i-phone 4

[Squeegee Longtail]

Have searched, but inconclusive.

I have finally relented and bought an i-phone (4). I fly in europe, what is the best app for euro vfr charts? It will only be a back up, but could be useful.
There seem to be some very good apps, but just for the US.
Anyone advise?

[dan_vector]

Air Navigation Pro. Available on the APP Store.

[seat 0A]

Agree. AirNav Pro is the best. Especially on an iPad :ok:

[IO540]

That doesn't run the real VFR charts.

An embedded worldwide database with more than 12000 navigation waypoints and 42000 airfields. Database includes frequency and runway information for most waypoints

What is the database like, accuracy-wise?

[stickandrudderman]

Apparently it will run the VFR charts if you pay for and download them.
I've used this app in Switzerland and found it to be excellent, but was disappointed to find (post purchase) that UK VFR charts were not available at that time. I haven't looked recently to see if that situation has changed.

[IO540]

I would be a little suprised if the UK ones worked since currently Memory Map has a commercial monopoly :yuk: on these by the CAA, and from 2010 onwards they are encrypted so cannot be imported into some other format.

The only way to run them is to scan the paper maps but there is no way to do that legally.

Maybe MM will license them out but I have not seen this happening widely so presumably they want too much for it.

All that a 3rd party app like this could do to facilitate running the UK charts is to run a TIFF or similar graphic file, with a separate (or embedded e.g. GeoTIFF) georeferencing data, but the user would then be stuck with getting the map scanned by a bureau with an A0 scanner, which probably costs a packet.

The best solution is Oziexplorer (whose mapping community has loads of scanned aviation charts) but I don't think they have an Iphone app out yet. They are talking about it.

[chrisPPL]

I have this app on my iPad and have downloaded the southern caa chart (£15.99). This is a one of the better apps for the UK, but still has a few bug. I would still draw lines on the chart and follow a paper plog.

[Runaway Gun]

Obviously only useful as a backup.

Getting lost because your iPad battery went flat just won't cut it.

[IO540]

Getting lost because you forgot to wind up the stopwatch won't cut it either.

The only thing which might "cut it" is if Stansted moved by 10 miles, in the middle of the night, and they didn't tell anybody :)

I would still draw lines on the chart and follow a paper plog.

I don't think MM is any good for flight planning. It is a very nice moving map app which shows at a glance where you are, and shows the airspace quite well.

One can do crude planning with it, by drawing tracks, but it is a real hack. I fly VFR using an ex-Navbox plog, and run the MM moving map just as belt and braces, or if doing an un-planned bimble.

[monkeyscribbler]

Ive found this to be v useful, have the CAA south of england chart which cost another 18quid, running in the background on a standard windscreen mount for a car, for doublechecking airspace and such, and as a back up when, as IO says, you're on an unplanned bimble.

does anyone know how to make it show your track onscreen while flying? i have it set to show predicted track, but cant make it show where ive been.

[dan_vector]

+1 for Air Nav Pro. Been using it for a while with the downloadable CAA southern chart. Works well and it seems to have a bi monthly airspace update via the app store app update function.

I didn't like memory map personally for reasons mentioned in IO's post and others.

[IO540]

Must warn you though... without GSM assistance (i.e. at any altitude) the GPS in the Iphone and Ipad is very flakey.

I was flying the other day with an Ipad2 and it had a fix for a few mins, then it lost it. No warning of any signal loss, either, in MM. A totally dumb implementation, and very dangerous.

[monkeyscribbler]

have to say im on an iphone 3gs and ive had no problems with the gps signal while flying a pa28

[soaringhigh650]

currently Memory Map has a commercial monopoly on these by the CAA, and from 2010 onwards they are encrypted so cannot be imported into some other format.

Not an exclusive contract. Airbox is another sat nav product which legally uses the digital versions of CAA maps.

[IO540]

Yes; nowadays there is more than one.

But they are all copy protected nowadays, which is a PITA.

Do they get the raster files from MM or from the CAA?

[TheGorrilla]

Sod that, just use it for playing angry birds and use a paper chart.

[hhobbit]

veering slightly off, what about Android apps? Galaxy S II screen is approaching the limit for a pocket sized device...

[IO540]

I think all smartphones have long exceeded the limit of a pocket sized device :)

That's why I am sticking with my Nokia E51.