Overview

WHO NEEDS Air Navigation Pro?

Aircraft owners and pilots who want Moving Map GPS, Flight Planning and Logbook. Ideal solution for owners/pilots of basic, light sport or ultralight aircraft without GPS navigation.

Air Navigation running on an iPhone 3GS  in our Piper Warrior. With the Car Kit by TomTom (or Magellan) the iPhone  shows the same data as the 10.000 dollar GNS430 beneath in most situations. While the iPhone cannot be certified to the IFR-navigator’s standard it gives the VFR pilot the possibility to monitor airspaces while using the built in system for other tasks. In light sport or UL aircraft Air Navigation can be used as a complete navigation system – although (like all handheld navigators) it cannot be the only source of navigation. You should always have your paper maps on board.

The complete Navigation solution for the price of a dinner …

Pilots who fly with Air Navigation for the first time are shocked: This app can, for a fraction of the price, do almost anything a “real” aviation GPS can do. Actually it can do everything you will ever need: You can plan your flights either with an editor or directly on the moving map. You can select which map you want to use – for example the (integrated) base map with all the airspace data and airports of many countries, or the official VFR maps for some countries like Germany or the USA. You can download these maps for a fair price inside the application from our map store – and if you ever change the device or lose your data, you can download the maps for free again.

Worldwide terrain maps – for free!

In flight Air Navigation has all the features of a modern GPS navigator for Aviation: It will not only show you the VFR map but also an active overlay with all necessary ATC data. The base terrain map contains maps of the whole world, and there’s about 60.000 waypoints like airports, VORs, NDBs stored in the app for no extra price. Tap an airport or any other point on the moving map and navigate towards it immediately using a course line on the moving map – or a NAV instruments like HSI, VOR or ADF. You also have groundspeed information.

Airspace warning for present altitude

You will also never enter a prohibited airspace with Air Navigation Pro: Dispay all different airspaces on the moving map – or select which ones you want to see.  A filter function which uses your GPS altitude makes it possible to only display airspaces relevant at +/- 1000 feet of your current altitude. You can also select the type of airspace or waypoint you want to see on the overlay.

Other features are an integrated  logbook, similar to the one of  ”Time & Checks” , which will log your flights automatically and a flight recorder which makes it possible to show your flights in applications like Google Earth.  And if ever have a malfunctioning altimeter – there’s an extra one inside Air Navigation Pro which will show you altitude above MSL.

Detailed Description and Manual

Welcome to Air Navigation!

Air Navigation is a real-time aircraft navigation application for iPhone and iPod touch. Real time navigation features of Air Navigation will run on an iPod touch only if the device is connected to an external GPS unit like a car kit (available for  iPhone and iPod from TomTom or Magellan)

Using the built-in GPS receiver and accelerometers of the iPhone the device can simulate several aircraft instruments. With the navigation plan feature, you can prepare and store navigation plans and use them in flight with the moving map.

A basic map (worldwide coverage) with terrain features can be installed free of charge. Several official aeronautical maps are available as a inapp purchase. These add-on maps can be used with a navigation plan or with the “direct to” feature, which displays a track to the destination on the map.

All Instruments are fullscreen and have a dark background for easy readability in the cockpit during day or night operation.

Air Navigation contains a database of basically all navaids and airports in the world (more than 54.000 points). The database is embedded in the application and can be used offline (without Internet connection).

Disclaimer

Before using this software, you must read and agree with the following terms and conditions.

This software is not intended to replace a certified navigation device. We do not guarantee the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the information provided. The embedded navigation database is provided for informational purpose only. It may not be complete and may contain erroneous data. You should always use official aeronautical documentation when preparing and performing a flight. You should always use certified navigation devices when performing a flight. This software is provided ‘as-is’, without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.

YOUR USE OF THIS REAL TIME ROUTE GUIDANCE APPLICATION IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. LOCATION DATA MAY NOT BE ACCURATE.

Air Navigation contains

a) Instrument modules (emulated using the iPhone GPS information and accelerometers)

• Moving map
• HSI
  
• VOR
• ADF
• Altimeter
• Compass
• Slipball
• Flight time
• Flight information
• Groundspeed

b) An embedded database of aeronautical points of interest

• Airports
• Seaplane bases
• Heliports
• NDB
• VOR
• DME
• VOD/DME
• VORTAC
• TACAN
• Compulsory Reporting Points (Germany)
  

c) An embedded airspace database*

• Class A, B, C, D, E, F
• CTR
• Danger areas
• Prohibited airspaces
• Restricted use airspaces

(*version 3.1, June 2010, has airspaces for USA, Canada, France, Germany, UK, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, South Africa, Hungary, New-Zealand)

d) Utility modules

• Navigation plan editor
• Active navigation plan panel with wind correction
• Logbook
• Flight track Recorder
• Bluetooth bridge for transmitting GPS data from iPhone to GPS-less iPad
  
• Map Store for add-on ICAO maps for many European countries
• NEW in V3.2: GERMAN APPROACH CHARTS and HELIPORT CHARTS available*
  
• NEW in V3.2: GERMAN TERMINAL AREA VFR Charts available*
  
• Custom waypoint editor Instruments layout
• Settings

* Approach Charts, Heliport Charts and Terminal Area Charts are only sold together in ONE package of approximately 1 GB. It is  download only parts of this package if you don’t need the rest (like the heliports for example). Learn how the Approach charts are bought and installed here …

Main view layout

Four instrument modules can be displayed on the main screen for quick access using the bottom tab bar. Other modules can be accessed using the “Configuration” button on the bottom right of the tab bar. The tab bar can be customized using the “Instruments layout” module in the Configuration panel.

