- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 18,357
- Location
- Santa Maria, California
- Aircraft
- Givens Predator
- Total Flight Time
- 2600+ in rotorcraft
I have been trying to plan my flight from KSMX to KBMC with Golden Eagle Flight Prep and DUATS. I have found that it is difficult to extract the information I am after. I called support and talked to a fellow who was not a pilot and he basically told me that much of the information I was after needed to be interpreted and was not available from the software. I ended up adding over 100 miles to the trip each way just to stay below 8,000 feet MSL.
As with any experience with new for me technology, I don’t even know what I would like flight planning software to do.
With the Predators new capabilities I am going to want to go further afield so I am looking for flight planning software that can identify paths around mountains, has surface winds available, can help me find identifiable waypoints, can help me find mountain passes, print sheets that I can use during the flight to identify my waypoints and whatever a good flight planning software can do to ease the flight planning challenges.
I am not good with computers so I would like something that can get me the information I am looking for with the fewest steps.
I called up Neal at RMS technology and he showed me a better way to fly to William J Fox field, AKA the gateway to El Mirage and my last fuel stop before the lake bed, using his software. He was willing to deal with real world challenges instead of fantasies that I have trouble relating my limited experience to.
He claims to be very hooked up with weather although he doesn’t have real surface winds.
At $199 for the software plus $119 per year for updates every 28 days it seems reasonable priced.
He seems to have a lot of airport information and it sounds like he has the information I need for my radio call sheets.
He didn’t laugh when I told him that I fly 1,000 feet AGL at 65kts and had tools in his software to help me with this.
I am wondering what my other options are.
I would be grateful for the benefit of the experience of those here on the forum.
I enjoy planning an extended flight with options for the unexpected; I would like to learn to do it better. Managing different weather systems, fuel, obstacles, MOAs, wilderness, airspace, density altitude and overnight accommodations seems like an interesting challenge.
This also gives me something to do while I wait for my new propeller so I can fly.
I do not want to rely on my GPS to let me know where I am going and my GPS doesn’t have terrain. I would like to add more detail to my planning process so I can identify it sooner when things start to go awry and have more options to manage the challenges as they develop.
Thank you, Vance
As with any experience with new for me technology, I don’t even know what I would like flight planning software to do.
With the Predators new capabilities I am going to want to go further afield so I am looking for flight planning software that can identify paths around mountains, has surface winds available, can help me find identifiable waypoints, can help me find mountain passes, print sheets that I can use during the flight to identify my waypoints and whatever a good flight planning software can do to ease the flight planning challenges.
I am not good with computers so I would like something that can get me the information I am looking for with the fewest steps.
I called up Neal at RMS technology and he showed me a better way to fly to William J Fox field, AKA the gateway to El Mirage and my last fuel stop before the lake bed, using his software. He was willing to deal with real world challenges instead of fantasies that I have trouble relating my limited experience to.
He claims to be very hooked up with weather although he doesn’t have real surface winds.
At $199 for the software plus $119 per year for updates every 28 days it seems reasonable priced.
He seems to have a lot of airport information and it sounds like he has the information I need for my radio call sheets.
He didn’t laugh when I told him that I fly 1,000 feet AGL at 65kts and had tools in his software to help me with this.
I am wondering what my other options are.
I would be grateful for the benefit of the experience of those here on the forum.
I enjoy planning an extended flight with options for the unexpected; I would like to learn to do it better. Managing different weather systems, fuel, obstacles, MOAs, wilderness, airspace, density altitude and overnight accommodations seems like an interesting challenge.
This also gives me something to do while I wait for my new propeller so I can fly.
I do not want to rely on my GPS to let me know where I am going and my GPS doesn’t have terrain. I would like to add more detail to my planning process so I can identify it sooner when things start to go awry and have more options to manage the challenges as they develop.
Thank you, Vance