iFly GPS Forum

I have a suggestion for a feature that, while I hope I never have to use it, would seem to be indispensable if I did. That is a way to draw lines/radials to/from a VOR. Since more and more people are using electronic sectionals rather than paper ones, it would be nice to have a way to "Draw" on the iFly in the event of a GPS outage. I would think the most basic features of this request would be to be able to input a VOR identifier, then a 3 digit radial, then choose to, or from, then put in another VOR identifier, radial, etc. The iFly would draw the resulting radials and (ideally) we'd know where we are. Of course more features like a list of what VOR's the iFly thinks are nearby based on last known position, speed, heading, etc. , listing the correct frequencies, Morse code identifiers, distance, etc. Then boxes to fill in with the appropriate values. Of course this would only work if we also had one or more VOR receivers in the aircraft.

The last sentence in his post describes the source of the radial info from two VOR's. It would then be manually input to the iFly.

Mike, I have hesitated to respond here because I don't want to sound snarky. So please take my comment as constructive.

You really should not be in a situation where you consider something like this to be "indispensable." It's not only that you should have backup charts as Jim suggests, but it is also that your situational awareness should not be so poor that you need your tablet to assist you.

When I get into the occasional hangar debate about the training value of GPS, I take the position that new primary students and new instrument students should train first with only conventional instruments and radios. The reason is not that GPS is unreliable or somehow religiously objectionable, it is that GPS makes situational awareness too easy. Hence, the student really never has to learn it as a skill. I think this is a serious shortcoming, one that leads to your comment about "indispensable." In VFR conditions (not on top of a layer) you should be easily able to determine your position by looking at a sectional chart, electronic or paper. Pilotage, in other words. In IFR conditions you should have radios tuned and a continuing sense (possibly GPS-derived) of your distance from the next waypoint. Either way, if the GPS blinks out, it is a non-event.

I cringe when I fly with people who navigate by following the magenta line. Personally, I rarely look at a moving map display except out of curiosity. This includes flying holds under the hood. I have been in situations where instructors blocked a G1000 MFD (moving map) while I was shooting an approach and I did not even notice. I think this is because I had situational awareness pounded into my head by very good instructors, one of whom also insisted that I have every nav device in the airplane tuned and set. To this day, I often tune nearby VORs and NDBs even when I am on a GPS-direct course and they are not waypoints on my route.

My use of my tablet is a little aberrant as well, I guess. Although I really like the ADS-B weather, but other than that when I'm flying left seat in a GPS-equipped airplane I consider the tablet to be mostly a toy and I pay little attention to it. If the WX is nice I often don't even turn take it out of the bag. In the right seat I always have it just because it is such a great toy. No way is the tablet going to be indispensable for me, though. Obviously,YMMV