Internet connection is not required when using Air Navigation but it is necessary for downloading maps. Downloaded data is stored in persistent memory and is available at all times even when no internet connection is available (for example in flight).

The compass instrument

The compass instrument displays the current GPS track (not the magnetic heading)  on a virtual animated compass card. The course can be displayed either as true course or magnetic course depending on the settings.

The outer ring is user adjustable by touching and sliding your finger up or down on the left or right of the compass indicator.

The bottom part  contains the compass information, current ground speed and GPS accuracy as digital values. Units are adjustable in the settings. If the course information is magnetic the digital course label will be “MC” (Magnetic Course) otherwise it will be “TC” (True Course).

The red/white NAV warning flag will appear when GPS accuracy is poor and/or the current ground speed is to low to get valid data. The lowest ground speed to get accurate data is about 3 knots – 6 km/h. You should not trust any of the instruments when the „NAV“ warning flag is displayed.

The Slip ball

The slip ball instrument is displayed under most instruments (except the moving map). The slip ball is not visible if the main instrument is accessed from the “More” section.

The slip ball is emulated using accelerometers present in the iPhone. For accurate indication great care must be taken when installing the iPhone in the airplane cockpit: the iPhone must be installed with an accurate vertical alignment with the aircraft and preferably attached to a part of the airframe with the least possible vibrations. If needed the slip ball may be calibrated to neutral in the “Settings” module.

The ADF instrument

The top part is the ADF indicator. The yellow needle is pointing towards the selected waypoint relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The ADF requires a valid course to compute the waypoint relative position and will not work correctly when the GPS accuracy is low or the ground speed is below 3 knots (6 km/h). If no waypoint is selected or the waypoint distance is more than 250 nautical miles or no valid GPS position and/or course is available the “NAV” warning flag will be displayed on the instrument.

The compass card can be manually rotated using touch and swipe up/down gesture on the left or the right of the indicator. This way you can set the ADF to the magnetic heading.

Below the main indicator the name of the active waypoint is displayed as well as the distance from the waypoint (great circle distance) and GPS accuracy. It is possible to select any kind of waypoint (Airports, VOR, NDB, etc) as an ADF target waypoint unlike with a real ADF which requires NDB or AM transmitters as waypoints.

You can select a new waypoint from the database by pressing the blue disclosure button on the bottom part of the instrument. Please read the “Selecting waypoints from the database” to get information about waypoint search and selection.

Selecting waypoints from the database

The embedded database provides more than 54.000 navigation aids and airports all over the world as well as access to end user custom waypoints. Waypoints can be accessed by country or using the „Nearby waypoints” list. When pressing the select button of a navigation instrument, the waypoint selector is displayed, allowing waypoint search and selection.

Selecting the “Search” tab in the bottom tab bar of the “Waypoint selector” will display a browsable list of countries. When pressing a particular country the list will display a list of regions for that country (example: United-States -> States) or the list of waypoints for that country/region.

The waypoints are displayed with their well known aviation symbol on the left, identifier and name and eventually details such as frequency or runway info for airfields. Airfield symbol is rotated to match the main runway direction if the information is available.

You can scroll the list by using finger swipe gesture on the list. You can select a particular waypoint by tapping once on it. Details of waypoints  like frequencies or runway infos for airfields are displayed together with a blue “Select” button on top. You can affect it to the instrument by pressing the “Select” button

The search field on top of the list can be used to search for a waypoint by its identifier or name. Type text in the search field and press the blue “Search” button on the bottom right of the keyboard. Results (if any) will be displayed in the “Search results” list.

Selecting the “Nearby” tab in the bottom tab bar of the “Waypoint selector” will display a list of nearby waypoints sorted by distance relative to your current GPS position.

The distance of the waypoint from your current GPS position is displayed in green under the waypoint symbol.

The waypoints are also grouped by range and it is possible to “jump” to a particular range by using the index on the right.

The button bar on top of the list is the current waypoint filter. You can show / hide a particular waypoint type by enabling/disabling the related symbol.

The VOR instrument

The top part is an emulated VOR indicator. The white needle (CDI, Course deviation indicator) will display the current deviation up to +/- 12 degrees relative to the selected radial to or from the course to the selected waypoint.

Course and radial selection is done by touch and swipe gesture up or down on the left or right of the compass ring.

The VOR instrument requires at least 2.5 nautical miles of GPS accuracy but does not require a minimum groundspeed to give you accurate information. If no waypoint is selected or if the distance to the waypoint is more than 250 nautical miles (or if GPS accuracy is bad), the TO/FROM indicator will disappear and a NAV warning flag will indicate that you should not trust the VOR indicator.

Below the main indicator the name of the currently selected waypoint is displayed as well as distance from the waypoint (great circle) and GPS accuracy. You can use any kind of waypoint (Airports, VOR, NDB, etc) with the VOR instrument. (whereas a real-life VOR indicator requires radio signals from VOR, VOR/DME or VORTAC transmitters.)

You can select a new waypoint from the database with the blue disclosure button button on the bottom part of the instrument. Please read “Selecting waypoints from the database” to get information about waypoint search and selection. Please note that VOR radials and courses are always magnetic relative to the VOR waypoint.

The HSI instrument

The top part of the screen is an emulated HSI (Horizontal situation indicator). The yellow needle is the Course select pointer, the moving part in the middle is the Course deviation indicator (CDI) which displays the deviation (+/- 12 degrees) from the selected radial or course to or from the selected waypoint. Unlike on a real HSI where the orange Heading bug is used to set a course for the autopilot, the heading bug displays the bearing to the selected waypoint. Also the HIS does not display magnetic heading but the track of the aircraft.

