VFR flight planning and navigation software I've written

[Tim Dawson]

SkyDemon 0.9.13 Released!

This is (likely) the last beta release of SkyDemon. We've added a couple of superficial configuration features, finalised artwork/naming and improved Town data but apart from that everything is pretty much identical to the last released version.

Oh, and data for Denmark will be available by the end of today.

Plan
---
It is now possible to specify the port to use when communicating with Garmin/Magellan external devices
It is now possible to specify the search path to use when communicating with SkyDemon InFlight devices

InFlight
---
The altimeter is now highlighted in red when uncalibrated from ellipsoid altitude

[chopper.al]

Hi Tim, You're a genius!!! this is the most user friendly planning software I've come across. I have been telling everybody I know about it and told them to purchase ASAP. (Commission?)

I was thinking, would it be an idea to speak to one of the GPS suppliers and sell the software already loaded into their Sat Nav? I know you would be selling the licence for them to use your program but they may take it to a bigger market and give you a bigger return.

Alan.

[mr_rodge]

Great Software

Hi,

I've been observing this thread for a while now and have just had a go at using the software, which is absolutely fantastic. I'm not a PPL yet, just a student, so I don't have much to comment on with the practical use of the package, however I understand the concept and I am astounded.

There is one thing I'm struggling with, though. My internet connection is via a proxy server and when I plot a route the weather information and NOTAM automatic download fails, giving me a message regarding proxy authentication. I've had a trawl around and don't seem to be able to find an option to input my proxy settings and credentials.

I also have a F&H PND (eBuyer), which is basically a Navigo but with a 4.3" screen. I have managed to run Memory-map (Tried in the car, ready for when I qualify!) and Igo 8 on it with no real problems, however I'd like to try SkyDemon Inflight as well for the more versatile track information among other obvious things. The PND is a Windows CE 5.0 device, and I have downloaded the Inflight BETA, however it states on the website that the .NET compact framework is required. I have downloaded this also, however it only seems to come as an installer package which won't run on my PND. I don't want to start messing with it as I may damage it, and the internal memory of the PND is reset to factory settings when I perform a hard reset meaning even if it did install, it would be gone again after a switch off. Does this mean I can't run Inflight on it? Or are there some DLLs etc. that I could place in the InFlight directory? I haven't actually tried any of this, by the way, I'm just posing the questions before I break my PND. From what I can gather, ideally I would need a zipped version of the framework to place on the SD card, then somehow instruct InFlight to refer to the directory I've placed the framework in. I had to do something similar to get Memory-map to remember it is a genuine copy. (I had to change the registry to look for Application Data on the SD card, not on the internal memory. This enabled me to register the software on the PND and the device to be hard reset without the licence for MM being lost as the registry isn't reset after a hard off.)

Again, thanks for letting everyone try the Beta, and be sure to let us know when the final's released as I, as I'm sure others are, am very eager to own the final version.

[Tim Dawson]

Thanks Alan, very much appreciated. We've been talking with some people about getting SkyDemon hardware devices produced. There's nothing to announce yet but it would seem unlikely for SkyDemon to be successful in general and for there not to be a dedicated hardware device created at some point.

mr_rodge, unfortunately there isn't scope now to introduce proxy settings for that aspect of SkyDemon before release. This is almost certainly something that'll happen after v1 release though. As for your hardware question, installation of .net should be as easy as connecting the device via ActiveSync and running the .net installer on your desktop machine. It should offer to install it on the device during installation. As for whether it'll be wiped when the device is reset, I have no idea. There's a forum specifically for that type of question on the SkyDemon site.

[Robin Driver]

Unhandled exception error GDI+

Hi Tim.

Running the latest version.

When I zoom in, to place a waypoint, if I zoom beyond a certain point I get the following:

