Does anybody have any suggestions for features of a post flight evaluation software system?

[Dynon101]

Here is the deal...I am super happy with the SAVVY engine evaluation service...however...I have to say that the website presentation and user interaction part of the service is a bit lacking in some areas. I wanted something a bit more user friendly and I looked around and my search found a really good program called "Flight Data Viewer" by Jackson Advanced Software.

https://jasflyer.com


The features I really like about this software are the following:

-It is pretty cheap
-Its software installed on my computer so I can use it when I am not online
-Has a PFD display that has a rewind feature so I can watch a video of what was displayed on my PFD during the flight and see what the airplane ws doing when certain events happened
-Has a Google Earth moving map where I can watch my airplane flying around the "earth" while it is synced to the replay of the PFD and all of the EGT, CHT, and other parameters.
-It has analytical software to help me produce performance charts based on the actual recorded performance of my airplane

The VERY BEST thing that I like about the software is the developer is an aerobatic pilot and his name is Michael and...TO MY SHOCK...he reached out to me and asked me if I had any suggestions to make his product better.

I suggested that he add a feature that would analyze the EAA flight Test Card 004 so that I can fly a pattern at different indicated airspeeds and the system would determine if my airspeed and altimeter indications are correct.

Believe it or not...he actually responded and said he would be happy to develop that new feature...AND THEN...he even asked me if I had any more ideas for advanced features.

So I thought I would reach out to the two forums I frequent (Vans and Dynon) and ask everyone if they had any ideas for new features for his software?

After all...the guy wants to make his product better...and WE ALL want a better product...

So hey why don't we all get together to help him come up with a Dream List of Dream ideas for his Dream Software???

BTW...I do NOT have any financial interest in his company NOR am I getting ANYTHING WHATSOEVER out of this...

Just trying to get some pilots to dream up some really good ideas and give the ideas to this guy who wants to come up with something cool.

So lets hear your ideas!!!

 

[Dynon101]

Wow...really surprised that nobody had any suggestions.

Here is one I came up with to automate some record keeping...

What a lot of owner pilots are doing is recording a lot of data such as fuel out/in, oil out/in, and comparing a number of takeoffs to determine the average takeoff distances and time/fuel/distance to climb/descent. It is good to keep these supplemental logs so as to adjust/troubleshoot/ historical comparisons.

So what if a computer system could automatically look at all of the flights over the past year and automatically make the following Aircraft Flight Logs and will generate historical reports considering the following factors...all with heavy reliance on the EFIS flight data and with minimal user input.

The system would record and make reports for the following:

-Field temp, pressure, compute Density Altitude with user entered winds
-Takeoff weight for that flight will be automatically calculated using previously entered default BOW plus indicated fuel from gauges plus user entered people/bags
-Determines from the flight data the takeoff ground run and distance above 50 foot obstacle (user enters what type of takeoff procedure was used for that takeoff by clicking one of the following normal takeoff procedure/ grass/short/soft)
-Takeoff power engine parameters at max stabilized MAP, RPM, oil temp/pressure, EGTs, TITs, Fuel flow/psi will all be recorded at a certain speed during the takeoff like at 60 KIAS
-Cruise engine parameters and speed will be calculated after the user clicks on part of altitude graph at a point where the engine was leaned and stable cruise speed reached and the system will generate a report for the FF/ MPG/ TAS/ IAS numbers using altitude and OAT)
-Climb Time, Fuel, and distance from runway lift off point to the place where user clicked cruise altitude graph (user selected normal/ step/ steep climb procedure)
-Descent Time, Fuel, and distance from start of descent from cruise altitude to post landing at a speed of say 10 KIAS (user selected normal/ step/ steep descent procedure)
-Landing distance above 50 foot and landing runway length (user selected short/soft/normal landing procedure) and system will record the temperature and pressure altitude from the flight data and user enters the wing direction/speed
-Flight Time (Landing Time – Takeoff Time) automatic math
-Block Time (Block IN – Block OUT) automatic math
-Fuel gauge quantities OUT - IN with automatic math for fuel used
-Compare the indicated fuel gauges IN minus OUT to the fuel burn counter and come up with an error value
-User entered fuel stick OUT – IN with automatic math and comparison to indication of the gauges
-User entered oil level IN – OUT with auto math for oil consumption per engine operating hour
-Automatic calculation of MPG (straight line miles)
-Automatic calculation of MPG (air distance flown miles)

Over time there will be a great deal of data entered and the aircraft performance tables can be very fine tuned and compared over time.

