Has AOPA quit paying its bills? Or just given up on its online services?

Katie Pribyl said:
Hi, everybody


This is Katie Pribyl - AOPA senior staff member in the communications department.



The new FlyQ Web was launched late last week - a planned transition from the previous AOPA Internet Flight Planner. While we hoped it would be an easy transition, it has not been smooth for everyone. Frankly, we released this new flight planner before it was ready and we know that the current performance of FlyQ Web does not meet your expectations for flight planning from AOPA, nor does it meet ours.



Thanks to member feedback, we have identified the major issues and are working hard to fix the bugs, enhance usability and restore lost waypoints and stored routes. The team is working around the clock to get these repairs made.



If you would like to submit a problem, make a feature request, or simply ask a question, please email us at FlyQHelp@aopa.org. We are reading, logging and responding to every single email that is sent to this inbox at the fastest rate we can.

In the end, we believe that FlyQ Web will provide a better experience than AIFP. There are many great features available in FlyQ Web including rubber-banding of your routes, wind optimized flight plans and syncing your plans into the cloud to automatically load onto FlyQ EFB and FlyQ Pocket.

We will be releasing updates over the next several weeks that will bring us back to the performance level that you've come to expect from AOPA. In the meantime, please accept my apology for any inconveniences this has caused.


Katie Pribyl
AOPA Communications
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As an IT pro, I can't imagine putting known bad software in front of thousands of users who were happy using the existing software.
The old flight planner was one of the things that AOPA seemed to get almost universal praise for. So why, would AOPA trash one of it's best assets and replace it with known bad software? If I were an IT project manager and made that decision, I'd be fired on the spot.
 
docmirror said:
Welcome Katie.

While AOPA dues paying members are waiting for the bugs to be worked out on FlyQ, can they expect the functional AOPA flight planner to be put back in service? Thanks.
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Hi, there! Unfortunately, we cannot revert back to the old AIFP. Here are some of the high-priority bugs/fixes that we are working on:

- Adding capability to edit a loaded flight plan
- Ensuring that the correct winds aloft data is pulled for the planned altitude
- Reinstating your stored flight plans and waypoints
- Including winds aloft in the NavLog
- Altitude warning message when a flight is planned at or below obstacles/terrain

There are others, I just wanted to let you know some of our highest priority fixes. We also have items that are on the list, but not of the highest priority, like adding a kneeboard format (as a pilot, I know how nice this is to have) and seeing a sectional chart instead of an IFR high chart on the initial load of the flight planner.

There are more high priority, medium priority and low priority fixes that we are working on, I just wanted to give you a flavor here. If there are any that you want to make sure are on our radar screen, please ask and I can tell you where they are on the list.

Thanks again,
k
 
gprellwitz said:
Katie, it's good to see you here!
I have heard on one of the podcasts that Craig is going to do a Town Hall meeting in the Chicago area next week, but haven't heard anything via email or mail, either as a member or an ASN Volunteer.
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Hi, Grant

Indeed Craig will be in the Chicagoland area for a Pilot Town Hall on Thursday, March 21. I will ensure that you receive an invite tomorrow - I've already sent your note on to our PTH events coordinator.

Thursday, 3/21/13 - 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Travel Express Aviation DuPage Airport (DPA)
Chicago, IL

Please accept my apologies. Hope to see you there!
k.
 
so they use member dollars to create the flight planner - have it be free for 2 years or so - and then they transition that flight planner - again - developed with member dollars - into a additional paid product for the tablets.

Good work if you can get it.
 
Katie Pribyl said:
Hi, there! Unfortunately, we cannot revert back to the old AIFP. Here are some of the high-priority bugs/fixes that we are working on:

- Adding capability to edit a loaded flight plan
- Ensuring that the correct winds aloft data is pulled for the planned altitude
- Reinstating your stored flight plans and waypoints
- Including winds aloft in the NavLog
- Altitude warning message when a flight is planned at or below obstacles/terrain

There are others, I just wanted to let you know some of our highest priority fixes. We also have items that are on the list, but not of the highest priority, like adding a kneeboard format (as a pilot, I know how nice this is to have) and seeing a sectional chart instead of an IFR high chart on the initial load of the flight planner.

