Wishlist for the next IFD software release

And Europe VRP's. An autoroute option when not on airways would also be nice (e.g. when entering a flight plan leg from last wpt to the airport, route via nearest VRP to the direct route).

I wonder how hard it would be to take the tablet simulator and turn that into an in-flight usable software application, call it the IFD-340.  If it already has all the features running the real code, couldn't you just supply live GPS from the tablet to the simulator and essentially have a fully functioning application?  Then you can flight plan at home on your IFD-340 and upload that to the 540.  Ideally, with the connected panel, you could use the tablet as a semi-dual configuration.  I'd love to have a 540-340 connected panel.

I understand there are some flight planning features the other software packages have, so there is still a desire to upload flight plans from those applications to the 340/440/540.

The distance to climb/descend arc is a real biggie for me, and I expect a lot of other folks once they see it, and see how powerful and useful it is. Turn that fellow back on!

Edited by oskrypuch - 10 Dec 2013 at 7:25pm

Duplicate post

Edited by tony - 10 Dec 2013 at 8:18pm

tony wrote: tony wrote: Orest, in order for Avidyne to implement a climb/descend arch accurately, they are going to have to have an accurate drag/thrust model of the aircraft, the current aIrcraft configuration of drag devices, atmospherics, etc. Easy for Honeywell to do when they can get the data from Boeing, and integrate into similar architectures, hard for the bug smasher world with so many different variables.

Other companies have added this feature through a one time setup of user input data particular to the aircraft they fly.

FORANE wrote: tony wrote: tony wrote: Orest, in order for Avidyne to implement a climb/descend arch accurately, they are going to have to have an accurate drag/thrust model of the aircraft, the current aIrcraft configuration of drag devices, atmospherics, etc. Easy for Honeywell to do when they can get the data from Boeing, and integrate into similar architectures, hard for the bug smasher world with so many different variables. Other companies have added this feature through a one time setup of user input data particular to the aircraft they fly.

Edited by oskrypuch - 11 Dec 2013 at 10:08am

HDG mode.

oskrypuch wrote: FORANE wrote: tony wrote: tony wrote: Orest, in order for Avidyne to implement a climb/descend arch accurately, they are going to have to have an accurate drag/thrust model of the aircraft, the current aIrcraft configuration of drag devices, atmospherics, etc. Easy for Honeywell to do when they can get the data from Boeing, and integrate into similar architectures, hard for the bug smasher world with so many different variables. Other companies have added this feature through a one time setup of user input data particular to the aircraft they fly. Tony, There are two different kinds of predictions. One is predictive based on aircraft performance parameters and supplied wind data, would be used to calculate a full VNAV path, and is typically used in a full FMS to predict a full climb/descent profile. Cool, but probably not practical. The other is just a simple dynamic calculation based on your current rate of climb/descent (with perhaps a bit of buffering), that paints where you will reach the altitude, that is specified in the next defined altitude constraint. That is the Boeing Banana, and works much the same in the Boeings, as I would like to see implemented in the IFD540. It is available in the R9 gear, and from what I understand implementing this in the IFD540 would not be difficult. The above is from a 737 MFD, with the 20 deg predictive distance to descent, green arc shown. Incredibly useful for climbs and descents, and even non-precision approaches. It was a great assist to allow for Continuous Descent Approach (CDAP) on a non-precision approach, before all the fancy Integrated Approach Navigation (IAN) modes that are now available. Incidentally, the dashed circular lines you can see on the MFD are pilot configured. Here there is a 25nm & 10nm and a couple more circles drawn around the arrival airport. Outstanding for general orientation on the approach, and would be a feature entirely unique in the GA world. That is the OTHER cool feature I'd like to see in the next release. * Orest ++1

orest, my experience was the first system you referenced.  It was a full blown, DO-236 FMS with VNAV and 4D nav.  I remember how difficult it was for getting it to work correctly.  I have no experience with the simpler implementation you referenced. 

Good stuff.  Added to the list of contenders.

Those are good ideas and candidates for future releases. I already had the 2nd one in that database but the first one is not something we had previously thought about. Thanks for the ideas.

Just so you know, I've heard that the latest firmware updates for the 530 from Garmin, break ASPEN's connected pilot. Of course, just a happenstance, eh?

Not trying to stir the pot here, but I'm trying to understand why connected panel is so important. For a G430/530 box where flight plan entry is click,click,click it might make life easier. With the IFD, I see flight plan entry as painless, and one that can be done while receiving clearance in real time. Geofill, touchscreen, v-airways. In the NE flight plan routes are almost never what we file, and I bet in a timed test a flight plan can be entered quicker on the IFD than the iPad. Further elsewhere in the country clearance is generally RV or DP then direct, again, just as easy to input in the IFD.

