Synthetic vision Foreflight

Badger

Pattern Altitude
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Badger
Exciting announcement today.

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So it requires a Stratus 2. Not unlike how Garmin's synthetic vision requires a GDL39 3D. I already have Garmin syn vision. Very nice. But competition is good. Keep the big boys on their toes!
 
For that price ,can't wait to try it. Passed on the synthetic vision on the aspen ,due to price.
 
So it requires a Stratus 2. Not unlike how Garmin's synthetic vision requires a GDL39 3D. I already have Garmin syn vision. Very nice. But competition is good. Keep the big boys on their toes!

Incorrect. Footnote at the bottom of the page above:

*Stratus is not required to run Synthetic Vision

And it works with Pro or Standard; just a separate $25/year subscription (reasonable, in my opinion).
 
Incorrect. Footnote at the bottom of the page above:

*Stratus is not required to run Synthetic Vision

And it works with Pro or Standard; just a separate $25/year subscription (reasonable, in my opinion).

The internal system on the iPad does not give full attitude feature SVT though, at least not on other apps.
 
No included with ForeFlight or ForeFlight pro, need to pay an extra $25/year on top of any subscription you already have.

Synthetic Vision is included with Garmin Pilot VFR or IFR premium.

I have FF, which expires in a couple months. I'm going to give Garmin Pilot a one year trial and see which I like better. I only have external GPS, no ADB-B in. I would if one of the ADS-B recievers worked for both apps, but since they want to live in a walled city, I haven't bought either.
 
So I'm not sure how that works. You can have synthetic vision in the direction that the airplane is moving but with no bank or pitch? I think if anything that could be disconcerting in IMC, if one fixated on the display.
 
Now I know why Tyson and crew were so quiet during the months following AirVenture. They were busy in the mad scientist lab creating this! :yes:
 
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800x600-12TN-obstacle-split-screen.jpg
 
So I'm not sure how that works. You can have synthetic vision in the direction that the airplane is moving but with no bank or pitch? I think if anything that could be disconcerting in IMC, if one fixated on the display.

That's how it works with Garmin's syn vision. Add the 3D unit and you get a virtual heads up display that's surprisingly accurate and realistic. I live in a place that's surrounded by mountains. I enjoy playing with synthetic vision on clear days to size it up for bad days. I'm guessing the promo screen shots of the Foreflight version are using the Stratus unit. And if functional synthetic vision is important to you? I bet you'll buy one. None of us likes spending near $1K for the translator units but for now that's what it takes to optimize the iPad apps. Total investment is still way better than a panel syn vision box.
 
I had SV on WingX for a year, used it once and the novelty wore off quickly, too much heads down time and not eyes outside - more a gimmick than anything.

WingX implementation of SV, an additional $50 a year..not worth it.

Garmin implementation was good and no doubt FF will be as good but still would not rely on it.
 
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I've been testing it for a while now, and it is a cool feature, but I don't have very many mountains to look at in this area! :no: It was neater when I flew out east over Thanksgiving week and got to go over some more substantial terrain.

So it requires a Stratus 2. Not unlike how Garmin's synthetic vision requires a GDL39 3D. I already have Garmin syn vision. Very nice. But competition is good. Keep the big boys on their toes!

Does not require a Stratus 2. I have one, but I have forgotten to turn it on a couple of times. In that case, you simply see a straight-and-level representation of what's in your direction of travel.

The internal system on the iPad does not give full attitude feature SVT though, at least not on other apps.

Correct. Without an external AHRS, the internal sensors on the iPad would require it to be stiffly mounted to the airframe somehow. Lap/yoke mounts would cause it to go really wacky! So, without the Stratus you get the view of what's in your direction of travel.

So I'm not sure how that works. You can have synthetic vision in the direction that the airplane is moving but with no bank or pitch? I think if anything that could be disconcerting in IMC, if one fixated on the display.