These can be used to evaluate the airplane based on the EAA flight test cards.

Got any other ideas?!?!?!?

 

[Lon]

There may have been no suggestions quite yet, because the Flight Data Viewer program has to be purchased, installed and used a bit before its potential can be appreciated. Your recommendation prompted me to purchase it, and I like it, a lot. So far, though, I've just used it to do a couple of pretty basic things: view the Black Box Log created by my HDX in a format that's easier to read than the HDX's native csv format; and view my flights on GoogleEarth. I haven't gone beyond that yet, because I've been wrestling with the Flight Data Viewer's failure to display EGTs and CHTs, even though they are reported in the HDX's csv format. I had intended to email Michael about that this morning, but his website appears to be down. So let me ask here if the failure to display EGTs and CHTs is the result of a setup mistake I made, or is related to the fact that the HDX format reports that data in columns labelled with an "L" and an "R" in front of EGT and CHT? The attached photos may make this clearer.

 

[Dynon101]

Im still a Newbie to the software.

Here is where I would start and when that does not work you should reach out to Michael the developer at JASS@PTD.NET and he will respond very quickly.

 

[Lon]

Thanks for the tip. I checked the boxes on the RDAC#1 setup page, but it didn't work. I think it probably didn't work because I didn't know what the Port numbers should be. But I'll email Michael now. Thanks for his address.

 

[twasser]

Struggled for a time after downloading "black box" user data from my SkyView to a USB thumb drive and viewing this data on a spreadsheet I was told could be viewed on Excell. I found the files ending .csv easily load to my Apple MacBook computer Numbers app. The app allows all kinds of manipulation and charting. The time frame is on the Zulu clock with data entered every 1/4 second and very precise. I have mostly Dynon equipment not including the auto pilot with their EMS and sensors. All the PFD and Mapping data are in the data files.

 

[Lon]

I emailed Michael Jackson -- the programmer who created the Flight Data Viewer program -- and told him the Viewer was not displaying CHTs or EGTs, even though that data was in the Dynon Black Box Data file. I did that at 4:22 pm yesterday. Today, at 12:22 pm -- less than 20 hours later, including overnight hours -- Michael posted a revised version of the Flight Data Viewer program, and it now displays CHTs and EGTs perfectly. This kind of rapid response and personal service may disqualify him from membership in the General Aviation providers fraternity. [;-)

Like twasser, I too use a Mac, and I too discovered that I could read the Black Box data in the Mac "Numbers" spreadsheet app. I bought the Flight Data Viewer anyway, because I find that the Viewer displays the data in a much more readable format.

For those who'd like to try it, it's available for purchase here, https://jasflyer.com

For me was well worth the $49.95 I paid for it.

 

[MaydayMayday]

I signed up for Flight Data Viewer solely because it had the EFIS display the feature where I could replay my flight and I could watch the little airplane flying over the Google Earth satellite map and watch the EFIS at the same time. I thought 50 bucks what the heck...give it a try.

> less than 20 hours later, including overnight hours -- Michael posted a revised version of the Flight Data Viewer program

That was my experience when I suggested he could do a revision to help me do the EAA flight test card #4 in a more automated way. To my surprise a couple of days later he made the revision.

I hope more people don't hear about his software lest it take him longer to respond with my suggestions.

: )

 

[kurtfly]

There is a program called DATPLOT available free on the web. I have used this and it works good. I have used it to measure takeoff distance in high elevation takeoffs.

Kurt