Map Features - Your Input Requested

[dynonsupport]

We're hard at work on the Navigation Mapping Software here at the not-so-secret-location Dynon development lair.

As a development effort, the Navigation Mapping Software project will be something that gets resources continuously throughout the life of SkyView, given just how much possibility there is there. There's a near-infinite list of potential features in that end of the product.

There are obvious features that we're already tackling - the big things like worldwide (Jepp) data, full airport information, full airspace depiction, improved search and navigation, and so on. But we're interested in hearing what YOU want. The big features, the small features, the tiniest features. What are the deal breaker features that need to be there before the mapping software is worth the $500 purchase price to you? What are the things that you've found lacking on other mapping products?

As always, we'll read everything that's posted here, and your opinions and requests will help shape our priorities. But please, no "when are you going to do X" questions in this thread. This is your chance to tell us what you want to help us answer that very question.

 

[838315]

I just started flying my plane with two 10" Skyviews. I would like to be able to choose the airspace that I want to display. I don't display MOAs, Victor airways, VORs or NDBs. That would declutter the map. Also on the KMD 150 that I have now if you pan to an airspace ring it will display the floor and ceiling altitude in a pop up box. That feature is very helpful or better still, just display the floor and ceiling next to the ring. I would like to be able to pan to an airspace ring or airport and it display a summary of controlling agency and radio frequencies in a pop up box also. I also think I would like to be able to choose the airports that I want to display, public, private, heliport, seaport, and maybe even choose by runway surface type and length.
     Thanks a lot for a great system and support,
                          Larry

 

[trevpond]

I think Larry's wish list is just about right, but would like to have Cities/Towns and major roads and motorways shown. We don't need NDB's, DME's and the like but do need ATZ's, both Military and Civilian, Military traffic zones and restricted zones; VRP's are particularly useful. A Garmin 695 display is brilliant, I suggest using one as an example but take off high altitude airways.

Squawk codes for the London/Major City Airport areas in the UK would be useful. We are obliged to enter them in our transponders and carry out a listening watch when passing them - this helps all pilots avoid airspace busts. Not such a problem in the US but a requirement in Europe are flight information areas and International Boundaries.

Great product, getting better all the time and I like the way we can make suggestions and see them included.

best regards


Trevor

 

[skysailor]

My pitch would be to display airways and T routes with the ability to toggle the information On/Off. I second the call to show airspace floors and ceilings perhaps by floating the cursor there. I want Skyview to have the ability to enter a flight plan using airways instead of each individual point. I would also like to have roads, lakes, rivers, railroads and state lines.

 

[jlhrstv]

Share flight plan data with the 496 / 696 / 430W.

 

[DrewSwenson]

-For the small display users---the ability to increase the font of the text on the map.

-several stages of declutter which would include airspace and victor airways

 

[Bruno]

Being able to add a user waypoint( saving a position to be rename later) at the touch of a button will be major thing...

Also having some kind of '' GLS '''A GPS instrument landing system like MGL have without having to use a 430 to do it will be fantastic..

I will second Drew on this point  ( the ability to increase the font of the text on the map.

 

[knowlesbg]

the ability to change the size even boldness is a must
could this be done on a individual item basis in setup according to users reqiurements along the lines of the EMS widget SETUP
the ones that stand out is Barometer, Altitude (AP), NAVIGATION, WINDS, to name a few

Bruce

 

[PhantomPholly]

- Display approaching airspace in SV, rendered in shaded areas to highlight altitudes (e.g. "Above/Below my altitude")
- Flight planning: Include Victor airways. C'mon, guys- an airway is nothing more than a simple ordered collection of fixes! Garmin purposely "nerfed" the 430/530 series so as not to compete with the G-1000 series, but the Jeppesen database has it in there already.
- Include Canadian airspace
- Read the data streams from ADS-B receivers to display Wx, Traffic, & TFRs.

 

[mmarien]

I agree with most of the stuff mentioned. A paper map is handy for planning trips but in flight being able to obtain data from the digital map in front of you is a more convenient method.

1 Display of the information is important. Toggling layers of info on or off could be a user setup item where you select the layer from the database that you want shown or at what scale they should be displayed. This is quick and easy. Zooming in gets you the detail you want. Zooming out declutters the map. Levels of declutter GPSx95 style is also a good method. Keep the scale but toggle layers of information. VOR/NDB/etc. aren't necessary for VFR GPS navigation and useless for simple pilotage. Just getting rid of the identifiers helps. The symbols are usually unobtrusive. Perhaps a few preselected levels for quick selection from pilotage to IFR.

