I have been a commercial pilot and flight instructor for 11 years now. I really love flying and don't care how big or small the aircraft is. However, one of the nice things about flying a large aircraft is that you have a copilot sitting next to you, reducing your workload and making the flight safer. Well, with the advent of GPS receivers for the Pocket PC and small internal gyros, every pilot can have a copilot. Join me as I look at several of the aviation software packages available. I'll look at a GPS mapping solution, an artificial horizon system, flight planning software, and a checklist application.
Scott Hibbs aboard his Piper J-3 Cub, tracking his progress using a Magellan GPS
connected to a Jornada 520 Pocket PC.
Let me give you a little background. I am running a Jornada 520 connected via cable to a Magellan 3.10 GPS receiver (www.magellan.com.au). This allows me to have the GPS receiver up close to the windshield (best satellite reception) but keep the Jornada closer to me. The aircraft I used while researching this review is a 1947 J-3 Cub with a 85 HP Continental engine.
Moving-map software from Maptech
Maptech (www.maptech.com) makes Pocket Navigator, moving-map software based on "sectional charts." Sectional charts are the detailed maps that pilots use when flying cross-country. When Pocket Navigator is installed on the Pocket PC, it can be connected to a variety of GPS receivers. The combined system tracks your course on a sectional chart displayed on the screen of the Pocket PC (Screen 1). An arrow projects from your current position along your path of travel. The length of the arrow is relative to your speed and the tip of the arrow projects where you will be in 5 minutes (the time interval is configurable).
Screenshot from Pocket Navigator loaded with the aeronautical chart for my local flying area. The red circle and arrow show flight position and speed.
Packed with features, the Pocket Navigator software is intuitive and easy to use. The sectional charts come on a set of CDs. You load the desired charts and plan your flight on your desktop PC. Then you download the result--charts, plots, and everything--to your Pocket PC. One of the exciting features is the ability to review your flight later in the comfort of your office. The software maintains a log of your flight path. When you review the path, you simply click along the track and a window pops up telling you the time, date, speed, and altitude at that point along your flight path.
Another great feature is the Go To option. Once you have created a waypoint, you can tell the software to take you there. A bold arrow shows up on the screen with heading and distance in nautical miles. The software also allows you to set up a route and follow it.
Moving-map displays are only as good as the satellite signals your GPS system receives. Pocket Navigator allows you to check the condition of the satellite signals as you fly. It also allows you to choose statute miles, nautical miles, or kilometers as your measuring units. The array of available aeronautical charts is astounding: sectional, VFR terminal area, WAC, IFR en-route low & high altitude, IFR/VFR planning, and more. You can purchase updated versions of selected maps every 6 months for $100. The Pocket Navigator software and charts are priced at $99 and work with most Pocket PCs, and are available on the Maptech Web site (www.maptech.com).
Full Artificial Horizon from PCFlight Systems
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