The advantage of the HSI is that it displays the position of the aircraft symbol in the middle relative to the selected course. The compass card will rotate automatically to match the current flying track. Radial or course selection is done by touch and swipe gesture up or down on the left or right of the compass ring. The HSI instrument requires a zero nautical miles accuracy and a speed of 5 kts or more to display a track on the rotating compass card. If no waypoint is selected or the waypoint distance is over 250 nautical miles (or if the GPS accuracy is bad) a “NAV” warning flag will let you know that you should not trust the HSI indicator. Please note that you may still get correct deviation information when GPS accuracy is less than 2.5 nautical miles. In this case the compass card will be oriented to the north.

Below the main indicator, the selected waypoint is displayed as well as the distance from the waypoint (great circle distance) and GPS accuracy. You can use any kind of waypoint (Airports, VOR, NDB, etc) to be used with the HSI instrument. (A real HSI indicator requires radio signals from VOR, VOR/DME or VORTAC transmitters.)

You can select a new waypoint from the database with the the  blue disclosure button on the bottom part of the instrument. Please read „Selecting waypoints from the database” to get information about waypoint search and selection. Please note that HSI radials and courses are always magnetic relative to the HSI selected waypoint.

In the default mode the HSI displays the course you have selected on the map automatically (default setting, can be changed under Settings /Configuration / Instruments)

The Altimeter instrument

The altimeter instrument of Air Navigation displays altitudes above Mean sea level (MSL) as reported from the GPS unit. Usually the altitude has an accuracy of 70 ft or less.

The top part is the analog altimeter indicator. On the bottom part you will find the digital altimeter value as well as the current GPS altitude accuracy.

The altimeter unit can be set as feet or meters in the application settings. The altitude is displayed if the GPS accuracy is 230 ft or less. In case of bad accuracy you will see a question mark instead of the digital altimeter value.

The Moving Map

The moving map is the most complex instrument of Air Navigation. The map view is tailored to use the complete screen area of the iPhone if desired with exception of the status bar (battery status, etc) and the bottom tab bar (to quickly switch between instruments). If the whole screen is not needed then course, speed and either lat/lon or altitude information can also be displayed.

In default mode, the map view is centered on your current GPS position, following the aircraft movements and scrolling the map image as needed.

A course selected on the map will  be automatically displayed on the Nav-1-indicator (HSI, default)

Map view displayed data

Depending on the user settings and available data, the map view will display one or more of these items :

• A black aircraft symbol representing your position and track relative to other map elements

• In the top right corner a distance scale relative to map data and current zoom level Navigation points (or waypoints): Airports, NDB, VOR, TACAN, DME, FIX and user waypoints

• If free map data was downloaded: terrain features such as bodies of water, cities, roads, country boundaries, forests, etc)

• If official aeronautical maps were downloaded and selected, they will appear in background.

• Airspace information (Class A, B, C, D, E, F, CTR, Restricted, Danger, Prohibited, TMZ, etc.)

For more information on downloading free maps or purchasing official aeronautical maps, see the “Map Store” module chapter.

Map view controls

On the left side of the map you will see four map control buttons. These are used to switch between several different display modes.

Map view controls:

Map mode,

Point / Nav Plan selection /

Nav info toggle,

Map settings

Map mode button

These buttons change the map mode. To switch between north up and track up, simply tap the button once. To pan the map, touch the map at any position other than a control button. The map mode button will change to pan mode. To switch back to the previous mode, simply tap once the map mode button. It is also possible to double tap anywhere on the map to revert to previous mode.

North-up, GPS position centered map, moving to follow movement (Default).

Track up, GPS position centered map, moving to follow movement

Panned, user selected position centered, not moving, north up orientation

Zoom in and out

You can zoom in and out of the map with one finger by using the scale bar in the upper right corner of every map. Simply slide your finger on the scale to change the zoom level. Actually you don’t even have to be on the scale… just slide your finger across the upper part of the screen!

Waypoint / Navigation plan selection button

Pressing this button will display an action menu with various options:

Clear all: clear the current waypoint selection. Direct to waypoint: select one waypoint to fly to Nearest airport: select nearest airport from current position and display course to Navigation plan: select and display a navigation flight plan (previously created with the navigation flight plan editor). Direct to a point on map: select a point (other than a waypoint) on moving map

Clear All will remove any waypoint or navigation plan selection from the map as well as related vectors, the „next waypoint“ or „direct to waypoint“ details overlay will disappear, leaving only the map and course/speed/coordinates/altitude (if not hidden).

Direct to waypoint

This will present the “Waypoints database”. You can then select a particular waypoint as a “Direct to” waypoint. The map will draw a red vector from your actual position to the selected point.

The vector represents the great circle or shortest path on earth from your current position to the selected point. Furthermore the “Direct to waypoint“ detail overlay will be displayed on the bottom part of the map (if not hidden). The detail overlay provide information such as: Waypoint identifier and name, Bearing from current position to waypoint, Distance from waypoint and Estimated Time En-route to waypoint.

Nearest Airfield

will find the airfield at the shortest distance from your current position and select it as a “Direct to waypoint” and draw a direct to vector to it. Furthermore the “Direct to waypoint” detail overlay will be displayed on the bottom part of the map (if not hidden).

