Van's Air Force
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GPS and Victor Airways
- Thread starter edneff
- Start date
Bryan Wood
Well Known Member
I don't know of a single person that flys with one of these but they sure look good. They have airways too. Here's a link to the specs page.
http://www.trueflight.org/garmin_496.htm
Best,
http://www.trueflight.org/garmin_496.htm
Best,
w1curtis
Well Known Member
I know a person who HAD one, they now have a Garmin 396!Bryan Wood said:
Another product that looks pretty, but SUCKS in execution. He had the FL210 which firstly, is based on Windows NT! The first week he had it it "Blue Screened" two or three times. When it did boot, there was some error that prevented weather from EVER coming up. There were wires all over the place since it relied on a separate GPS puck, and was unwieldy. Then you couldn't just power it off, being based on Windows, you had to gracefully "power" it down. My friend finally gave up and returned it and ordered a 396. Even though he only had it for two weeks and he kept getting the blue screen error, they charged him a 20% restocking fee.
Their FL190 product looks interesting, but based on my friend's experience with the FL210, I wouldn't touch it.
hevansrv7a
Well Known Member
Work-Arounds and Sources
I could be wrong, but I think all the Victor airways are defined as straight lines between "objects" in the 2/3/496 database. It's a PITA, but you can put in the same flight. I've never seen a VOR or an intersection that wasn't there. Now, there is a catch. The date of the Garmin/Jepps data is so different from the data used to define the airways that the magnetic headings are different. Magnetic variation changes over time. This means that the IFR chart will show different magnetic tracks than the Garmin for the same path between VOR's and intersections. Still, if you follow your Garmin from point to point you will be on the airway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination
I've been told that even the 430 and 530 don't have airways, but I am not certain of that. On the other hand, Anywhere Map does have them. Mountain View, too http://www.pcavionics.com/index.jsp I think some others do, too.
Golden Eagle Flight Prep from/through CSC Duats runs on your home Windows computer and does IFR plans and other methods. It's a free download, too. It's an excellent flight planner and you can't beat the price. It also connects to DUATS for flight plan filing and creates reports including flight logs, trip-tiks, etc.
I could be wrong, but I think all the Victor airways are defined as straight lines between "objects" in the 2/3/496 database. It's a PITA, but you can put in the same flight. I've never seen a VOR or an intersection that wasn't there. Now, there is a catch. The date of the Garmin/Jepps data is so different from the data used to define the airways that the magnetic headings are different. Magnetic variation changes over time. This means that the IFR chart will show different magnetic tracks than the Garmin for the same path between VOR's and intersections. Still, if you follow your Garmin from point to point you will be on the airway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination
I've been told that even the 430 and 530 don't have airways, but I am not certain of that. On the other hand, Anywhere Map does have them. Mountain View, too http://www.pcavionics.com/index.jsp I think some others do, too.
Golden Eagle Flight Prep from/through CSC Duats runs on your home Windows computer and does IFR plans and other methods. It's a free download, too. It's an excellent flight planner and you can't beat the price. It also connects to DUATS for flight plan filing and creates reports including flight logs, trip-tiks, etc.
edneff
Well Known Member
hevansrv7a said:
thanks for the info. It is a PITA to do that especially where the airway is not just VOR to VOR, but jogs at an intersection. Oh well. guess I'll just wait for the technology to catch up.
I looked for the Gollden Eagle software, and it's not available anymore for free. They have an enhanced version that they charge $150 bucks for.
(whoops! disregard that. The Plus version is unavailable from your provided link, but I found the regular golden eagle software elsewhere.)
BTW, does anyone have experience with handheld GPS's that get XM weather, OTHER than the G496?
Last edited:
hevansrv7a
Well Known Member
Golden Eagle Basic Still Free
Golden Eagle is updating their software in the next few days. That's why the "temporarily unavailable" on the premium stuff. They will also be adding the ability to spend $$ to show sectionals in the basic version at extra cost but will continue to offer the free version. That's what I was told by phone only a couple of days ago. I have bee using e-Sectionals and I like it, but having the sectional on the planner would be an improvement.
