Anyone here want to test an iOS Utility app for Simulator Pilots?

Hey guys!

 

A few months ago I started sim-ing and I realised I needed some stuff to get me started. First were the keybindings for FSX which I was flying at the time. So I've started on working on an app to have them at my disposal and be able to search though them as needed. Then I wanted checklists. Then I taught other people would also benefit from using this app.

 

So, a few months later, I'm nearing completion and in need of some testers. Is anyone interested? You just need an iOS device with iOS 10. If so, you can hit me up through a message.

 

You can see a video of it running on an iPhone here https://vid.me/xlWk

 

Cheers and clear skies!

I've just released the app and you can get it for free in the next 7 days at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flightsim-utils/id1194125877?mt=8

 

Otherwise, if you still wish to test future versions, just let me know!

 

Happy flights and clear skies!

Works well. Nice app. No long loading times on my iPad Air 2 when searching for key command. A cool feature would be able to re-assign key commands after a user changes them in their flight sim. For example: I never use the features assigned to C and V, so I changed the cowl flap commands from CONTROL+SHIFT+C and CONTROL+SHIFT+V to just C And V.

 

I imported .kml flight plans through iCloud without any trouble. onlineflightplanner.com is a little bit limited in it's flight planning ability. You can't add user waypoints, remove added waypoints. This utility says it can convert .pln to .kml. http://www.flightutilities.com/FP.aspx You might want to throw the link in there somewhere so people can use it. I assume that adding a moving airplane to the map is challenging.

 

Will people need to pay after the one-week testing period? If so, how much?

 

Checklists work fine. Nice how you can check off each thing as you do it.

 

Weather feature: Really cool feature. Only problem is that if you want hide them, you have to clear out the airport codes you entered. Some people may want to hide them for a minute, maybe by just clicking again on the cloud symbol or having a hide option somewhere on the weather display. The speed of the information is good, but some people may want a setting where they can slow it down or speed it up.

 

My iPad has a black filler area next to where you select where you want to go (Where it says:

X-plane 10 commands

FSX/P3D Commands

Checklists

Flight Plan

Settings/About)

 

Ryan

 

PS: Sorry if the format was a little confusing. I just threw random things in as I was using the app.

First of all: thanks for downloading and the feedback!

 

Works well. Nice app. No long loading times on my iPad Air 2 when searching for key command. A cool feature would be able to re-assign key commands after a user changes them in their flight sim. For example: I never use the features assigned to C and V, so I changed the cowl flap commands from CONTROL+SHIFT+C and CONTROL+SHIFT+V to just C And V.

 

Editable commands are planned for the near future. I just need to find a good way to implement them.

 

I imported .kml flight plans through iCloud without any trouble. onlineflightplanner.com is a little bit limited in it's flight planning ability. You can't add user waypoints, remove added waypoints. This utility says it can convert .pln to .kml. http://www.flightutilities.com/FP.aspx You might want to throw the link in there somewhere so people can use it. I assume that adding a moving airplane to the map is challenging.

 

I didn't know what the general usage for flightplans is in the community. Based on your comment, I looked into .pln now and happily it's an XML file also. This means I can add support for it pretty easily. Look forward for PLN support in the near future.

 

Adding a plane tracker is the idea from which the flight plan support started. I want do it, I just don't think I can do it directly. I didn't see any way to do it with current xplane of fsx. This means I need to write a desktop app that should work as a bridge, meaning to pull the data from the simulator and post it somehow so as the app can see it.

 

So I want to look into this, I just can't specify a timeframe.

 

Will people need to pay after the one-week testing period? If so, how much?

 

If you downloaded it now during the first week, it's your to keep. I plan to increase the price next week to 4$. I think it's decent, considering that I plan to both actively maintain it and work on new features.

 

Weather feature: Really cool feature. Only problem is that if you want hide them, you have to clear out the airport codes you entered. Some people may want to hide them for a minute, maybe by just clicking again on the cloud symbol or having a hide option somewhere on the weather display. The speed of the information is good, but some people may want a setting where they can slow it down or speed it up.

 

Added both requests to the backlog.

 

My iPad has a black filler area next to where you select where you want to go (Where it says:

X-plane 10 commands

FSX/P3D Commands

Checklists

Flight Plan

Settings/About)

 

Yeah, that's from the menu framework I'm using. It doesn't reproduce on all devices. I need to find a way to fix it, or contact the creator to do it. Luckily, it doesn't affect functionality.

Here is a cool feature I was thinking about. Users could create their own checklists. Are the checklists in a normal text format (.pdf or .txt for example), because the next step would to have a website where people could download other users checklists.