Yes, it could be. But like any tablet-based EFB, it's a secondary reference to aid situational awareness and should not be used for controlling the aircraft unless other methods have failed and you've trained for that.

I wish I had some cool screen shots to show, but my screen shots are not nearly as good-looking as the ones on ForeFlight's site. (See aforementioned lack of interesting terrain in my area.)
 
By the way, as you would expect from ForeFlight, it's very well done - No lag or jumpiness at all on my Mini, and of course rock solid stable. I haven't actually tried controlling the plane with it yet (I'll do that with a CFII on board), but I'm sure if it came down to that it'd be easy.
 
No included with ForeFlight or ForeFlight pro, need to pay an extra $25/year on top of any subscription you already have.

Synthetic Vision is included with Garmin Pilot VFR or IFR premium.

I have FF, which expires in a couple months. I'm going to give Garmin Pilot a one year trial and see which I like better. I only have external GPS, no ADB-B in. I would if one of the ADS-B recievers worked for both apps, but since they want to live in a walled city, I haven't bought either.

If you have a plane with a 430 or 530 series box, the choice is simple; using Garmin Pilot, you can get a 650/750 interface for your 430/530 with the Bluetooth adaptor. You can pre plan and upload as well as modify flight plans in flight. I wonder how much of the rental fleet will upgrade to the BT link?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stewartb View Post
So it requires a Stratus 2. Not unlike how Garmin's synthetic vision requires a GDL39 3D. I already have Garmin syn vision. Very nice. But competition is good. Keep the big boys on their toes!
Does not require a Stratus 2. I have one, but I have forgotten to turn it on a couple of times. In that case, you simply see a straight-and-level representation of what's in your direction of travel.

I should have phrased it better. To be fully functional it requires a Stratus unit. If it operates like my Garmin with and without the GDL39/3D? I wouldn't be even slightly pleased with the bare bones version. I'm very pleased with the full-on integrated version. It's only money, and what we get for what it costs is amazing. Who knows, I may buy a Stratus 2 and run it next to Garmin to see which one I prefer.


Side question. Does Forflight's satellite view work with Stratus when you're out of cell service range? I was very disappointed with Foreflight on my iPad when out of cell range. All I could use was the chart view. Garmin was better in that situation, which is why I went forward with the GDL unit. There are things I like better about Foreflight. I maintain full service in both apps but haven't used a Status. Thx
 
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Hmmm... Without an AHRS, it won't be able to very accurate.

The synthetic vision would still be accurate provided the GPS is producing an accurate ground track and position. You won't have pitch and bank inputs, but you'll be able to tell where terrain & objects lie relative to the path of the aircraft. You'll just happen to have a straight and level horizon.
 
For $25 why not. Gotta be the cheapest thing i ever bought in aviation
 
For $25 why not. Gotta be the cheapest thing i ever bought in aviation
That's a terrific deal, even if it's not quite perfect.

I've flown with synthetic vision for 10 months now, in our RV-8A, and it's hard to describe how terrific it is.
 
If you have a plane with a 430 or 530 series box, the choice is simple; using Garmin Pilot, you can get a 650/750 interface for your 430/530 with the Bluetooth adaptor. You can pre plan and upload as well as modify flight plans in flight. I wonder how much of the rental fleet will upgrade to the BT link?

I bet very few...I would guess the average trainer/rental airplane is VFR only, a 430 is a luxury.

This may be supported by Sporty's announcement of the 172LITE at $99/hr...people are demanding cheap rental rates, not high tech equipment / people aren't willing to fork over the extra money for the newer g1000s especially when (as shown by this thread) the iPad does everything + more.
 
That's a terrific deal, even if it's not quite perfect.

I've flown with synthetic vision for 10 months now, in our RV-8A, and it's hard to describe how terrific it is.

Other than being "cute", how much advantage would it give in flat FL? Would it help in finding some of those obscure airports that are hidden behind trees and can't be seen until you are on top of them? I find that the extended runway lines are great for that.
 