See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.
************** Exception Text **************
System.Runtime.InteropServices.ExternalException: A generic error occurred in GDI+.
at System.Drawing.Graphics.CheckErrorStatus(Int32 status)
at System.Drawing.Graphics.DrawString(String s, Font font, Brush brush, RectangleF layoutRectangle, StringFormat format)
at Divelements.Aviation.FlightPlanner.Rendering.xc33d26eab04d79 57.x7253d7b8c846d67d(x2c1c98f7e7ef4c48 xd0bb5d9c9ba91857, xd7cb7ac31049ffae x0f7b23d1c393aed9, AirspaceEntity x79168b9c04e9426d)
at Divelements.Aviation.FlightPlanner.Rendering.xc33d26eab04d79 57.x32e22c96910a9b10(x2c1c98f7e7ef4c48 xd0bb5d9c9ba91857, xd7cb7ac31049ffae x0f7b23d1c393aed9, AirspaceEntity xa9a706768ab5b5b1)
at Divelements.Aviation.FlightPlanner.Rendering.xc33d26eab04d79 57.x5984854cf71a7a94(x867d3d2864d7f7d1 xd0bb5d9c9ba91857, xd7cb7ac31049ffae x0f7b23d1c393aed9, Entity xa9a706768ab5b5b1)
at Divelements.Aviation.FlightPlanner.Rendering.x867d3d2864d7f7 d1.DrawTwoDimensionalEntity(xd7cb7ac31049ffae context, Entity entity)
at Divelements.Aviation.FlightPlanner.Rendering.x2c1c98f7e7ef4c 48.xe406325e56f74b46(Graphics x41347a961b838962, Rectangle xe831729bf4ec9571)
at Divelements.Aviation.FlightPlanner.Rendering.x970ba8497cedc7 24.OnPaint(PaintEventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.PaintWithErrorHandling(PaintEve ntArgs e, Int16 layer, Boolean disposeEventArgs)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmPaint(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(M essage& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Mes sage& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4200 (NetFxQFE.050727-4200)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Fra...7/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
SkyDemon
Assembly Version: 0.9.13.26857
Win32 Version:
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Divelemen...n/SkyDemon.exe
----------------------------------------
Divelements.SandGrid
Assembly Version: 2.2.2.1
Win32 Version: 2.2.2.1
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Divelemen...s.SandGrid.DLL
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4016 (NetFxQFE.050727-4000)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL...dows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4016 (NetFxQFE.050727-4000)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL...089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4016 (NetFxQFE.050727-4000)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL...em.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
Divelements.Aviation
Assembly Version: 1.0.3621.26856
Win32 Version: 1.0.3621.26856
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Divelemen...s.Aviation.DLL
----------------------------------------
SandDock
Assembly Version: 3.0.6.1
Win32 Version: 3.0.6.1
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Divelemen...n/SandDock.DLL
----------------------------------------
Divelements.Mapping
Assembly Version: 1.0.3621.26856
Win32 Version: 1.0.3621.26856
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Divelemen...ts.Mapping.DLL
----------------------------------------
System.Xml
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4016 (NetFxQFE.050727-4000)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL...System.Xml.dll
----------------------------------------
SandBar
Assembly Version: 1.4.2.1
Win32 Version: 1.4.2.1
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Divelemen...an/SandBar.DLL
----------------------------------------
************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.
For example:
<configuration>
<system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>
When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.


Then I just get the big red cross in the map screen and have to restart the program.

Hugh

[Tim Dawson]

Are you looking at anything in particular when you see this? I've never seen anything like this, and no-one else has reported anything similar.

[Robin Driver]

Tim.

I was plotting a route:

Caernarfon - Hawarden - Shobden - Aberporth - Caernarfon.

I plotted the route ok, but as the last leg crosses D201, I dragged it inland to one of the wind farms for a nav point. As I zoomed in using the mouse wheel to make sure it lined up with what was on my map, then I got the error.

[Tim Dawson]

Thanks. Unfortunately having tried the steps you outlined I've been unable to reproduce the error. Perhaps if you have time and you're able to, you could reproduce it and give me any more detail that might help.

[Robin Driver]

Tim.

Ok. I've had a play.

First I uninstalled and reinstalled and the problem was still there. I then realised that I didn't need a route loaded, the fault was still there regardless.

I realised that I had all the european data loaded, to plan for a trip into france, but when I installed the latest version I also installed the USA data, to plan for my holiday.

I deleted the USA data and now it's fine.

Hope this helps.

Hugh.

[Tim Dawson]

Thanks, it's great that you were able to reproduce it. I've loaded the USA data (do you remember which states you had loaded?) and tried zooming in. What do I have to be looking at when I zoom in?

[Robin Driver]

Tim.

I only had the USA general data file installed, but I was zooming in over the UK, Anywhere caused the fault.

I have reinstalled the USA general data and the fault reappears wherever you try to zoom.

It happens at the zoom level where the distance scale bar in the bottom left of the screen is on 20 and changes for the third time.

I can reproduce the fault at will by reinstalling the USA general data.

The other data files I have installed are:

BeNeLux
France
Germany
Sweden.

Hugh

[yakker]

Hi Tim,

I am using a Garmin 295 still, and this has a RS232 connection. Will this become available as well as the USB connection for route transfer?

Yakker

[Tim Dawson]

Hugh, I've sent you a PM.

Yakker, you can now select a COM port in the Preferences window. Does this not work for you?

[Robin Driver]

Tim.

Check your email.

Hugh

[yakker]

Thanks Tim, I read your guide and realized what to do. It does transfer but the route is called 'empty' in the Garmin.

I also have tried my PDA since the upgrades, and cannot transfer the route. I get 'route has been exported'. but on the PDA there is no route. Routes I have previously transferred still show.

[Tim Dawson]

I have no control over what the Garmin device decides to name the route.

When you mention your PDA, are you referring to SkyDemon InFlight? Monday's release fixed a bug concerning the name change whereby Plan could export the route to the wrong place on the device. Should be fine now, though.

[Katamarino]

£95? Wow. Guess it's back to the charts!

[Tim Dawson]

The software is still in beta; version 1 has not yet been released. This forum won't be the appropriate place for any discussion of pricing nor the commercial aspects of it when it is, though; I suspect that would be against the rules.

[yakker]

Yes SkyDemon Inflight is on my PDA, and I did the update yesterday, and still have the route transfer problem. If I copy the route across to the PDA using Active Sync, when I open the route in InFlight, the route is listed, but does not show on the map, whereas previous saved routes load and work okay.

Re the Garmin, the route transfers no problem, just means I need to rename it, no big deal.

[Tim Dawson]

How strange. So Plan reports that the route has been successfully exported? Have you searched the device to see if it has ended up somewhere unexpected? Plan basically searches the device for SkyDemon.exe, so if for some reason you had two installations of the software, a route could end up in the wrong one.