Need a couple of new options in the next update

[jshultz]

Hey guys, how about adding a couple of features int eh next Skyview update. Here's my wish list.

1) Support for the MGL V6 radio. Let's add the ability to autofill comm frequencies.

2) A new timer - one that starts automatically when the engine starts and records the tach time for that engine run. Kinda like the flight timer but for the tach.

3) A configurable setting to automatically prompt the user for fuel quantity or addition once the engine is running.

4) An offset/calibration for the slip ball to correct for installation misalignment. If the ball is half out, it's a pain to realign the ADAHRS to center it.

5) An option to have the baro pressure automatically set on startup (or GPS acquisition) by querying the database for the current field elevation and using that to set baro. This would be handy when you can't get the current altimeter setting from AWOS til you're airborne.

So, what do you think guys?

 

[dynonsupport]

Thanks for the suggestions. We have a huge list of customer requests, so I can't promise anything in the next update, but we will put them on our list to discuss and prioritize.

A few comments:

1) According to reports, the V6 already works with the SL-30/40 protocol. More info here:
http://dynonavionics.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1370283742/18#18

2) Interesting idea. What do you log based on differential tach time for the last flight?

3) This is already there in a much smarter way. If you fill the tanks when the plane is off, it will pop up a reminder on boot if the fuel level changed while off. If you have no tank senders it will pop up every boot. Is there a reason you want this to pop up at engine start (when you should be keeping an eye on things like oil pressure) rather than when SkyView boots?

4) If the ball is out, the whole AHRS is tilted, which means the calibration of pitch, roll, heading, etc are all messed up. While this is technically possible to compensate for in software, it's a huge amount of work. If your AHRS is tilted, now some of your roll gyro is your pitch gyro and vice versa!

5) On the list. We've wanted it for a while too, it just hasn't bubbled up to be a high priority. Be aware this only ever gets you close. Field elevation is for one point on the field, and many airports can have 100' changes depending on where you are. So doing it automatically, at every boot, has its own issues as well. This will probably require some button press by the user.

 

[ckurz7000]

5) On the list. We've wanted it for a while too, it just hasn't bubbled up to be a high priority. Be aware this only ever gets you close. Field elevation is for one point on the field, and many airports can have 100' changes depending on where you are. So doing it automatically, at every boot, has its own issues as well. This will probably require some button press by the user.

This would be a nice little addition. There are a lot of small airfields which don't give you a baro setting. As I see it, there are three possibilities to set the barometric pressure:

1) use the published field elevation (if there is one at all)

2) use the GPS derived altitude (if you have a 3D GPS fix of sufficient quality)

3) use the altitude of your location as given by the terrain database (the least desirable option).

You could, e.g., give the user the option which one to use.

-- Chris.

 

[swatson999]

5) On the list. We've wanted it for a while too, it just hasn't bubbled up to be a high priority. Be aware this only ever gets you close. Field elevation is for one point on the field, and many airports can have 100' changes depending on where you are. So doing it automatically, at every boot, has its own issues as well. This will probably require some button press by the user.

This would be a nice little addition. There are a lot of small airfields which don't give you a baro setting. As I see it, there are three possibilities to set the barometric pressure:

1) use the published field elevation (if there is one at all)

2) use the GPS derived altitude (if you have a 3D GPS fix of sufficient quality)

3) use the altitude of your location as given by the terrain database (the least desirable option).

You could, e.g., give the user the option which one to use.

-- Chris.

This brings up an interesting question I've had. I have a D6 backup EFIS (and it's backup, so I pretty much never look at it during flight), but I *think* that what I'm seeing is that every time I start up and go through my checklist, when I get to Primary EFIS - SET and Backup EFIS - SET, the D6 has changed the barometric pressure from what it was at last shutdown. I just set it correctly and go about my flight (and yeah, I should be setting the new barometric pressure on both whenever I get a new value from ATIS or ATC, but I'm lazy on VFR flights and end up just setting the Skyview ). But the D6 shows values that are quite a bit different the next flight. Not horribly wrong, maybe a few 1/10ths of an inch one way or the other, but still...

Is the D6 doing something I don't know about here? Or is my aging brain misinterpreting or misremembering something?

 

[dynonsupport]

Page 5-1 and 5-2 of the user guide cover this. The system is attempting to adjust and keep the altitude the same between shutdown and start-up, not the baro setting, since the assumption is you landed with the right baro and didn't move the plane. You can turn this off in setup if you want.

 

[swatson999]

AHA! Thanks, I missed that in the User's Guide...that explains it1

Steve