Other than being "cute", how much advantage would it give in flat FL? Would it help in finding some of those obscure airports that are hidden behind trees and can't be seen until you are on top of them? I find that the extended runway lines are great for that.

towers...spacial positioning of traffic with ads-b out
 
I bet very few...I would guess the average trainer/rental airplane is VFR only, a 430 is a luxury.

From a quick survey, the 172s where I rent are in the $95-125/hr range and about 10 of 13 are 430(or one 530) equipped. I'm pretty sure they're all IFR equipped(not sure about the databases though).
 
Side question. Does Forflight's satellite view work with Stratus when you're out of cell service range? I was very disappointed with Foreflight on my iPad when out of cell range. All I could use was the chart view. Garmin was better in that situation, which is why I went forward with the GDL unit.

Satellite view ("Aerial Map")? No, that requires a data connection to function, as does Street Map. However, all of the other functions (World Map, Terrain Map, VFR, IFR Low/High, Helicopter, etc) except Aerial and Street all work without a data connection as long as the maps have been downloaded ahead of time.

I find I almost never use the Aerial Map function. What aerial-based imagery functions do the Garmins have without a data connection? And what Garmin are you talking about? Garmin Pilot, or 795/596, or panel-mounted systems?
 
Thanks for the reply. I like the aerial view. If it worked all the time I'd like it even more. I don't care for the chart view. Garmin uses an animated terrain view or chart view. For my uses I prefer a view that looks like the world outside but I don't navigate the airspace restrictions and boundaries that you guys down south do. FWIW I do enjoy getting the weather, TFR, wind, etc overlays from the GDL. I'd thing the Stratus provides the same? We don't have XM service in Alaska so the GDL was the first time I could get real time weather in a low budget airplane. Very cool stuff. I'm sure Foreflight will be very successful with their synthetic vision and users will love it. I'll watch for more pireps as guys start using it.

Another question. The Foreflight terrain map on my devices is very low detail. It looks great if I zoom out to outer space view, okay, state of Alaska view, but it looks like crap if I zoom into a useful scale. Am I doing something wrong?

And on a final note, I switched to an iPhone 6+. the big one. I like it fine for day to day uses but for Garmin Pilot and Foreflight? I think I'll carry my mini less and use the phone more. I'm a fan of the big phones.
 
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I did a test by downloading all the USGS Topos a while back with their underlying aerial imagery(not google level good, but pretty decent) It's about 1.6TB for the lower 48 and parts of Alaska. It would need a much better compression routine, lower quality data or the new 2TB iPad.

I was toying with the idea of putting it on a little 2TB HD with a Wireless Access Point and a battery so it could be used portably.
 
Now I know why Tyson and crew were so quiet during the months following AirVenture. They were busy in the mad scientist lab creating this! :yes:

I had that thought too Mike. I also remember reading a post on here in just the last day or two where someone was complaining that FF had not added any significant features in a while. I guess this negates the complaint.
 
Running this without a Stratus would be very inaccurate especially if the iPad is mounted on a kneeboard or the yoke. It would register the pitch and bank of the iPad not the airplane. That said, you could ignore (disable?) that and just use the terrain representation.
 
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I bet very few...I would guess the average trainer/rental airplane is VFR only, a 430 is a luxury.

This may be supported by Sporty's announcement of the 172LITE at $99/hr...people are demanding cheap rental rates, not high tech equipment / people aren't willing to fork over the extra money for the newer g1000s especially when (as shown by this thread) the iPad does everything + more.

I'd say at this point half the rentals I look at have a 430w in them.
 
...I guess I'm waiting to see how smooth and accurate it is with a Stratus 2 before making my decision. I guess I'd have to consider a yoke mount at that point as I typically just keep the iPad in my lap...look at it...close it up and stick it in the copilot seat or to the passenger sitting there. :)

I think dash mounting it in the center of the panel angled to me would be a little disorienting but it would be worth a try. I've been looking for a reason to upgrade to the Stratus 2...this would be a good reason if it works well.
 
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