There are more high priority, medium priority and low priority fixes that we are working on, I just wanted to give you a flavor here. If there are any that you want to make sure are on our radar screen, please ask and I can tell you where they are on the list.

Thanks again,
k
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Why can't you?

With any major software release I've ever done, there had to be a well documented roll back plan before the upgrade was allowed to continue.

So. Why, would AOPA trash one of it's best assets and replace it with known bad software?
 
Well, at least I got a straight answer. The 'why' questions are a matter for philosophy, or perhaps for their financial advisor.

As someone who works on the edge of technology every day, for the past 30 years I understand the development cycle. My company doesn't remove functional systems while alpha or beta testing our new gadgetry, we let out customers(members) continue to do their jobs with what we offered until we got most of the flies out of the ointment. But - that's just us.

Sadly, this is just another pie in the face with AOPA, but I do appreciate K coming and giving us a brief. AOPA had a long way to go to win back my support, and they are moving in the wrong direction. We will see what we will see with the new chief.
 
docmirror said:
Well, at least I got a straight answer. The 'why' questions are a matter for philosophy, or perhaps for their financial advisor.

As someone who works on the edge of technology every day, for the past 30 years I understand the development cycle. My company doesn't remove functional systems while alpha or beta testing our new gadgetry, we let out customers(members) continue to do their jobs with what we offered until we got most of the flies out of the ointment. But - that's just us.

Sadly, this is just another pie in the face with AOPA, but I do appreciate K coming and giving us a brief. AOPA had a long way to go to win back my support, and they are moving in the wrong direction. We will see what we will see with the new chief.
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Anyone who's worked in IT for 8 hours knows there's something going on here. You don't "emergency" install bad software in the place of good software. If the users are apathetic to a change, that's success. Most are fairly jaded when it comes to new software, and for good reasons. We have 5 stages that even minor changes must go through to reach end users. I feel that's a little too much for the trivial stuff but 3 isn't so far fetched. Even AOPA had the "old" and "new" versions running in parallel for quite some time and gauged user feedback. I think her appearance here is CMA and collateral damage control from the marketing department. With the better part of 2 decades in the software industry, I'm failing to find a plausible reason for the change. They're now down to 1 reason why I'm still a member in spite of 15 reasons why I don't want to be.
 
Katie Pribyl said:
Hi, Grant

Indeed Craig will be in the Chicagoland area for a Pilot Town Hall on Thursday, March 21. I will ensure that you receive an invite tomorrow - I've already sent your note on to our PTH events coordinator.

Thursday, 3/21/13 - 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Travel Express Aviation DuPage Airport (DPA)
Chicago, IL

Please accept my apologies. Hope to see you there!
k.
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Thanks! Hope to see you again!
 
AOPA members are not entitled to the real truth. They are just members who pay dues. Of course no one would halt production systems in the middle of a mature use cycle. It's insane, but I was being friendly to the newcomer.

Do I have to asplain everything? :lol::lol::lol:
 
timwinters said:
You don't have to be a member to get to those and print them out.

Yes, they are handy.
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Well blow me down! When I blew off AOPA, you did need to be a member to see that.

Probably a move in the right direction. If I get back into the habit of spending time on their web site I'm way more likely to fork over cash.

Way cool big time for one of their apparatchiks to actually show up here. Either that or this little site has more pull than I would have imagined possible.
 
Let me add the same thought I usually offer in these AOPA bashing threads.

If you don't want to join AOPA, then at least send roughly the annual dues to the AOPA-PAC.

We have a President and many Congress people who would happily eliminate all of general aviation just for a 'look how I punished those rich white guys' talking point on the news.

If you don't want to join AOPA do something to defend GA, or live to regret it.
 
bartmc said:
Why can't you?