Navigation Plan

will present the “Navigation flight plans” list. Multi-legs Navigation flight plans can be selected and affected to the moving map instrument, usually before you start a flight. A red vector will be displayed on the map representing “great circle“ path between individual waypoints, starting at the departure point and finishing at the destination point.

The moving map will automatically compute the next waypoint toward the destination and display the “Next waypoint” details overlay with various information such as Waypoint identifier and name, Bearing from current position to waypoint, Distance from waypoint and Estimated Time En-route to waypoint. For more information on creating multi-legs navigation flight plans, please read the “Navigation flight plans” chapter later in this guide.

Direct to point on map

will present a visual interface on the map composed of a blue cross guide where the intersection is the target point and a coordinate overlay on top of the map view with a “done” button. To select a new waypoint, move the map with your finger until the desired point is centered under the blue cross, click the “done” button to accept.

A red vector from your actual position to the selected point will be displayed. The vector represents the great circle or shortest ground track from your current position to the selected point. Furthermore the “Direct to waypoint” details will be displayed on the bottom part of the map (if not hidden). Information such as: Bearing from current position to waypoint, Distance from waypoint and Estimated Time En-route to waypoint are presented here.

Map navigation info button

The map navigation info button is used to show and hide the navigation info details at the bottom of the map. Hiding the details will give you 25 % more space for map display.

The navigation info overlay is active by default but can be hidden. It contains various useful information such as your current course (true or magnetic), ground speed, GPS position by latitude/longitude and GPS accuracy symbol. By tapping the GPS accuracy symbol, you can display the GPS altitude instead of the coordinates (question mark will be displayed if GPS reception is poor).

When a waypoint or a navigation flight plan is affected to the map instrument, the “Next waypoint” or “Direct to waypoint” info overlay is displayed on top of the navigation info overlay. It contains information related to the next waypoint such as: Waypoint identifier and name, Bearing from current position to waypoint, Distance from waypoint and Estimated Time En-route (ETE) to waypoint.

GPS accuracy symbols

Black: No GPS signal or GPS error
Red: Poor GPS accuracy not suitable for navigation
Orange: Average GPS accuracy, can be used with the VOR or Map instruments but no course or speed can be computed from GPS data
Yellow: Good accuracy, usually a few meters, can be used by all instruments. Provides accurate ground speed and course information. However, no altitude information is available.
Green: Very good accuracy including GPS altitude information of equal to or less than 230 ft / 70 m vertical accuracy

Map settings button

Pressing the “Map settings” button will show the map settings panels (3 panels). In the map settings you can freely select what kind of data will be displayed on the map view such as airspaces types, waypoints types and map groups. You can switch from a panel to the other by using the blue arrows at the bottom of the panel.

Airspace settings

You can turn airspace classes (A, B, C, D, E, F, Danger, Prohibited, Restricted, CTR, TMZ) on or off in this menu. Furthermore, depending on the airspace filter setting the airspaces may or may not be shown on the map. When the airspace filter is set to automatic (default) it will compute and display airspaces that match your current GPS altitude with a +/- 1000 ft margin.

Other airspaces are not shown resulting in less clutter on the map. It is possible to display airspaces relevant for the flown altitude (as flight level) by moving the slider to the requested value. The map will be updated according to the new setting. Moving the slider completely to the right will disable the airspace filter. As a result all airspaces will be shown.

Waypoint settings

You can set waypoint types visible or invisible on the map by pressing the related button (displayed waypoint type appears with an orange title). Additionally it is possible to turn on and off the background terrain and the night mod.

Make the overlay invisible but keep it active!

If you use an official VFR map from our map store, you can make the waypoint overlay invisible  but still have the waypoints selectable on the map. In the settings (under Configuration / Instruments) select “Hidden points selectable” to activate this feature.  This way you have a much cleaner display of the map – and you can still use our waypoint overlay.

Map to display

Installed map data are grouped by type. For example all free maps are grouped in the “Free maps” US Sectional charts and ICAO are grouped on a per release basis.

For example all ICAO maps for year 2010 are in the ICAO 2010 group. US Sectional February 2010 to August 2010 are grouped together. You can freely switch from a group of maps to another anytime by pressing the group name in the list of installed maps.

If you upgraded from Air Navigation 2.0, you may see an additional group “Air Navigation 2.0 maps”. The groups represent maps downloaded from previous versions of Air Navigation. They are of inferior quality and you should download newer maps from our map store. Once you have downloaded new maps, you can uninstall to old data from the map store module. See “Map Store” chapter for more information.

Waypoint interaction on map

When pressing a particular waypoint on the map, a detail overlay will be displayed with various information such as: Identifier, Full name, Frequency (if available), runway information and elevation (of airports). Pressing the white and red cross or anywhere on the map outside the overlay will remove it.

By pressing the identifier and name you can display a menu with various options: Use waypoint on the map, “Direct to”. Fly to the waypoint using one of the nav instruments such as the VOR, ADF or HSI (affect the waypoint to the instrument).

If you select a waypoint on the map for “Direct to”-Navigation the course will autimatically be displayed on the NAV-1 indicator (HSI, default)

Day and night mode of map

Tapping three times quickly anywhere on the map (outside of control buttons) will switch the map from day mode to night mode or back. When night mode is enabled, the background of the map is dimmed.

Map Store

The Map Store module is used to download and/or manage background map data from various sources:

Free of charge map data with terrain features (water, roads, cities, forests). Free map data originates from www.openstreetmap.org but we provide our own dedicated map server.

Note: Free map data copyright information: © OpenStreetMap and contributors, CC-BY-SA.

