Data Manager

You'll love this new feature!  In the past, every 28 days, Voyager would tell you that new data was available.  You'd click OK and begin what could be a lengthy update process while new data was downloaded and installed.  Moreover, every time you ran Voyager, it would download new TFRs, new fuel prices, and more.  All of this is now a thing of the past, meaning that Voyager starts up much, much faster. Now the Data Manager runs silently and unobtrusively in the background while Windows runs and, every hour, checks for new data.  When new data is found, the Data Manager downloads it (without slowing down your computer for other tasks) and installs it.  No fuss, no muss.  Then, when you start Voyager, Voyager detects that you already have current TFRs and fuel prices so bypasses downloading them again.  Moreover, if new monthly data was just downloaded, it will simply tell you that new data has already been installed!   Perhaps even better, in addition to standard monthly data, the Data Manager will keep the scanned charts (Sectionals, IFR Low Altitude, etc.) you select current by monitoring and downloading new versions when necessary.  That is, if you often fly in the Seattle area, you can use the Scanned Charts button in the Data Manager to select the Seattle North and South Sectionals plus the L1 Low Altitude chart.   The Data Manager runs as a small icon in the area of the screen that Windows calls the System Tray (the area next to the clock in the lower right corner of the screen).  You can review the settings by right-clicking your mouse on its icon (a tiny blue Voyager ball with a green arrow) and selecting Settings or by selecting Data Manager from Voyager's Tools menu.

  

When we created our SkyPad, it was clear that Voyager had to run better on lower-priced computers with less memory.  And, for inflight use, it had to keep running for hours if not days.  In keeping, as Richard Newman, our Technical Support Manager, likes to say, we put Voyager on the "Jenny Craig plan."  That is, we took a hard look at the code and found many places where would reduce the amount of memory that Voyager used.  This makes Voyager run faster because the computer doesn't have to swap chunks of memory from RAM to the hard disk and back and forth (this is called Disk Swapping and is a very slow operation).  We also found that many of the mysterious, only-happens-when-a-developer-isn't-looking errors really came down excess memory consumption.  Thus, by using less memory, not only is Voyager 4.3 faster but also more stabile.

 

Voyager 4.32 includes many other fixes and improvements.  These include fixing some printing issues, problems with Personal Waypoints and Alternate selection, AV8OR flight plan export, XM winds aloft, satellite and radar display issues, rubber-banding routes, routing via airways, and more.

 

To download Voyager 4.32, simply start Voyager and it should tell you that the new version is available (or try Tools/Update Application).  If your ChartData has expired, this would be an ideal time to renew.
 

Got Windows 7?  So do we.  In fact, we've had it for months.  Both Voyager 4.2 and the new Voyager 4.32 work just great with Windows 7 (much better than Vista, in fact).  The only issue we're aware of is that the Print to PDF feature doesn't work properly on the 64-bit version of either Windows 7 or Vista.  You also might consider turning the UAC off, if you haven't done so already (see your Windows Help on what the UAC is; we like to think of it as the over-protective mother you're glad you never had).

  

We've sent out multiple emails about the new SkyPad device but, in case you missed it, the SkyPad is a powerful Tablet PC that comes pre-loaded with a tuned version of Voyager and all the data you need.  It even comes with a GPS and is custom-configured for each buyer.  We introduced it at Oshkosh this year and, both there and most recently at the AOPA Summit in Tampa, it's been our best-selling product.  And for good reason.  For just over $1,000 it blows the doors off the likes of a Garmin handheld unit and anything our competitors can whip up -- fast operation, finely-tuned version of Windows, 2D and 3D displays, seamless Sectionals and IFR charts, a Bluetooth, WAAS-enabled GPS and much more.  Plus, since it runs Windows XP and includes all the standard computing amenities (a swivel-out keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2 GB of RAM, 60 GB hard disk, etc.), you can install all the standard Windows applications like Word, Excel and Outlook so it doubles as a powerful laptop for your travels.

 

Some time ago, the very good folks at Bendix-King came to us and told us about a great new device they were working on.  The only things it needed to be a killer product just so happen to be things we offer -- geo-referenced Approach Plates and geo-referenced, seamless IFR Low Altitude and High Altitude charts.  The result of this collaboration was the exciting new AV8OR ACE, introduced at Oshkosh.  The AV8OR ACE is a full-function, aviation-grade integrated GPS display with a large, bright, easy-to-use touch screen (no knobs to turn).

 

We're very excited about the AV8OR ACE and we think you will be, too.