[Rainier Lamers]

A new Navidata update for the U.S.A has been posted for MGL G1 and G2 EFIS systems.
Contains a composite of data sources from FAA/NACO, NAVAID, NIMA and MGL.
Airports/waypoints/navaids/airspaces/obstacles

Navigate your way to www.MGLAvionics.co.za and click on "Navidata files maintained by MGL Avionics" on the left button bar.

While you are there, have a look under "EFIS Tools and applications" (accessible from the EFIS buttons on the left).
Look for an application called "MGL Central".

MGL Central is a combination flight planning tool, flight log database and aviation database. It is in Beta and still in rapid fire development but has now progressed to the point where it is useful.

It integrates with Google Maps if you have an internet connection with some interesting features and can also display MGL maps in 3D including airsapces.

The database side is very comprehensive and you can, for example, import the Navidata file mentioned above into its components, edit or add to it as you like and re-export it to a Navidata file for your EFIS.

MGL Central is free and updates are posted every few days at current as the development progresses with more and more features added as we go along.
Consider joining the MGL users forum at http://MGLAvionicsUsers.org where you can directly contribute if you like or keep abreast of latest developments. You can also find things like sectional maps for your EFIS and navidata files contributed by the MGL user community.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

 

[DCat22]

Nice.

Although zooming on the google map by double-clicking as I'm used to wants to make me hurt myself, as the first click re-centers, and the second click zooms...but since the map re-centered on the first click, the zoom is on a completely different area of the map than what you intended. (Clicking once on the map, and then using the zoom slider works fine....and I'm pretty sure the one-click center/selection part is deeply integrating into the point selection routines of the rest of the software, so its not really a complaint.)

Keep up the good work!

 

[Rainier Lamers]

Nice.

Although zooming on the google map by double-clicking as I'm used to wants to make me hurt myself, as the first click re-centers, and the second click zooms...but since the map re-centered on the first click, the zoom is on a completely different area of the map than what you intended. (Clicking once on the map, and then using the zoom slider works fine....and I'm pretty sure the one-click center/selection part is deeply integrating into the point selection routines of the rest of the software, so its not really a complaint.)

Keep up the good work!

The way it works is part of the only way I could make it work as many of the new functions where you need the position from Google required that the map is first centered.
So this works both ways now - click on the MGL map at a desired position (raster or vector map) and the map centers, do the same for Google and it centers. Click and hold to drag either map where you want it.
Switching between the two map types is then quite straight formward as they switch simply between map centers.

So, for example you are interested in an airport on the MGL map - click on it and the MGL map centers. Now switch to Google maps and the Google map opens at that location and you can now switch google map types and zoom in our out to get an idea what the area around that airport looks like.

You can also use it to define runways for a GPS approach (in case the navidata does not have that already, perhaps for you own home strip).
Get the runway to show in Google earth, define a new airport then define a runway using Google maps - just click on each threshold right in Google map and use the provided functions to do the hard work.
It works out all that is needed, runway headings, approach angles, elevations (from the terrain data so make sure you have that installed).
Runway headings are estimated from current magnetic variation at the location but can be out sometimes if its an old runway and the mag field has moved on a bit. For example it might give you 02/20 where you expected 03/21 - but you can correct that if needed.
Anyway, after re-export of the navidata you can now use that on your EFIS and it will guide you nicely on a GLS approach with simulated ILS and glide slope and if you have the MGL AP it will even steer you right down the glide slope onto the numbers. Quite nice !

One instructor here uses this to define a runway in the middle of nowhere (only he knows where) and then lets his students fly simulated arrivals and approaches. No hood required (since the student has no idea where the runways is supposed to be anyway).

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics