What would make a useful iPad app?

[Mark]

Hi all,

Being a developer who likes to keep his skills sharp, I take an interest in all kinds of technology. I'm considering doing some iPad application development to gain more skills.

I would like to ask PSX users what you think would make a useful PSX-related iPad app?

Regards,
Mark

[Pierre Theillere]

Hi Mark!

Amazing offer, wow, congrats!
Somehow on same principle as "PSX Remote" (for MCDUs), a complete remote overhead panel could be great... not unlike the "PS1OPF" used in the old PS1 days!
Or, maybe a moving map could be great, both for enroute tracking, or (but probably harder) detailed taxiing on airport charts when using only PSx built-in visuals cues. That's something included into ForeFlight used in conjunction with ForeFlight Connector: that setup does so much more, but it seems their database is quite North-America-centered.

[Britjet]

Great proposal Mark!
I second the moving map idea if that is possible?
By next Tuesday please.. ;-)

Peter

[Mark]

Or, maybe a moving map could be great, both for enroute tracking, or (but probably harder) detailed taxiing on airport charts when using only PSx built-in visuals cues.

I second the moving map idea if that is possible?

I'm unsure about the copyright issues surrounding ICAO aerodrome charts, further research needed.
As another thought, please could you take a look at some of your most frequented airports on http://www.openstreetmap.org and let me know your opinion on whether you think it would contain sufficient detail for taxi operations?

By next Tuesday please.. ;-)

Sadly my name is not Hardy 

[Britjet]

In terms of the moving map - it was exactly something like open street map that I had in mind.
Just something to use as "added interest" while flying, but also very useful as a taxi guide.
With regard to airport diagrams, I think streetmap will suffice for most, and is of course very similar to what the guys on the A380 and the 787 have now, albeit built into their screens.
Additionally you might consider it as a commercial venture if you incorporated FSX, P3D etc as additional users. I think there may be quite a big market out there for a good moving map generally. In that regard I use GMAP for linking to P3D and it's very good - but it won't work with PSX..
Linking to approach charts might work - some FSX programs have it - but it's always very fiddly and hardly worth all the effort of downloading/sizing etc.

Wednesday, then...?

Peter.

[Hessel Oosten]

Wednesday, then...?

Peter,

Go back to school...and polish your math...

2 times "Mark-speed" is -not- exactly.. the same as "Hardy-speed" times 0,5.

But as a rough estimate.., it will probably suffice....

H.

p.s. Supporter of a "Slow-speed" ... Moving Map !

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Chiming in with beer after spending a day chasing a bug in a 747-400 freighter that wasn't a bug.

There are commercial all-out programs, like Jeppesen FliteStar, FliteDeck, FliteDeck Pro, which provide quite exactly what people would want. Of course not for free at all, but maybe relevant. Linking these programs to PSX may be just the kind of project that somebody wants to do.


Hoppie

[andrej]

Mark,

anything you decide to do will be greatly appreciated. Would it be possible to for example create usable overhead panel for iPad? I fear that no Java support for iOS will not make that possible, but I am still giving a shot.

Cheers,

[evaamo]

Hi Mark!

Another vote for the Moving Map app.

Late last year I started to collaborate with Alex, the developer of LittleNavMap (https://albar965.github.io/littlenavmap.html) to link PSX to his really nice Flight Planner / Moving Map. It's programmed in C++ built on top of Qt.

Sadly, I've been awfully busy with work and had to put it on hold. My plan was to then build (using Qt as well, of course) "lite" iPad / Android versions of LittleNavMap.

Maybe you could take a look at LittleNavMap features (specially its use of BGL files to build airport layouts, including gates, which would be great for users of PSX as a stand-alone simulator) and see if you can use any of that in your own app?. Just thinking out loud :-)

cheers
-E

[Will]

A moving map would be nice, but it would be even nicer if it contained detailed enough airport diagrams to use for taxying and parking at gates...!

[Will]

I've been thinking a little more about this, and I'll be a contrarian to the idea of a moving map. While that seems to be the winner in terms of the wish list, it would be only my second choice.


My first choice would be a moving map that was limited to high-resolution airport diagrams. In other words, a dedicated aid for taxying and parking the aircraft at gates.


Thanks for thinking about these requests!