With any major software release I've ever done, there had to be a well documented roll back plan before the upgrade was allowed to continue.

So. Why, would AOPA trash one of it's best assets and replace it with known bad software?
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Not defending any one here but I have to wonder if the data supplier, such as Jepessen was the problem?

Dunno.

David
 
JimNtexas said:
Let me add the same thought I usually offer in these AOPA bashing threads.

If you don't want to join AOPA, then at least send roughly the annual dues to the AOPA-PAC.

We have a President and many Congress people who would happily eliminate all of general aviation just for a 'look how I punished those rich white guys' talking point on the news.

If you don't want to join AOPA do something to defend GA, or live to regret it.
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Fear tactics?
 
Katie Pribyl said:
We also have items that are on the list, but not of the highest priority, like adding a kneeboard format (as a pilot, I know how nice this is to have) and seeing a sectional chart instead of an IFR high chart on the initial load of the flight planner.

k
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There is a "SETTINGS" box on the planner that requests the kind of chart to be used as the default. Once you select "Sectional" the Sectional does come up every time thereafter. Not a big deal after your first use ...
 
Palmpilot said:
Looks more like an honest opinion to me.
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So if I don't lay gifts at the feet of AOPA so that they can lay gifts at the feet of politicians, I'm going to regret it? I highly doubt it.

Is that their current philosophy? Give money or else?
 
bartmc said:
So if I don't lay gifts at the feet of AOPA so that they can lay gifts at the feet of politicians, I'm going to regret it? I highly doubt it.

Is that their current philosophy? Give money or else?
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Lol,

I liked what a poster on another forum asked

"Do you feel that aviation is better for AOPA existing?

Send in your $40"

My response was no, I will keep my money thanks.
 
cirrusmx said:
you guys ask to much for 30 dollars a year and a free baseball cap.
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www.skyvector.com. Click on 'flight plan' in the bar on the left, click on 'layers' in the bar on the right. Pick your stuff, then go to duats for your Notams, or latest Metars.

Total cost: an hour and $0.00. (sans baseball cap) :wink2:
 
flhrci said:
Originally Posted by bartmc
Why can't you?

With any major software release I've ever done, there had to be a well documented roll back plan before the upgrade was allowed to continue.

So. Why, would AOPA trash one of it's best assets and replace it with known bad software?
Click to expand...
Not defending any one here but I have to wonder if the data supplier, such as Jepessen was the problem?
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That's one possible explanation. Other possible explanations can be found in the title of this thread.

Given the additional recent problem of 3rd party fuel prices vanishing from the airport directory pages, it seems that AOPA is either having an outbreak of reluctantance to perform among its vendors, or it has stopped paying them, or it doesn't care. It's nice that Katie showed up here, but she hasn't answered the question. As a PR person, her job is to manage bad news with spin, not with the truth.

Whatever the truth is, it is something that will make somebody look really bad, and it's not her job to make people look really bad, even when that's the truth.
 
I have never used the flight planning but FlyQ weather has become my place to go for last minute updates on my iPhone.
 
I get it now. flyQ is the brainchild of Seattle Avionics. It's an add-on suite to their desk based Voyager flight planning tool, and is incompatible with the Jepp stuff they used to have and is in direct competition.

But - Did AOPA license the desk based Voyager part? As far as I know, just the downloadable app. What if I want to flight plan on my desk, or if I want to use a browser based flight planning tool? <edit: it says they offer a web based flight planner. Can anyone confirm?>
 
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docmirror said:
I get it now. flyQ is the brainchild of Seattle Avionics. It's an add-on suite to their desk based Voyager flight planning tool, and is incompatible with the Jepp stuff they used to have and is in direct competition.

But - Did AOPA license the desk based Voyager part? As far as I know, just the downloadable app. What if I want to flight plan on my desk, or if I want to use a browser based flight planning tool? <edit: it says they offer a web based flight planner. Can anyone confirm?>
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They say if you have the FlyQ apps, once the bugs are worked out, anything you plan at your home PC will be retrievable from "the cloud."
 
bartmc said:
So if I don't lay gifts at the feet of AOPA so that they can lay gifts at the feet of politicians, I'm going to regret it? I highly doubt it.