Official FAA US Sectional charts as inapp purchase.
Official ICAO maps for different European countries as inapp purchase
NEW from V3.2: German VFR approach charts for airports and selected heliports

Downloading free maps, purchasing and downloading official maps

When displaying the Map Store module, the available map content for download/purchase will be downloaded from the map server. You should always make sure that your Phone has a functional internet connection prior trying to download/purchase maps, preferably a Wifi connection.

Choose a group of maps of your interest. Then continue browsing the subgroups until you find a map you wish to download. The list of available map packages is listed together with the status of the package. To download a package, simply press on it. Its status will change from “Not downloaded” to “Downloading” for free of charge maps and from “Press to purchase” to “Purchasing” for inapp purchase maps. Additionaly, when purchasing a map, you will be asked to confirm the purchase and eventually enter your iTunes AppStore credentials.

Important note: Once purchased the map is yours  and you will be charged only once for a particular map release. Once it has been purchased i twill start downloading the data from the internet. The size of the map package can result in a download time of several minutes up to hours, depending on your internet connection speed.

If the download failed you can redownload the map package for free by restarting the procedure. If you had to change the device for some reason, you can redownload the application and purchased map for free by using the same iTunes AppStore account.

Monitoring map downloads

When map areas are in the “Downloading” state, they are placed in the “Map download queue”. The „Map download queue“ is located in the upper section of the “Map Store”. By displaying the “Map download queue” you can:

• Monitor the download progress: The first line is the active download and has a progress bar on it. The other areas below are pending downloads.

• Reorder download list: press the „Edit“ button on top and move the lines. – Remove a download area from the queue: press the „Edit“ button and then press the „Delete“ (red circle with white bar) button.

The “Map download” queue will start downloading only if a wireless network (Wifi) is available (default). Should you wish to allow map download using the GSM (cellular) network, you must enable the “Allow GSM download” option in the settings panel. Download via 3G, Edge or GPRS is not recommended as it is usually much slower than Wifi and it may result in high cost.

When a map package has been completely downloaded, the map data will be verified and installed. After installation it is available immediately in the map view. If the map data do not appear in the map instrument you should check that the appropriate map group is selected in the map instrument (see “Moving Map“chapter for more information).

Deleting installed maps

The installed map list is located in the upper section of the “Map Store” module. In this module you can review which maps are already installed and delete them (to free space or because they are obsolete). Press the “Edit” button on top to enter delete mode. Press on the red circle with white bar to uninstall a map and remove the associated files.

German VFR Approach Charts

From V3.2 the complete german VFR approach chart package is available for active use in Air Navigation Pro

The german approach chart package consists of:

1. All airports for which the DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung) has released VFR approach charts
2. Selected heliport approach charts as released by the DFS (mainly hospitals and industrial sites)
3. The eight (8) Terminal Area Charts release by the DFS

Once installed the Approach charts and Terminal Area Charts can be switched on or off (Settings: “auto approach charts on/off”, “auto terminal charts on/off”.

The approach charts are bought in our Kagi online store. You only buy a CODE for the installation of the charts there and download the charts later form our server. Read the full installation procedure for the approach charts here.

When you buy the german approach charts you purchase a 1-year-subscription from the date you have bought the charts. There are 12 updates of the approach charts in that period. Click on Configuration/Map Store and select “Official Charts” under “Approach Charts” to check for available updates. Under “Installed Charts” you will see “Germany” and if you click on the arrow you can check for updates on the bottom of the next page. If an update is available you will be asked if you want to download and install it.

The Approach Chart Update will:

1. Install the newest active approach chart in the moving map
2. Replace old PDF files with the newest ones

How to print Approach Charts

The iPhone/iPad do not yet support direct printing of the PDFs. But you can print the PDFs of the approach charts using this method:

1. Open the pop-up window of the airport you need by tappimg on it (on the map)
2. In the pop-up window that opens now you will find all available original PDFs of that airport.
3. Open the PDF and make a SCREENSHOT (Home button+On/off switch)
4. You will find the screenshot under “Photos” on you iPhone/iPad and you can now send the image by eMail to your eMail account and print it there. We are aware that this method is complicated – but we are sure that the printing feature for the iPad will come.

Check these items if  your Approach charts  do not appear on the iPhone/iPad

- Do you have at least Air Navigation V3.2 installed? If not then update the app!
– Do you have at least 2 GB of Space o your iPhone/iPad? The file is about 1 GB but the installation procedure requires more space than that
– The Wifi network you use for the  download should be of the fast and reliable type. Weak Wifi networks can make the download process crash and you have to start all over again
– Is “auto approach charts” and/or “auto terminal charts” switched on in the settings?
– If you have problems downloading the charts directly to your device then you should try the other alternative and download the charts to your desktop computer first and transfer them to your iPhone/iPad via Wifi using the “webserver feature” of Air Navigation Pro (See description below)
– Close the app and launch it again after the installation of the charts

Adding custom waypoints to the database

It is possible to add your own custom waypoints of any kind to the database. To add a new waypoint proceed to the “Custom waypoints” module in the “More” tab module.

The “Custom waypoints” module contains the previously entered custom waypoints, sorted by country. Pressing the “Add a new waypoint” line will create a new waypoint in the custom waypoints database and present the waypoint editor. You should start by entering an identifier for the waypoint.

A unique identifier is requested to continue entering other information for the waypoint. When done with the identifier press the “back” button on top left to display the waypoint attributes.

