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Dear Fellow Pilot,
I've waited to put these words into print for a long time so here it goes:
New FlyQ EFB 1.5 is Now Available from the App Store! Quick Summary: Supports the Stratus☨, FreeFlight, and NavWorx ADS-B systems, adds Canadian and Caribbean maps, adds Personal Waypoints, includes dozens of other improvements
Normally this newsletter covers all our products but this issue is devoted to new FlyQ EFB 1.5. If you have never tried FlyQ EFB on your iPad or tried it a long time ago, I suggest downloading new version 1.5 now and see why it's consistently been the highest-rated major aviation app in the App Store (117 five star reviews for the last version!). We've cleared all the old 30 day trial records from our database so everyone can try it again.
Otherwise: - Open your iPad
- Tap the App Store icon, usually on the first screen
- Tap into the Search box at the upper right corner of the app
- Enter FlyQ EFB and tap the Search button on the keyboard
- Tap a button that says Free, Download, or has a cloud symbol.
Each month, the newsletter will cover what's new with our products, include helpful tips and tricks on using them, and sometimes look ahead to what's coming soon. Back issues can be read from our Web site, under the Company tab.
I'm Steve Podradchik, the CEO here. I write the newsletter so email me personally if there is something you'd like me to cover next month. My email address is stevep@seattleavionics.com.
New FlyQ EFB takes the #1 rated major iPad aviation app and adds support for a total of 15 ADS-B systems, adds map downloads for new regions such as Canada and the Caribbean, introduces Personal Waypoints (aka user-defined waypoints), and much more.
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Unprecedented ADS-B Support
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2020 is coming up fast. If you don't know what that means, it's time to learn about the FAA's ADS-B program. In a nutshell, it means you'll need a new piece of certified avionics (unless you fly an experimental, of course) to fly in most populated places in the country. That is, anywhere you need a Mode C transponder today. Our ADS-B Primer goes over all the details in an easy to understand way.
This relates to FlyQ EFB because FlyQ EFB now supports the vast majority of all the inexpensive portable ADS-B receivers on the market (Clarity, Stratus, SkyRadar, iLevil, Dual, Pathfinder, etc.) and also fantastic certified ADS-B systems from FreeFlight Systems and NavWorx. This means you can use FlyQ today with a portable receiver and seamlessly move up to a certified ADS-B system in the near future. Many apps don't have this upgrade path so you'd have to switch apps when you get a certified ADS-B system.
Of course using an ADS-B system from any of our supported systems is extremely easy. You just hook your iPad up to the Wi-Fi (or Bluetooth in one case) that the ADS-B broadcasts and FlyQ begins using it.
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New Canadian and Caribbean Maps
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As a Washington State resident, I'm very aware that there is a great country just slightly north of us. Our customers in Florida have terrific things to say about the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Gulf of Mexico.
New FlyQ EFB 1.5 now downloads maps for these areas. There is no additional subscription fee for these new regions. Simply go to the ChartData Manager portion of the app and tap the spinning globe to select the new areas.
That said, I want to be clear about what this coverage is and what it isn't:
All of this is about maps - Sectionals and IFR Enroute charts. We have not added approach plates, airport diagrams, or new digital data for these areas so you may still need some paper backup for safe and legal flights to these areas. Nonetheless, the maps will be there on your iPad and it's free.
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Personal Waypoints
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In most cases, we fly from airport to airport, often using the FAA's navaids and fixes along the way. Sometimes, however, it's handy to create your own personal waypoint (aka user-defined waypoint). It's essentially a fix that is just for you. This may be a private airport in your back yard, reporting points you commonly use, or a series of lat/lon grid points you use for a search and rescue operation. FlyQ EFB now has all of these cases covered with our new Personal Waypoint feature.
Personal Waypoints, similar to navaids, have both a short, simple Ident and an optional easier-to-read Name. You can choose two different display format on the map. The default is to show the ident and optional name but you can also choose (in Settings) to hide these and just use a flag icon instead. That's handy when you have very closely spaced points.
Creating a personal waypoint is very easy. You can do it from double-tapping the map, entering a lat/lon into the Search box at the top of the app, by tapping the Position gauge on the bottom Gauge Bar, or by using a list view in Settings.
When using the Search box or double-tapping the map, simply tap the new +WPT button and name your point.
Tip: Remember to tap the Layers button on the map and turn on the Personal Waypoints layer.
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New Map Button
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This may seem like a minor feature but I bet it becomes one of your favorite features in FlyQ EFB -- a new Map button in Search.
Previously, using the Search Box to jump to a map point meant tapping twice (tap once to show the Details page about the point then tap the Map button on the Details page). Now each search result has its own Map button so you can skip the Details page and jump the map directly to the new location.
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Enhanced Data Entry
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In a previous release, we made it easy to enter a lat/lon in the Search box. In this release, we're responding to requests for entering points as relative to a navaid or fix and as the intersection of two radials.
Distance and bearing from a navaid:
Simply enter the navaid, a slash, the radial (for a navaid) or magnetic bearing (for a fix), another slash, and a distance. For example, the image below shows how to calculates a point 24 NM from the SEA VOR along the 104 radial (SEA/104/24).
Intersection of two radials:
Similarly, you sometimes need to know where two radials intersect. Now it's easy. Just enter the two VORs and radials, separated by a slash. For example, SEA121/TCM74.
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New Pilot's Guide
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Years ago, folks thought that computers would do away with printed materials. Apparently no one told HP because they do quite a business selling printers and ink.
Most iPad apps don't have a manual. Of course, most iPad apps don't have the functionality of an aviation app, either. For years, we've had a Getting Started Guide that covered the basics of using FlyQ EFB. Over time, it grew but we never went back and filled-in the more advanced parts or reorganized it for all the new content.
Today that changes as we now have a comprehensive Pilot's Guide that covers just about everything in FlyQ EFB. Unlike the old Getting Started Guide, it's made to be printed or used online so it has a Table of Contents, page numbers, and a Troubleshooting guide. The first page also has a handy clickable reference of other Help materials.
Click here to download the Pilot's Guide. You can also download it from within FlyQ EFB by going to the Settings page then the Technical Support / Help section where it's still listed as the Getting Started Guide.
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Sun 'n Fun is just around the corner. Personally, I'm looking forward to a little time in the sun and I bet many of you are, too. We're in booth C-022, the same location as last year.
Recently, I gave a talk that compared various ADS-B systems that was very well received (read some comments) . I'll be giving that talk during Sun 'n Fun plus some additional talks. Hope to see you there.
| Date/Time | Topic | Room | Tuesday, April 21
11 AM |
Comparing Portable ADS-B Receivers for iPad and Android
| 9 | Wednesday, April 22
1 PM |
| 1 | Friday, April 24
11 AM | Intro to FlyQ EFB | 2 |
Sincerely,
Steve Podradchik
CEO, Seattle Avionics
stevep@seattleavionics.com
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☨ Stratus and Stratus 2 are trademarks of Appareo Systems, LLC. Seattle Avionics and Appareo have no business agreement or relationship and Appareo has not endorsed or approved FlyQ's support of their products.
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