 

 

Just a thought,

Ryan

Sadly, no :(. The format is json, but it's not very complicated. I plan on putting up a model on the website, and if a user wants a specific checklist, he or she could send it to me and I'll add it in the next version update.

Next update should be up in less then 24 hours, with the following changes:

 

- Enable bounce in Commands Collection

- Added a setting for weather scrolling speed

- You can now hide the weather with a simple tap!

- Made the menu icon smaller

- Also optimized the weather and keyboard icons on the Plane List Screen

- Fixed the search behavior

- A lot of UI Improvements to Commands list

- Added version to about screen

- Fixed issue with menu not being setup correctly on first run, based on favorite sim

- Added missing reference to P3D

- Fixed a lot of commands' displaying issues due to cell sizing

- Added the favorite plane at the top of the plane list, for easier access

- Added persistence to checklists and flight plan screens (they won't reset if you navigate away)

- Made departure/arrival/nearby airport icons bigger on flight plan screen

 

Also, I've put a small website with info.

Hey guys!

 

I've pushed a new version with the following changes

 

This version adds a couple of new features:

- Support for PLN (FSX format) flight plans

- Ability to refresh the weather

- (As requested:) METAR Weather is now in a readable format

- New UI on About screen

- The app is now registered as a provider for .kml and .pln flight plans, so you can open plans directly in the app

 

Fixes include:

- Fixed 3d touch shortcuts

- Fixed issue with changing the default simulator

- Fixed not reseting the default plane on the plane screen, after the favorite plane has been changed

- Other under the hood improvements

 

Next major update should make the commands editable, so users can set their preferred keyboard mappings and create a sync between a flight plan and weather (setting a flight plan should automatically load the weather for the departure and arrival airports)

Hey guys!

 

New update is out, with following features:

- Key mappings for commands are now editable! Just long press to edit them.

- Support for Spotlight indexing. Just search for any plane and launch the checklist directly from Spotlight.

- Flight plans are now synced to weather. Just load a flight plan and weather will set automatically.

 

Also, I've started working on airports/runways database. I want to add a way for the user to have all relevant information for an airport and it's runways at his/her "fingertaps".

Hey guys!

 

I put out an update and then went on vacation, so I didn't update you. That updated added a huge 28000 airport database with runway information. You can see a screenshot of the runway screen on the itunes page.

 

Also in this version:

- Flight plan coordinates are now in DMS standard

- Flight plan waypoint now shows waypoint type

 

Also, now that I'm back, I've started working on the next version, which will add a weather view on the flight plan screen and also on this version I'll try to add a sync between the flightplan and runways, so when you tap on an airport on the flightplan and tap on the little balloon info thingy you'll go to the runways screen for that airport.

FlightSim Utils 1.4.0 is out with new features:

 

- You can now tap on an airport (departure/arrival) in the flight plan to view it's runway! How cool is that?

- Also, weather has now been added to the runway screen! Just tap on an airport and you'll see the runway screen with beautiful live metar information!

- Runway screen UI has been refined (to better fit a cool, growing app like this one)

- Linked flight to checklist weather: if you load a flight plan and go to a checklist, weather will automatically be set.

Hey Guys!

 

Here's a teaser for the next version :>

Whenever I load a flightplan on the map, airports show up around the route of the flight plan. Is there any chance you could make it so that all of the airports in the world showed up on the map? This would be helpful if you wanted to fly to a certain place and didn't know if there was an airport there. You could check on the map to find the nearest airport to that area without having to load up flight sim to look.

There is bad news and good news related to the nearby airports feature.

 

The bad news is that the service I use for the nearby airport feature won't be usable after the 31st of may. The good news is that we already have a local airport database. In order to keep showing the nearby airports (or all airports as you suggested) I need to find a way to load a lot of airports without taking a performance hit.

 

And I am. I am actively searching for a solution to do this. I just can't specify a timeframe.

Okay. I figured it would be hard to load 28,000 airports on an iPad map.

It's going to be over 33000 in the version :)

 

Edit: nope

I think I did it. My testers need to check it on low end devices like the iPhone 5, and maybe I'll need to do some optimizations, but I think it did it :D

FlightSim Utils v.1.5.0 has been released to the app store 10 minutes ago with a lot of new features and bugfixes like:

 

- Night Mode!

- A new Documentation screen adds a place for you to load any PDFs you might need, like manuals, charts or payware aircraft checklists

- Access runway information for nearby airports on flight plan.

- Nearby airports (medium and large size airports) are now always shown and are not limited to 7 (thanks for the tip @ryapad)

 

Feel free to check it out