By selecting the corresponding line of the waypoint editor you can set its various attributes such as:

Waypoint type (Airfield, Fix, Waypoint, Navaid), frequencies, runways, Waypoint Identifier and full name Waypoint country Waypoint coordinates (coordinates can be set manually or to match your current location using the related button)

If the waypoint is an airport, one or more runways with id, orientation, surface type and width/length

Custom waypoints appear on the map and are selectable in the database like any other waypoints.

Please note that it is possible to import a list of waypoint from a desktop PC by using Air Navigation Pro embedded web server. See “Importing and exporting  data” chapter for more information.

Creating Navigation Flight Plans

It is possible to create and store Navigation Flight plans and use them with the map and as a list of legs with various information such as waypoint id and name, course, heading, distance and estimated flight time.

To create a new navigation flight plan, proceed to the “Navigation Plans” module in the “Configuration” tab module.

Press the “New navigation plan” line to create a new navigation plan.

The editor is made of 3 sections: Summary, Legs and Map

Summary:

Display various informations about the navigation plan. It is also possible to enter a name, an intended cruise speed and wind information. Speed and wind information is used to compute headings and estimated time. Please note that wind and cruise speed information can be changed at any time and also when the navigation plan is selected on the map. See “Active Navigation Plan” chapter, later in this guide for details.

By pressing the “Action” button on top right, it is possible to duplicate a navigation plan and to send a navigation plan to another Air Navigation Pro user using a specially formatted email. Pressing the link on the email will install the navigation plan in the user Air Navigation Pro application.

Legs:

This is the list of waypoints of the navigation plan. The waypoints can be reordered / deleted and also reversed by pressing the “Edit” button on top right.

Heading and estimated time will be computed from cruise speed and wind information entered in the “Summary” (if any). A search bar on top of the navigation plan can be used to quickly add waypoints to the list by typing it identifier. You can add a waypoint from the Waypoint selector by pressing the “Add waypoint… “ row at the bottom of the list of legs. Please note that the “Estimated Time Enroute” value will not be filled if you have not set the intended cruise speed in the “Summary” tab.

Map:

The map tab in the navigation plan editor is used to enter your intended route graphically: You can tap waypoints on the map to get details. The waypoint details overlay will be displayed. Press the “Add waypoint” button on the overlay to set this waypoint as the next leg destination.

If two or more waypoints are added in the navigation plan, a red vector representing the intended flight path will be displayed on the map. It is possible to remove a waypoint from the navigation plan directly from the map by pressing on it. In the overlay, press the “Remove waypoint” button. The red vector will change to reflect the new intended flight path.

You can zoom in/out and pan the map using standart one or two fingers gestures.

You can center the map on a particular position by pressing the “Edit” button on top right and selecting  “Find waypoint“. The waypoint database will be presented where you can search and select a waypoint. The map will be centered on the selected waypoint and the waypoint detail overlay will be displayed.

It is also possible to create a new custom waypoint directly in the navigation flight plan editor map view. To create a new custom waypoint, press the “Edit” button on top right and choose “New waypoint”. A point selection interface is displayed, composed of a blue cross. The intersection of the two blue lines is the target point and coordinates are displayed on top of the map view with a “done” button. To create a waypoint directly on the map, move the map with your finger until the desired point is centered under the blue cross intersection and then click on the “done” button to accept. A “Custom waypoint” editor with the coordinates of your previous selection will be displayed. Set the various attributes of your custom waypoint and press the “Map” button to return to the “Navigation Plan” editor map view.

To change the waypoint order in the navigation flight plan, you must go back to the “Legs” tab and press the “Edit „ button at top right. You can then move the waypoint in the list by using the reorder button on the right of each row.

Deleting Navigation plans

In the “Navigation plans “ module press the “Edit” button on top right to delete one or more navigation plans. A red and white “delete” button will appear in from of each navigation plan. Press on it to delete the related navigation plan.

The “Active Navigation Plan” module

When a navigation plan is selected in the “Map“ mode, it will also appear as a list of legs to fly and a summary in the “Active Navigation Plan“ module.

Each leg is displayed with waypoint identifier and name, course, distance from the previous waypoint, estimated time and heading. Estimated time enroute (ETE) and heading are computed by using the cruise speed and wind values set in the Navigation plan summary. You can edit cruise speed and wind information by pressing the Summary cell at the top of the “Active Navigation Plan” module.

Identifier and name of the current leg is displayed in green. Should you wish to fly directly to a specific leg, press on the corresponding line. The “Next waypoint” information in the Map view will be updated to your selection. It is also possible to get details such as frequencies or runways of a particular waypoint by pressing the blue disclosure button.

The “Flight information” module

This module can be used to display various GPS and next waypoint information as text and numerical values in big font. It is designed to be easily read in the cockpit environment. This module will also compute the flown distance.

The “Groundspeed” module

The groundspeed instrument of Air Navigation displays GPS reported speed (groundspeed).  The top part is the analog speed indicator. On the bottom part you will find the digital speed value as well as the current GPS altitude accuracy. The speed unit can be set as knots, miles per hour or kilometers per hour in the application settings.

Please note that the graphics of the groundspeed indicator represent an airspeed indicator but that the diiferent airspeed markings in color have no meaning with groundspeed!

The “Flight time” module

The flight time module is used to monitor or enter block and flight time as well as other logbook information such as landings, aircraft identifier and remarks. The flight time module can be set to “Automatic“ in the settings. An automatic Flight time module will record your block and flight time using GPS events. It will also record the departure and arrival place automatically. After a flight when the aircraft stops moving the “Flight time “ module will wait 90 seconds and if it has not detected any movement, will store the flight in the logbook. It will also store the flight in the logbook if block-on time is set and you quit Air Navigation Pro. All time values are stored as UTC time. All values are freely editable after the flight.

