is fighting me over this last sentence. Perhaps what Cobra was telling me about?]

A text alert that "It's time to change tanks," or "Don't forget to close your flight plan" is fine - but I don't think of that as a capital A "Alert." (i.e,, a Warning.)

As Shane has already pointed out, I can see how one might have multiple Alerts go hot at once. (Say that you dive to avoid traffic (Alert), over high terrain (Alert) in the direction of Restricted Airspace. (Alert.)) I can see iFly lighting up like the proverbial Christmas Tree. Or like a Red October movie type thing, when the nuclear reactor is approaching melt down and different alarms are sounding everywhere. That can cause panic when it's supposed to be helping.

I don't know how to mitigate that with an intuitive interface. Sometimes reactors go bonkers and there are alerts everywhere. (In our Glasair, with the Voice Annunciator I built, I had to prioritize Warnings with total engine failure in mind. E.g., if the engine fails, then you've lost oil pressure, fuel pressure and voltage. Oil pressure warning wins and that's the only warning you get.) Shane said they would keep the text based Alerts, but perhaps if there are more than two Alerts, iFly should paint those two (if the User has opted for that) and then revert to text based Notification for the rest? (Implies a hierarchy of Alerts.)

A Notification shade like Android, with a Counter next to it?

A pop up QV sized window with a tic-tac-toe board like layout that changes columns and rows with the number of Alerts? Each square showing a small presentation of the specific Alert, which you can tap on for the bigger picture?

I dunno. Just tossing out ideas. (Would be more fun to mock stuff up and see how it plays rather than typing and have to imagine about it in a forum.)

I'm with Ergomike - an verbal report of a "high level/significant alert" as defined by the user would be a big plus in my book. Our recent flights through SC enroute to Charleston (flying in/out of KMKS) have seen lots of traffic as shown using on our Ifly android and Stratux combination. I'd really like to get a verbal warning rather than a "ding" in my headset - and if it read out the relative heading, distance and altitude for the relevant traffic, that would be nice too.

Mark