Is that their current philosophy? Give money or else?
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That's the reality we live in. If you don't see it, then you're up the river denial.
 
DogDaddy said:
They haven't haven't replied to an email I sent them over 2 weeks ago.
And the latest issue of Flight Training magazine was very lame, no useful information at all.
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They just repeated the same articles every 18 months with slightly diff photos, dumped it years ago and my AOPA membership is going the same way
 
DogDaddy said:
Oh yeah, my membership expires January 31. But starting in JULY they keep sending me renewal notices...with postage paid envelopes enclosed. That's what some of the membership funds are spent on...harrassing letters and return postage. Can't they just send an email reminder 30 days before the renewal date? Next thing you know they'll be visiting us in person at our jobs, via helicopter.
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Beloir Publications (IFR, IFR Refresher, etc.) does the same thing... I have to deal with mail from them every week or two. Aggravates me.
 
docmirror said:
flyQ is the brainchild of Seattle Avionics.?>
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The same folks who also developed that horrible and unusable app for Bendix/King and the AOPA FLyQ app.... thanks but no thanks
 
Gerhardt said:
Impressive.

http://www.aopa.org/newsroom/newsitems/releases/2012/12-3-001.html

I'd have known that if I was still an AOPA member.
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Ah, no you wouldn't have. I am an AOPA member and did not receive any press release or related news updates? :dunno:
But thanks for the Press release! She sounds like she should be in charge of AOPA!!!!

AOPA has lost sight of their members and fundamental mission. It's pretty evident in reviewing the comments on this page as well as what AVWEB just published. http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/2462-full.html#208298

I was sad to see Phil Boyer step down and really hoped that Fuller could fill his shoes. Sadly, not even close! The last 5 years under Fuller's command was shaky at best.

Can AOPA recover from damage done? Maybe, but it will have to work hard, turn things around and put someone of leadership quality at the helm of the sinking ship.
 
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JimNtexas said:
That's the reality we live in. If you don't see it, then you're up the river denial.
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I'm not so sure AOPA is our savior, There's a lot of folks with skin in the game not named AOPA.

If the organization is down to "Send us money or else". Well, I couldn't care less and will sleep better at night knowing I'm not supporting an organization that's reduced to scare tactics.
 
JimNtexas said:
That's the reality we live in. If you don't see it, then you're up the river denial.
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No it isn't, AOPA doesn't stop a thing. We can fly as a historical vestige of a formerly free country. GA is on the legislative ban list after private insurance and jetskis.
 
CT Arrow said:
Ah, no you wouldn't have. I am an AOPA member and did not receive any press release or related news updates? :dunno:
But thanks for the Press release! She sounds like she should be in charge of AOPA!!!!

AOPA has lost sight of their members and fundamental mission. It's pretty evident in reviewing the comments on this page as well as what AVWEB just published. http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/2462-full.html#208298

I was sad to see Phil Boyer step down and really hoped that Fuller could fill his shoes. Sadly, not even close! The last 5 years under Fuller's command was shaky at best.

Can AOPA recover from damage done? Maybe, but it will have to work hard, turn things around and put someone of leadership quality at the helm of the sinking ship.
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I'd vote for her. Maybe then they'd be serious about getting more women involved in aviation.
 
I'd vote for her.
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Nope. You don't get a vote. The insiders run AOPA. You're just a revenue source. It's the same at Burger King. Customers are just customers.
 
airdale said:
Nope. You don't get a vote. The insiders run AOPA. You're just a revenue source. It's the same at Burger King. Customers are just customers.
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Be sure to fill out your proxy card and send it back in.
 
For any business, the answer to "why did they" or "why don't they" is...

Money.

Always.

So in one way or another, AOPA made or kept more money by switching flight planners. Now if we PAID for the flight planner directly, our feelings on the matter might have more influence.
 
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