The Logbook

The Logbook module stores and display “Flight entries” grouped by month. It is possible to edit any flight by pressing on it. At the bottom of each month, a summary with the total time is displayed. At the end of the list the total time and landings is displayed. It is possible to set initial time and landings by pressing the “Edit” button on top right. It is also possible to add a new log entry, delete a log entry and even send the log by email as a text file that can be imported in a database program or speadsheet for example.

Customizing Air Navigation

Air Navigation can be customized to best suit your needs. The main bottom tab bar can be customized with four instruments of your choice.

To customize the tab bar, go to the “Configuration…” tab and press the “Instruments layout” module. Reorder the instruments in the list by dragging them with the reorder symbol on the right of each row. The first four rows represent the main instruments. The main instruments will be displayed in the bottom tab bar of the main view. The other instruments will be accessible from the “Configuration” tab.

However, because the “Configuration” module has a navigation bar on top, the slip ball may not be visible from the “Configuration” module.

Air Navigation will restore your instrument layout after restarting the app.

The settings module

Use the settings to change distance, speed, length, altitude units. Possible units are feet or meters for altitude and runway length and Nautical miles & knots, statute miles and mph and metric for speed and distance in km/h and kilometers.

The coordinates format can be set either as Degrees Minutes Seconds or Degrees and decimal values.

Map and compass can be set to use magnetic or true north to display course information. VOR and HSI can be set to automatically adjust the OBS wheel to point to the waypoint when a new waypoint is selected.

If the slip ball was not centered with your device laying on a flat surface, you can calibrate it by pressing the “Calibrate slip ball“ item in the settings.

“Allow GSM download”: turn on this option if you would like to be able to download map using the GSM (3G, GPRS, Edge) network. Downloading using the GSM (3G, Edge, GPRS) network is not recommended as it is usually much slower than Wifi and it may result in unexpected costs on your mobile phone data plan.

Enable web server: turn on this option to enable the embedded web server. The embedded web server can be accessed with a computer to import and export various data. See “Importing and Exporting data” chapter for more information. When enabled, the web server address is displayed under the setting. Air Navigation must be connected using a Wifi  network that is on the same network as the computer.

The Alternate speed/course setting will force Air Navigation to compute speed and course information by using the GPS coordinates and timestamp instead of using course and speed provided by the iPhone itself. For most users this option must be turned off but it may be necessary to turn it on if you are using an external GPS device unsupported by the iPhoneOS.

Automatic logbook: Turn on this option to enable automatic logging of block and flight time as well as departure and arrival places in the logbook.

Flight recorder: Turn on this option to enable recording of your flight tracks. When switched on the flight recorder will start recording as soon as a block-off time is set in the Flight time module. It works best with the automatic logbook turned on because you don’t have to start the recorder manually.

Recorded flights can be downloaded as KML files viewable in Google Earth for example, from the embedded web server. See “Importing and Exporting data” chapter for more information.

NEW in V3.1: Share GPS via bluetooth: If you have both an iPhone (3G/GS or an iPod touch i a GPS-Carkit) an a GPS-less iPad then you can share the GPS data of the iPhone with your iPad by transmitting the data via Bluetooth. It is possible to display a navigation instrument or even a checklist frm i-Flyte TC (our other app) on the iPhone and at the same time run the moving map on the iPad with the GPS data from the iPhone (see movie unter “latest news”)

To establish the connection between your GPS-iPhone and a GPS-less iPad (all Wifi models have NO GPS!)

1. Switch on BLUETOOTH on both devices (iPhone/iPad settings)
2. Start Air Navigation on both devices
3. Under Configuration settings switch on “Share GS data via Bluetooth (on both devices!)
4. On the iPad use the button “Tools”  and select “GPS bridge”
5. When your iPhone appears in the list select it by touch
6. Accept the invitation message which will come up o your iPhone

The connection is established now and you have a working moving map on your GPS-less iPad.

Prevent the disclaimer from appearing on application launch by disabling the “Disclaimer: Show on startup” setting.

Importing and Exporting data

There are several ways of importing or exporting data to/from Air Navigation. For example it is possible to send the logbook content by email. It is also possible to send a navigation flight plan to another Air Navigation Pro user by email and to import it in this user navigation list.

Since version 3.0 Air Navigation can communicate with a desktop computer (Windows, Mac OS or Linux) by using its internal web server. The web server gives you access to various data stored in Air Navigation Pro such as Custom Waypoints added from the iPhone/iPod, the Logbook, recorded Flights, Navigation flight plans, etc. The web server can be used to import data into Air Navigation Pro such as: Waypoints, Frequencies, Runways, Airspaces, Navigation flight plans previously backuped from Air Navigation, etc.

Using the embedded web server

The iPhone/iPod must be connected on a wifi network. Additionaly the wifi network must connected to the same network (either by a wire connection or wirelessly) as your desktop computer.

The web server must be turned on in the “Settings”. If the web server is on, its network address will appear just below the web server switch (ex: http://192.168.1.22:8080). To access the embedded web server, type this address in the URL bar in a reasonably up to date Internet Browser (Firefox 3, Safari 4, Explorer 8) on your computer and press return. Air Navigation web site should appear in your navigator.

Available data is grouped by type (Navigation plans, Waypoints, Airspaces, Recorded flights, Logbook). Press on a group bar to disclose its content. Some data types can only be uploaded or deleted (Airspaces) and some other can only be downloaded and deleted (Recorded flights, Logbook) and some can be uploaded, downloaded or deleted (Waypoints, Navigation plans).

