SkyVector?

What do you guys use SkyVector for? Does it have a specific purpose if you subscribe to Foreflight or Garmin Pilot?

 

quick and easy flight planning. use it all the time before going to GP.

 

Nothing ever since the owner dropped an email to me telling to have sexual relations with myself.

I use 1800wxbrief.com

 

Was it good for you to? And for you to?

 

It seems to be the fastest-loading site on the desktop computer just to review a sectional chart, see current NEXRAD radar, or look at one or two METARS or TAFs. I use Foreflight for planning and briefing, but logging in is more involved.

 

Used to use it for hypothetical flight planning (i.e. daydreaming) but stopped using after they added automatic wind corrections that can't be turned off. I tell every one of my students NOT to use it as it only makes things more confusing.

 

Easy desktop access to current weather, TFR's, fuel prices, quick what if flight plans. I think it's great!

 

Enter 9900 as the departure time and the wind corrections aren’t applied.

 

you can disable wind corrections by putting a future date in.

 

I probably use it more than my EFB. I use it for initial route selection on future and hypothetical flights and it's my go-to for charts when using a PC simulator. Plus, when someone online asks about a procedure, that's where I go to look it up.

 

Punch in flight plan departure and arrival airports, turn on fuel price overlay, then look for a good price fuel stop along the route with minimal deviation and runway somewhat aligned with the prevailing winds.

 

It's a great ball park preview flight planner.
Then do it yourself to make it more accurate.

 

Do you like it more than ForeFlight Web / plan.foreflight.com (the web based FF tool)?

I sort of stopped using SkyVector when I made the switch from Garmin Pilot to ForeFlight, so just curious how many like SkyVector to the online FF tools and why.

 

FF web interface is clunky and doesn't have plates. I use FF in the cockpit or when filing/getting a briefing on the computer. For quick route planning, procedure lookup etc. I always use Skyvector - it's SO MUCH faster than FFWeb

 

FF web does have plates - you can't overlay them and they pop in new tab, but they are available. I guess one of the nice things about FF Web is I can do planning in my office and then save the flight and it transfers to my iPad.

I used to use SkyVector before I got FF and I did like how they would pop the plate in the little window within the SkyVector page... I may go back to SV for planning now that I think back on it.

 

You are correct - FF web does have plates, but it's so hard to get to them and then they open in a new window yatta yatta. If I need a quick lookup Skyvector is unbeatable in my opinion... On the ipad on the other hand, FF is the bomb. SO easy, so intuitive, so fast...

 

you can also send a flight plan from SV to garmin pilot, probably FF as well but don't quote me.

 

I do miss the way SV did that pop-up plate on top of the same window... I'll have to look to see if SV plans can get sent to FF. That would bring me back to SV in a second... FF's web interface sucks.

 

I just tried it - it works but only if you're using SV on the ipad or your phone... which defeats the purpose of using SV in the first place I guess :-(

I think you can email the flight plan in FF format to yourself though from the computer - haven't tried that. Too many hoops

 

oh, I only use SV on my laptop, and it sends to GP just fine.

 

SkyVector has the easiest interface to use for quick initial planning. Rubber banding works better than other platforms. I use FlyQ for the final planning.

 

I don't do any of my flight planning with SV, except for a longer flight picking a fuel stop. However, I am looking at aeronautical charts literally all day long. I have numerous different ways to pull up charts but SV is by far the quickest and easiest for something I'm doing, as I said, numerous times every day.

 

Its great when you are bored and want to imagine flying in different parts of the country.

 

I wish Garmin Pilot had a desktop flight planner. So I use skyvector frequently when I dot feel like suing my iPad or iPhone.