Hello and Happy New Year everyone. The program is functional and up-to-date,
and for me (VDS flight) it's definitely OK.
I'd like to point out one feature that I think could be improved.I'm referring
to the NOTAMs, which are only displayed on the map if you create a route, so
they're not visible if I fly a local flight without planning over well-known
locations/sites. It would be preferable to have them visible within a certain
radius of your GPS position, e.g., 50/100 km/miles, or selectable so you
can see any NOTAMs even in the case of a local visual flight, or in the
event of a necessary turnaround or attempted return to a route that isn't
180°, or if you abandon an active route due to weather emergencies, another
destination, or any other reason within the radius around your position.
It's also convenient if the local language translation is saved and needs
to be repeated each time.
Best regards
Welcome to the VFRnav Forum🙋♂️.
I don’t want to preempt Hermann.
As far as I know it was about ±25 nm along the route that relevant NOTAMs are retrieved and displayed. For your request, 1. before the flight — either all NOTAMs available anywhere would have to be retrieved and stored - since it’s not fixed where you’re flying to… or 2. a permanent stable Internet connection would have to exist and then relevant NOTAMs would have to be checked continuously according to your current position and heading.
Two solutions, both of which are…not optimal…
I find the current solution absolutely practical and am very satisfied with it!
If it’s just a local circuit: …you simply tap on your airfield, go to the three dots and choose - set as departure point. …done, you already have the NOTAMs around your airfield.
→ nevertheless, nothing happens without suggestions and brainstorming. So thanks for your message👍.
Maybe I’m wrong about something?
Hi KBfly, thanks for the reply.
While it works well this way, I think that if you click on the TO or while planning your route (and there’s a network here or you don’t have anything else), the program would still download the Notams within a defined range. If selected, for example, in the options it already has a set radius for the search, which could then also be updated as you move outside it. As you rightly say, only from here do you need a network, which is now almost everywhere, at least within certain altitudes. However, if you move without a specific destination but within the defined range (this is the primary objective), you still have the “local” Notams, which are sometimes perhaps 24 hours a day or even at the arrival field, but have escaped, always available.
For example, on route 1, 2, 3, 4, you’re on route 3 and they tell you over the radio that the meeting point on route 4, for current reasons, is moving to point X, 90 or 270° from the active route. Or they update you on the wind now on route 4 and 2, which is out for you. If you’re within the initial range, you already have Notams in every direction up to its limit. If there’s a network, you gradually extend them.
Yes, you’re right. Without any suggestions/ideas, even strange ones, certain potential problems would remain as they are. Have a good evening.
a warm welcome to the forum and many thanks for your post.
I had the chance to think about your suggestion over the weekend.
I don’t think an “immediate” radius search makes sense. The reason is that the location between flight planning and the actual departure is often further away for many people. Planning is done at home on the sofa, but the flight then departs from the airfield, which in some cases may be several kilometres away. That would in places significantly distort the display of relevant NOTAMs.
But what I can imagine is that NOTAM retrieval already occurs when only a departure airfield has been selected — i.e. without a route. In that case the retrieval would be a simple radius search — just for the local flight around the church tower.
Please correct me: ….regardless of whether at home or at an aerodrome….when I tap on an aerodrome and select set as departure, the NOTAMs for the surrounding area already appear!
….I think Ivanit actually has something else in mind.
He goes to the aerodrome without any flight preparation; when he takes off he still doesn’t know where he’s going. He also doesn’t know whether it’s just about the church tower, or possibly a bit further. In short: his flight planning is actually done spontaneously in flight.
→ hence my assessment regarding the technical implementation for current NOTAMs. I see the solution as very, very elaborate and potentially error-prone.
It would have to continuously evaluate position, heading, speed, etc. in flight, and the process would need to check and evaluate relevant NOTAMs for this. VFRnav processing time would probably be occupied only with that.
→ I also unfortunately cannot confirm a stable mobile internet connection in flight. So far I may not have been in such areas.
Suggestion: just tap on the Map during the flight where you want to fly to. For your next destination tap somewhere else. …if you then spontaneously don’t want to fly there after all, tap the point briefly → a red trash can now appears under the Map symbol; tap it → the WP (waypoint) will be deleted. …or just leave it if it’s too bumpy. That way you always have the relevant NOTAMs (as long as there is internet).
….I think Ivanit actually has something else in mind.