Note: if you have the „ Bonjour “ plugin installed on your computer, the web server will appear automatically in the „ Bonjour “ detected websites, in this case you don’t have to type the address manually. “Bonjour “ is installed automatically on Mac OS X computers, on Windows “Bonjour “ is installed together with iTunes. Should you wish to install the plugin manually, please download the latest installer at this address:

http://apple.com/support/downloads/bonjourforwindows.html

Importing/exporting Navigation flight plans

Navigation flight plans created on the iPhone/iPod can be downloaded as standalone, binary files. Those files are not intended to be edited on a computer. Instead you should download them for backup or exchange with other purpose. Pressing the green arrow icon on the right of a navigation plan will download the file.  Pressing the file with arrow icon on the right of a data type bar will display a selection interface. You can then select a navigation plan previously saved on your computer to upload it in Air Navigation. You can delete a Navigation plan by pressing the red circle on the right. A message will ask for confirmation before deleting the file.

Importing/exporting Waypoints

User waypoints created on the iPhone/iPod can be downloaded as tab separated text files. Three kinds of files can be downloaded / uploaded: Waypoints, Frequencies, Runways. The files have column names on the first line and the data on the following line. They are intended to be used in a spreadsheet or database sofware. You can create your own tab separated waypoints/frequencies/runways file to import in Air Navigation.

We strongly recommend that you create a custom waypoint on the iPhone/iPod first and download it from the website to get the file structure, then you don’t have to type the columns names manually (which could result in typos and/or bad structure that would not be recognized as a valid file on importation).

File structure for waypoints:

To be valid, a waypoint  file must start with a row listing the columns names separated by a tab character. The others lines are the actual waypoints values (1 line per waypoint). Values can be empty but they must be separated by a tab character. Columns names and definition are :

waypoint_id  (text, usually less that 6 characters, required value)

waypoint_name (text, longer description of the waypoint)

waypoint_type (number : 1=Airport, 2=fix, 3=waypoint,4=Helipad, 5=seaplane base, 10=DME, 11=NDB, 12=VOR, 13=NDB/DME, 14=VOR/DME, 15=TACAN, 16=VORTAC)

waypoint_longitude  (number with decimal)

waypoint_latitude (number with decimal)

waypoint_elevation (number, elevation in feet)

waypoint_country (text)

waypoint_state (text, example California)

waypoint_channel (text)

waypoint_frequency (number, for navaids only)

main_runway_orientation (number 1 to 360)

File structure for frequencies:

To be valid, a frequencies file must start with a row listing the columns names separated by a tab character. The others lines are the actual frequencies values (1 line per frequency). Values can be empty but they must be separated by a tab character. Columns names and definition are :

waypoint_id  (text, must match a waypoint waypoint_id to be associated with it)

type (text, short name of the frequency)

description (text, long name of the frequency)

frequency_mhz (number with decimal, the actual frequency)

File structure for runways:

To be valid, a runways file must start with a row listing the columns names separated by a tab character. The others lines are the actual runways values (1 line per runway). Values can be empty but they must be separated by a tab character. Columns names and definition are :

waypoint_id (text, must match a waypoint waypoint_id to be associated with it)

rw_id (text, name of the runway)

rw_orientation (number 1-360)

wid_ft (number, width in feet)

len_ft (number, length in feet)

sfc_ty (number, unknown=0, Asphalt=1, Concrete=2, Grass=3, Gravel=4, Dirt=5, Sand=6, Snow=7, Ice=8, Water=9)

Important: imported waypoints/frequencies/runways will be stored under their imported filename. A special filename “Air Navigation User waypoint” is reserved for waypoints created on the iPhone/iPod.

Exporting recorded flights

Recorded flights are listed by date. They can be downloaded as kml files viewable in Google earth. The kml format is based on XML and can be parsed and used in other applications as well. To download a particular flight, press the green arrow on the right. Recorded flights can also be deleted by pressing the red circle on the right.

Importing Airspace files

Air Navigation is compatible with two well known Airspace file formats: OpenAir and Tim Newport-Peace.

Both formats are easy to understand text files format describing Airspace attributes and geographic shape.

You can import airspaces files by pressing the file and arrow icon on the “Airspace” bar.

Important: OpenAir files must have a “.txt” extension, Tim Newport-Peace must have a “.air” extension.

You can find a description of the Tim NewPort Peace format here : http://soaringweb.org/TP/sua.html

You can find a description of the OpenAir format here :

http://www.winpilot.com/UsersGuide/UserAirspace.asp

(Note : OpenAir pen styles “SB” and “SP”  commands are not supported)

Support requests

You can send help requests to info@xample.ch or use our online form at http://www.xample.ch/page3/page3.php

In your request please tell us your device type (iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod touch, etc) and the version of your iPhone operating system (OS, eg. “3.1”).

We will try to answer your request within a couple of business days.

If there is something about our application you really don’t like, please let us know. We will do our best to fix bug, enhance functionality, add missing modules.

If you like our application and would like to recommend it to other pilots – please consider placing a comment on iTunes.

Database errors / missing information

The embedded database is compiled from various public domain and/or official sources. Public domain sources are usually maintained by pilots.

If you miss data or find incorrect information, please let us know. We will update the database regularly. Usually we release updates once a month and we always include the latest database version with them.

In your database correction request please include the information type (navaid, airfield, airspace) what is missing or incorrect (frequency, coordinates, runway type, etc) and if possible the correct information.

June 2010