NATS prepare to launch free pre-flight planning tool
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NATS Swanwick
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NATS prepare to launch free pre-flight planning tool
Some of you will know that NATS having been working for the past months on a project to make planning a VFR flight safer and easier.
We believe that some key functionality is essential in any such pre-flight planning tool and must include the following:
• Simple user interface
• Free at point of use
• Graphical NOTAM depiction
• Generates alerts when a planned route interacts with controlled or restricted airspace
• Generates basic Pilot’s Log
• Comprehensive VFR database
NATS have been looking hard for products that incorporate this functionality and for a way of acknowledging the clear safety benefits that any such product would bring to the GA community.
We are nearly there! Beta testing is well underway of a truly innovative and exciting tool developed by a well known and respected UK company who already specialise in VFR Flight Planning and In-flight GPS.
Watch this space for updates as we approach a launch date in time for the Easter Weekend.
In the meantime, if you feel you would like to be one of a small team of Beta testers to help in the final stages of validating the tool, then please PM me.
We believe that some key functionality is essential in any such pre-flight planning tool and must include the following:
• Simple user interface
• Free at point of use
• Graphical NOTAM depiction
• Generates alerts when a planned route interacts with controlled or restricted airspace
• Generates basic Pilot’s Log
• Comprehensive VFR database
NATS have been looking hard for products that incorporate this functionality and for a way of acknowledging the clear safety benefits that any such product would bring to the GA community.
We are nearly there! Beta testing is well underway of a truly innovative and exciting tool developed by a well known and respected UK company who already specialise in VFR Flight Planning and In-flight GPS.
Watch this space for updates as we approach a launch date in time for the Easter Weekend.
In the meantime, if you feel you would like to be one of a small team of Beta testers to help in the final stages of validating the tool, then please PM me.
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Thank you to the huge number of people who have volunteered to Beta test this exciting tool. We now have more than enough testers and already a huge amount of very positive feedback. So if you have not been asked to test the software, don't worry, you will get your chance to play with the completed product for free in just a few days.
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SkyDemon Light revealed
I am delighted to now be able to disclose the company that NATS have been working with to bring the UK General Aviation community a free VFR pre-flight planning tool is SkyDemon.
SkyDemon are already known and respected throughout the community for their SkyDemon Plan software. They have been working incredibly hard in conjunction with NATS to produce a streamlined, on-line version, free at the point of use, which delivers key functionality that we believe is essential to the safe planning and execution of a VFR flight. The name of this exciting tool is SkyDemon Light.
Over the next few days we hope to be able to formally acknowledge and endorse this key safety functionality in SkyDemon's product and jointly declare the tool operational but in the meantime we need your help to continue our programme of Beta testing. We would like to thank our original team of Beta testers for their comments and support and now extend the offer all PPRuNe Private Flying forum members to try out and evaluate SkyDemon Light.
The link to the prototype is www.SkyDemonLight.com/airspace.html The application will prompt you to install the Microsoft Plug-In, Silverlight on your computer but in practice this is already resident on many peoples systems.
Please post your comments and thoughts back to the thread and Tim Dawson from SkyDemon together with NATS Research & Development Team will monitor your posts to help us complete the Beta test phase and declare SkyDemon Light operational.
SkyDemon are already known and respected throughout the community for their SkyDemon Plan software. They have been working incredibly hard in conjunction with NATS to produce a streamlined, on-line version, free at the point of use, which delivers key functionality that we believe is essential to the safe planning and execution of a VFR flight. The name of this exciting tool is SkyDemon Light.
Over the next few days we hope to be able to formally acknowledge and endorse this key safety functionality in SkyDemon's product and jointly declare the tool operational but in the meantime we need your help to continue our programme of Beta testing. We would like to thank our original team of Beta testers for their comments and support and now extend the offer all PPRuNe Private Flying forum members to try out and evaluate SkyDemon Light.
The link to the prototype is www.SkyDemonLight.com/airspace.html The application will prompt you to install the Microsoft Plug-In, Silverlight on your computer but in practice this is already resident on many peoples systems.
Please post your comments and thoughts back to the thread and Tim Dawson from SkyDemon together with NATS Research & Development Team will monitor your posts to help us complete the Beta test phase and declare SkyDemon Light operational.
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Route Planning
I've had a quick play and it looks great. The one obvious thing that is missing is roads!
As someone who flies a relatively slow aircraft which isn't allowed to fly over built-up areas I often use road and / or railway junctions as turning points. The current map setup makes those very difficult to identify easily which in turn diminishes the value of the plog function.
As someone who flies a relatively slow aircraft which isn't allowed to fly over built-up areas I often use road and / or railway junctions as turning points. The current map setup makes those very difficult to identify easily which in turn diminishes the value of the plog function.
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It would be good for users to be able to add their own airfield. Our strip is missing.
It would be good if you could see the plog. clicking the button marked PLOG didn't do anything. A PLOG with frequencies would make it great.
There were a lot of NOTAMS etc that just said "not plotted on chart" or something similar when you click them
Otherwise it was quite good, but a little slow on my computer. I am running Chrome with a 4-5Mb/sec Broadband. Google Earth and Maps both redraw noticeably faster.
It would be good if you could see the plog. clicking the button marked PLOG didn't do anything. A PLOG with frequencies would make it great.
There were a lot of NOTAMS etc that just said "not plotted on chart" or something similar when you click them
Otherwise it was quite good, but a little slow on my computer. I am running Chrome with a 4-5Mb/sec Broadband. Google Earth and Maps both redraw noticeably faster.
Join Date: May 2001
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I'm glad NATS is teaming up with Skydemon. I was going to suggest otherwise why re-invent the wheel, when there are many good products out there.
I use Skydemon for all my flight planning currently and it is brilliant.
I use Skydemon for all my flight planning currently and it is brilliant.
Join Date: Sep 2010
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Even better, is there any plans to include ROI in this application?
It would be good for users to be able to add their own airfield. Our strip is missing.
There were a lot of NOTAMS etc that just said "not plotted on chart" or something similar when you click them
The plog comes as a pop up. check to see if you have pop ups blocked.
Join Date: Mar 2011
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I'm a student so new to flight planning. I'm blown away by this. It is truly wonderful and I'l be making good use of it.
The web version, for a freebie, seems brilliant too.
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Quite impressive 
and thanks a lot to whoever has paid for it 
The No. 1 item on my wish-list is the ability to set different altitudes for different legs of the route, or have I missed how to do it?
Keep up the good work!
and thanks a lot to whoever has paid for it The No. 1 item on my wish-list is the ability to set different altitudes for different legs of the route, or have I missed how to do it?
Keep up the good work!
Why do it if it's not fun?
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Overall, I'd say it's excellent.
One minor point though, after having had a short play with it: I take it Alderney airport will be adding handling facilities for sea-planes, since it appears to be in the sea???
FFF
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One minor point though, after having had a short play with it: I take it Alderney airport will be adding handling facilities for sea-planes, since it appears to be in the sea???
FFF
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Join Date: Mar 2011
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anyone else have issues installing Silverlight ?? I have windows 7, 64 bit and it is apparently not supported (64bit that is).
I managed to use Silverlight this way for this site with no problems.
Or use Firefox!
WH
Last edited by WelshHopper; 5th Apr 2011 at 12:28. Reason: I hate IE!