Golden Eagle is updating their software in the next few days. That's why the "temporarily unavailable" on the premium stuff. They will also be adding the ability to spend $$ to show sectionals in the basic version at extra cost but will continue to offer the free version. That's what I was told by phone only a couple of days ago. I have bee using e-Sectionals and I like it, but having the sectional on the planner would be an improvement.
Carol Roehner True Flight
I'm New Here
Regarding this post: I know a person who HAD one, they now have a Garmin 396!
Another product that looks pretty, but SUCKS in execution. He had the FL210 which firstly, is based on Windows NT! The first week he had it "Blue Screened" two or three times. When it did boot, there was some error that prevented weather from EVER coming up. There were wires all over the place since it relied on a separate GPS puck, and was unwieldy. Then you couldn't just power it off, being based on Windows, you had to gracefully "power" it down. My friend finally gave up and returned it and ordered a 396. Even though he only had it for two weeks and he kept getting the blue screen error, they charged him a 20% restocking fee.
Their FL190 product looks interesting, but based on my friend's experience with the FL210, I wouldn't touch it.
__________________
Just for clarification NO ONE has ever been charged a 20% restocking fee for returning a Flight Cheetah. I know you are not saying this happened, only that you heard someone say that it did.
Our standard restocking fee is 10% plus what ever the shipping cost is. If there are extenuating circumstances, the amount is less than 10% or none. 15-30% restocking fee is generally what I see in the market so we are well below that.
As far as the blue screen you heard of, one of our Flight Cheetah models will give you a blue screen if you turn the on switch in the wrong direction (to the left) instead of in the correct direction to the right. It is covered in the manual but if people are unfamiliar with that part of the manual they can make this mistake. There is nothing wrong with the unit, turning the on switch in the wrong direction attempts to access a function that is disabled that?s all.
The other way you can generate a blue screen with a Flight Cheetah is when you do not supply enough amperage for the unit. We find there is sometimes some confusion out there as some people think that as long as you have the right voltage the amps available on the circuit don?t matter. Link any other electronic device you need the required amps available.
As far as Windows operating systems go, the operating system on a Flight Cheetah is quite a bit different than what you would get on your Windows laptop. It is stripped down and tweaked quite a bit, even the way it preserves files in case there is a sudden loss of power are very different than a computer that you would buy in a store.
Don?t forget the Garmin MX 20 display runs on Windows NT. In fact, even before that, the Avidyne Flight Max was the first certified display to be based on Windows. I?m not aware of those systems being unreliable. Ironically the Garmin GMX 200 (the non Windows follow up version to the MX 200) Does have major blue screen problems in flight based on my Garmin dealer contacts and complaints I have seen on line by their owners. I believe Garmin is addressing this issue.
As far as cables go, it's true that the unit has 2 cables coming out of the display, but it's also true the Garmin has between 2 to 3 cables coming out of it (depending whether you need to their external GPS antenna). The other cables as with any system should be routed out of the way so you don?t see them which is not hard to do.
I have been selling portable flight displays and especially in the last few years we have received very consistent feedback with the Flight Cheetah http://www.aviationsafety.com/comments.htm
You had heard that he had XM problems. I don?t doubt it. About 70-80% of all support calls we get has to do with XM shutting paid customers off from their weather feed. It doesn?t matter who you buy XM weather from you get the same problem. This is a sample of the complaints we have seen on XM Weather on the Cessna Pilots association website for just a 2 ? day period. http://www.aviationsafety.com/xm_problems.htm We have tried to escalate this issue with XM radio to get this resolved but they were uninterested in dealing with it! I fact they will no longer respond to me.
Happy Flying
Rob Kalberer, President, True Flight Inc.