I will submit that wireless connection to an iPad to send info to an iPad app like Forflight might be interesting, but not real useful.

To be up front, I only use my iPad for flight planning, filing, and charts. I do not use it for navigation, and with the improved moving map and jepp charts on the IFD, I will probably use the iPad only for planning and filing.

Tell me why connected panel is so important.

Edited by Gring - 06 Mar 2014 at 6:35am

Mike, have you seen the tutorials on the KNS770? The box has way too many different colors and blocks without the uniformity of an integrated interface. Further, to move from function to function way too many button pushes are required. In the case of the 770, connected panel might be a benefit, used to overcome user interface design challenges.

Mystic,

Edited by oskrypuch - 06 Mar 2014 at 2:10pm

Mike, somewhere on this forum is a picture Steve posted of the IFD540 sending info to a Garmin 195/196. Since all the portables use the same Garmin aviation out data format, your portable will be able to display the same way it does today from the 530. Crossfill is something specific between two 530/430 devices and does not use the Garmin aviation data format.

Edited by Gring - 06 Mar 2014 at 5:17pm

Yes, the crossfill on the panel mount devices use a proprietary bus format, no doubt for speed and accuracy. The one-way crossfill to Gx96/95 devices is just RS232, so no issues expected there.

Edited by oskrypuch - 07 Mar 2014 at 10:55am

I don't see how the Connected Panel could be iPad specific except that they haven't gotten any Android developers on board.  But otherwise, it's just Wi-Fi.

94S wrote: I too see a "Connected Panel" type capability as very desireable. I would like to see it as an Avidyne stand alone feature as I don't currently have any Aspen glass (or any glass for that matter) in my panel. It's on the wish list, but many years away. I do have an iPad though. Yes flight plan entry on the IFD's is much simpler than the other stuff, but the more times something has to be entered the more oportunity their is to make a mistake. It would not only be very convenient, but would also reduce the chance for error. I would also really like to be able to rubber band the active leg. The PM page 3-10 "Tips and Techniques" says the active leg cannot be rubber-banded. Out here in the West we have some very long victor airways and even longer direct routes. It would be very useful to be able to rubber-band around wx that pops up on an active leg. David

Very much support the uploading of flight plans - even by USB is that is quick and easily achievable. It would be especially nice to be able to include altitude changes too!

This isn't really a "wishlist" item, but a question about an operational procedure that I discovered while using the simulator. I notice that in order to activate the published missed approach, one must go to the FMS page and enable the missed approach after the FAF but before reaching the MAP. For those of us that fly approaches without an autopilot, this is normally a time of fairly high concentration. It could be quite a distraction to leave the MAP page (which shows important information about distance to the missed approach point) for the FMS page, press the LSK to enable the miss, and then return to the MAP page. Is there an alternative for activating the published miss that I am missing? If there is not a good alternative, then such an option would be on my wishlist. Thanks.

PA20Pacer wrote: This isn't really a "wishlist" item, but a question about an operational procedure that I discovered while using the simulator. I notice that in order to activate the published missed approach, one must go to the FMS page and enable the missed approach after the FAF but before reaching the MAP. For those of us that fly approaches without an autopilot, this is normally a time of fairly high concentration. It could be quite a distraction to leave the MAP page (which shows important information about distance to the missed approach point) for the FMS page, press the LSK to enable the miss, and then return to the MAP page. Is there an alternative for activating the published miss that I am missing? If there is not a good alternative, then such an option would be on my wishlist. Thanks. Regards, Bob

We agree it would be a great enhancement.

No, the IFD540 electronic checklists are not automatic upon flight state triggers.   You can name and create them any way you want but it's up to you to call them up for display.

1) Given that Jepp are going to be so wild on pricing for Europe charts, can Avidyne make the spec. available for chart data so this can be sourced and added to from elsewhere (even a separate 'user area' for charts if need be) so we can add our own charts/convert the NAA supplied charts for display on the 540. This could also be used to add charts for where Jepp doesn't supply the data anyway.

2) I appreciate the screens are User configurable, but can we have a few configurations to choose from in flight (as on the GNS480), so eg 'Ground', 'Departure', 'Cruise' and 'Approach' where the user data is chosen for that phase of flight

3) In conjuction with the one above, have a few different ''User' sets of saved settings, so that on a shared aircraft each pilot can have their own set of preferences (so the user settings above, north up vs. track up etc)

Ben