2 Being able to obtain info by scrolling a cursor over an item. Floor/ceiling for air spaces, elevation/ATF for airports or just displaying/highlighting/enlarging the identifier of the town or lake. More info can be had by selecting the item. Poping up a window of the airport info and leaving it on the screen would keep the data handy for planning approaches/selecting frequencies, etc. What better way to plan the approach then having a picture of the runway and circuit pattern right in front of you. The plane symbol and immediate data is at the bottom of the screen so there is lots of room at the top of the map for temporary data. Making it transparent or translucent would keep the big picture in view.

3 Sharing data with other devices such as sending freqencies to the comm aka Garmin style (GPSx95 -> SL30/40). Or routes GPSx95 -> Skyview. A method to inputing routes and other data via USB so the planning can be done at home in front of a computer rather than on the taxiway. The current Google Earth Export function is a good start.

4 Cities/towns and roads/highways plus natural features are a must for simple VFR pilotage.

The aesthetics of the SV is what initially sold me so I fully expect that you'll apply that winning formula to the new features of the map.

 

[marchudson]

One feature that I've seen on other EFIS panels. An engine out glide ring that changes dynamically with terrain.

 

[Jonas]

display the runway numbers somehow at the airport icon when you're 10 miles or less from the airport

 

[k.gregory]

1. Map View selection - north up, course up,
2. Map panning via cursor
3. Route planning by fix selection with cursor
4. small vertical profile view at bottom of map (toggle on-off)
4. dynamic climb / descent prediction arc keyed to alt selected (aids in crossing alt assignments).
5. Airspace, navaid, frequency data selectable on screen via toggle.
Suggest the Gulfstream Planeview system as inspiration.
Thanks for asking! KG

 

[asaflyer]

I have been using Jeppesen Flite Star/Flite Map for nav planning and as a moving map on my laptop for a number of years. It is a good system but the laptop is too cumbersome.
Will the Dynon Nav Data be the same or similar to what I am accustomed to seeing on Jeppesen?
Jim W

 

[DanFritz]

Here are some handy features that would be useful and I've seen in various (very expensive) glass cockpits I've flown with:

Route planning that included Airways and was inputtable in the same fashion as listed on an IFR flight plan (i.e.:  VCV BETTY J15 SANDS....)

Display of flight plan route from connected Nav/GPS (such as GNS 480W, etc.)

Dynamic leader line showing where the aircraft will be in 15 and 30 seconds (to include bank angle calculations to show turns)

Dynamic level-off line/arc showing where on the map the aircraft will reach a commanded altitude (tied to the autopilot settings)

Map view selection (north up or course up)

Flight Plan input/output support (via USB, etc.) to allow off-line flight planning

User-selectable declutter options

Some of these have already been mentioned and some may already exist; if so, sorry to take your time reading it.  I'm probably going to install the system in my Velocity when I start building again, but don't currently have one (unfortunately).

Dan

 

[cbthorne]

I hope that the search data options will allow us to find airports and nav aids by their airport name and not just the identifiers. I belive that this will be included when the Jepesen data is available to us later.

The previous posters have covered great suggestions and they are miostly the features we are already accustomed to in our various flying GPS units. In the meantime I am happily using my SV-10 on the bench learning all of the features presently available.

 

[akflyer]

I would like to be able to load a multi leg flight plan into SkyView or a second GPS such as a GNC 300XL, have the flight plan legs depicted on the SV Map and be able to engage the autopilot which will fly the entire flight plan including climbs and descents.
Jim W

 

[perryc]

I'd 2nd the request for the engine out glide rings.

How about fully supported user added airstrips?  Biggest thing that bugs me about my life with 396 & 496's is sure you can add waypoints, but go and land at one and the terrain avoidance is yelling "Terrain, Terrain Pull Up" cause it's not an airport in the Jepp database.  Even the trip log will use the closest registered airport for the destination even it it's 30 miles away.  Probably 1/4 of my landings this year were at private unregistered strips.  Allow the "User Airports" to be uploaded via a file on the USB drive so perhaps a shared "user created airports" database can be created.  Your data is free in the USA in other places like even here in the Great White North there are guys in suits standing between me and data I already paid for.

 

[trevpond]

Perryc's points regarding user designated fully supported airstrips is a point well made.

In the UK, a lot of light aircraft are operated off farm strips which can be anywhere. It would be useful if a strip can be made into an airport with runway designations, frequencies, and altitude.

Just my two pence worth


Trev Pond

 

[perryc]

Don't make the Jeppison and free USA data mutually exclusive. Allow merging your free USA data and the Jeppison stuff and of course the "User Airports" I mentioned in my previous post. I may be happy enough with a $ Jeppison update annually for my Canadian airspace flying but would grab a US update from you more often.

User obstacles would be really nice too. Way too many towers not in anyone's data. Again this could evolve into some we could upload and share.


Perry Casson