Posted by Carol Roehner
Another product that looks pretty, but SUCKS in execution. He had the FL210 which firstly, is based on Windows NT! The first week he had it "Blue Screened" two or three times. When it did boot, there was some error that prevented weather from EVER coming up. There were wires all over the place since it relied on a separate GPS puck, and was unwieldy. Then you couldn't just power it off, being based on Windows, you had to gracefully "power" it down. My friend finally gave up and returned it and ordered a 396. Even though he only had it for two weeks and he kept getting the blue screen error, they charged him a 20% restocking fee.
Their FL190 product looks interesting, but based on my friend's experience with the FL210, I wouldn't touch it.
__________________
Just for clarification NO ONE has ever been charged a 20% restocking fee for returning a Flight Cheetah. I know you are not saying this happened, only that you heard someone say that it did.
Our standard restocking fee is 10% plus what ever the shipping cost is. If there are extenuating circumstances, the amount is less than 10% or none. 15-30% restocking fee is generally what I see in the market so we are well below that.
As far as the blue screen you heard of, one of our Flight Cheetah models will give you a blue screen if you turn the on switch in the wrong direction (to the left) instead of in the correct direction to the right. It is covered in the manual but if people are unfamiliar with that part of the manual they can make this mistake. There is nothing wrong with the unit, turning the on switch in the wrong direction attempts to access a function that is disabled that?s all.
The other way you can generate a blue screen with a Flight Cheetah is when you do not supply enough amperage for the unit. We find there is sometimes some confusion out there as some people think that as long as you have the right voltage the amps available on the circuit don?t matter. Link any other electronic device you need the required amps available.
As far as Windows operating systems go, the operating system on a Flight Cheetah is quite a bit different than what you would get on your Windows laptop. It is stripped down and tweaked quite a bit, even the way it preserves files in case there is a sudden loss of power are very different than a computer that you would buy in a store.
Don?t forget the Garmin MX 20 display runs on Windows NT. In fact, even before that, the Avidyne Flight Max was the first certified display to be based on Windows. I?m not aware of those systems being unreliable. Ironically the Garmin GMX 200 (the non Windows follow up version to the MX 200) Does have major blue screen problems in flight based on my Garmin dealer contacts and complaints I have seen on line by their owners. I believe Garmin is addressing this issue.
As far as cables go, it's true that the unit has 2 cables coming out of the display, but it's also true the Garmin has between 2 to 3 cables coming out of it (depending whether you need to their external GPS antenna). The other cables as with any system should be routed out of the way so you don?t see them which is not hard to do.
I have been selling portable flight displays and especially in the last few years we have received very consistent feedback with the Flight Cheetah http://www.aviationsafety.com/comments.htm
You had heard that he had XM problems. I don?t doubt it. About 70-80% of all support calls we get has to do with XM shutting paid customers off from their weather feed. It doesn?t matter who you buy XM weather from you get the same problem. This is a sample of the complaints we have seen on XM Weather on the Cessna Pilots association website for just a 2 ? day period. http://www.aviationsafety.com/xm_problems.htm We have tried to escalate this issue with XM radio to get this resolved but they were uninterested in dealing with it! I fact they will no longer respond to me.
Happy Flying
Rob Kalberer, President, True Flight Inc.
Posted by Carol Roehner
EKP IV
You might check out the AvMap EKP IV at www.avmapnavigation.com They have Victor Airways, and a nice screen to boot. Waiting on weather which is promised in the next month or so. They were demoing it at OSH.
Bob Kelly
edneff said:
You might check out the AvMap EKP IV at www.avmapnavigation.com They have Victor Airways, and a nice screen to boot. Waiting on weather which is promised in the next month or so. They were demoing it at OSH.
Bob Kelly
captainron
Well Known Member
The 430 and 530 don't; the 480 does. It's really annoying for me because I fly several Garmin equipped planes that won't allow you to put in airways. There is no valid excuse for not having this. I was hoping that Bendix-King would produce a unit to knock the Garmin 530 off its perch, but so far they are a no-show.hevansrv7a said:
