PDA software for pilots...

[acuba 290]

are there are any? maybe somebody knows some links with windows pocket software for pilots like digital logbooks and w&b calculations or flightplanning? At the moment i found only this one...Safelog

[Fuji Abound]

http://www.pocketfms.com/

Brilliant software and it is free unless you require the more detailed maps.

[acuba 290]

http://www.pocketfms.com/

Brilliant software and it is free unless you require the more detailed maps.

thanx a lot!

[acuba 290]

is it also possible to get more better maps and use them with Pocket FMS?

[dublinpilot]

If you make a voluntary donation of €50 or more, they will give you more detailed maps.

An excellent piece of software, and great value for money.

You'll really need a gps for your pda though to use it properly. I only say this because you haven't said that you have a gps in your post.

dp

[acuba 290]

If you make a voluntary donation of €50 or more, they will give you more detailed maps.

An excellent piece of software, and great value for money.

You'll really need a gps for your pda though to use it properly. I only say this because you haven't said that you have a gps in your post.

dp
well, at the moment i don't have GPS or PDA yet, i just waiting for my PPL issue at CAA and thinking about "what after?". I think i'll need something like Garmin or PDA for navigation, but don't know what exactly i need as absolutelly beginner...Should i buy Garmin296 or i don't need it, or some PDA or what ever, just need advice from you, experienced people;)

[Fuji Abound]

A pda using Pocket Fms is every bit as good and very nearly as reliable as a Garmin however each has a few advantages and disadvantages.

The pda is not the out of the box solution Garmin proivide. It requires selecting the correct pda for your purpose, attaching a gps (be it by bluetooth or cable), installing the software on an sd card and knowing a little about how to use the pda. Potentially these are disadvantages. On the other hand it is far more configurable in terms of both the hardware and software. For example, if you want to run the GPS purely off batteries for three hours or more this is possible with the pda but may not be with some colour dedicated units.

You should read the user forum on PocketFms which will answer many of these questions and give some good pointeres on the best pdas to use.

In short, horse for courses.

[MVE]

If you have just got your PPL, the last thing you need is a GPS!

Practise your visual nav and keep the gps in your pocket switched off. If you practise what you have been taught the gps ends up covered in dust in a corner. OR you could rely totally on the gps for the next few months and end up like a recent visitor to my local airfield and end up wandering around in a panic because your'e batteries for the GPS have died and you are no longer confident in you're own skills to navigate without the GPS!

That said the pocket fms program is very good but again only as good as the battery life!

[Fuji Abound]

"If you have just got your PPL, the last thing you need is a GPS!"

Of course the thread can drift down whatever route contributors wish, but the matter you raise is a whole different debate.

It may be better to kick this off on a new thread - I suspect you will get plently of heated debate :) .

[SQUAWKIDENT]

I use an ACER N35 which is a PDA with integrated GPS. Works great with pocketfms for flying and also works well in the car as it comes with installed mapping software of the UK. Available here if you're interested:
ebuyer.com

[acuba 290]

I use an ACER N35 which is a PDA with integrated GPS. Works great with pocketfms for flying and also works well in the car as it comes with installed mapping software of the UK. Available here if you're interested:
ebuyer.com

wow, attractive price.So is it possible to use some other software for navigation, than Pocket FMS with that device?

[acuba 290]

ok, Pocket FMS is nice one, but maybe somebody knows cool webpages with other soft for PDA? maybe some weight and ballance calculation software or logbooks for PDA? More navigation stuff? Any ideas?;)

[IO540]

What you need to decide first is what quality (and reliability) of maps you are after or, if indeed you want any map on it.

There is a whole load of American PDA software products, but their European map coverage is either missing, or full of omissions and (worse) errors. In this business, the product will be only as good as the number of users that regularly exercise the database, and with the GA scene in Europe being a bit on the small side, close to nonexistent in most places, and much of it being severely budget-limited, I am sure you can see that a product could easily get tested quite well between Goodwood and Bembridge, or even between Goodwood and Le Touquet, but once you get into the real winderness that's called "Europe" you can forget it. It will then be as good as the poor sod who compiled the database. And the database needs updating every 28 days, and somebody has got to do it, and there is no easy way to do this other than to obtain every country's AIP and see what has changed. It's a ludicrous [lack of] system which plays into the hands of the high end commercial vendors, Jeppesen and others, who have the manpower to run this, and charge for it very nicely.

There are plenty of W&B / E6B calculators and such. Just google on

W&B PDA

or whatever. Many are free.

IMHO, Navbox Pro is the best product to look at, by far. The price is good, it is fully updated and is as accurate as something costing 10x more, but there is no PDA version.

[Brooklands]

There's also Flymap (http://www.flymap.co.uk/en/en.html) which runs under Pocket PC. They were demoing at AeroExpo. May be worth considering. The manufacturer seems to be German, so it might be better bet if oyu only plan to fly in Europe.

Brooklands

[acuba 290]

There's also Flymap (http://www.flymap.co.uk/en/en.html) which runs under Pocket PC. They were demoing at AeroExpo. May be worth considering. The manufacturer seems to be German, so it might be better bet if oyu only plan to fly in Europe.

Brooklands

thanx, also interesting;)

[formationfoto]

Flymap has a UK distributor and the software is slowly being updated to be appropriate for the UK market (although much of the help files etc remain German).

[J.A.F.O.]

Saw the Flymap XL last year at Helitech and if the PDA version is one tenth as good it'll be the dog's danglies.

[acuba 290]

http://www.pocketfms.com/

Brilliant software and it is free unless you require the more detailed maps.

as i understand, there is actually no need to have PV at all, it is possible to install PocketFMS and use all features directly in PDA with Windows Mobil System?

[dublinpilot]

It is necessary to have a pc to use PocketFMS.

PocketFMS installs onto your pc, and you update your pda from there.

All updated navdata is downloaded by the pc, and then transferred to your pda.

The pda can do all functions required inflight.

Can't see why someone would buy Flightmap, when all it does and more is available for free with PocketFMS.

Can you tell I'm a fan? :O

dp