iFly GPS Forum

 I do like the idea of upper and lower altitude values on airspace,  although it is available , just takes extra button stroke if you hit airspace button.  No all that big of a deal.  And I do prefer the vector map (flying VFR)  feature because it  eliminates all the clutter of the sectional map.   Initially  my VFR flying the iFly I used the sectional until I learned the value of not having all that clutter,  now only rarely  turn back to the sectional unless something  geographic  or needing to know railroad or power line intersections.    Lets keep the vector maps uncluttered except for need to know flying info.

P.S. Just to be clear (and not a suckup): I sincerely LOVE this software, and I really appreciate the responsiveness of the developers and the very sophisticated ways they implement things while keeping the software pretty intuitive. So, if things stay the way they are now (how enhancements are requested, selected, and prioritized) it's not the end of the world.  But it could be better.  By a lot.  It's very scattershot and very black-box (or sticking with my earlier metaphor: black hole).  Love the software, love the developers, but hate the pipeline process.

I can't imagine this happening for a number of reasons.

Apparently corporate espionage is a real concern, so I would imagine that if Brand X GPS Inc. heard that iFly was two months away from implementing a new feature, that all the iFly users voted for and were anxiously waiting, where we'd be able to have iFly order and have waiting at our next fuel stop a piping hot cup of our favorite Starbucks coffee, they would double their efforts to get their version out in one month. 

There doesn't seem to be that many people that post on this forum, it's my guess that the whole population of this forum isn't more than a few percent of the total iFly customer base.  Having a vote among us doesn't seem that it would provide a real picture of what the total customer base, or potential customer base wants. 

I don't know what kind of security they use here, but does anybody really know whether or not you, me, or any of the other users here, are paid spies from any one of the other GPS companies, or even a startup waiting and letting iFly make all the investment and mistakes before they throw their hat into the ring. 

I would imagine that there are numerous pitfalls in programming this software.  If they miss one period, comma, spell a word wrong, or miss some other minor code requirement it might take an extra week (perhaps longer) to find and fix it. 

If they say that a certain feature was going to be ready by March 1, and they miss the date, there would likely be more folks upset, and create more of a bad company reputation, than simply doing as they're doing now.  Rolling things out when they can, and presumably as fast as they can. 

The iFly team seems to have a pretty good handle on what pilots want/need, and have done, IMO, an admirable job of creating, maintaining, and improving a product that, quite frankly, I was happy with when I first got it many years ago.  I can't imagine any other company requesting, acknowledging, and implementing user suggestions as much, and as quickly as iFly.  Try writing to any of the other companies, and I'll bet a nickle that you won't get anywhere near the response we all get here.