Well done again Tim and SD Team.



1. Auto select (as is) and an auto from-right or from-left approaches to the localizer would helpful in the cockpit. You really do not want to be messing about with a touch screen especially if there is a last minute change of runways by ATC in a busy phase of the flight.

2. Simple dial and dots with colourful cross hairs would be straight forward. It add to the value of SD if the dial and the moving map could be seen simultaneously but separately in a screen divided vertically say 50/50 or 70/30. This can appear automatically and optionally for those who need the e-ILS (can possibly be a selectable option in the settings to automate the process ). E-DME reading to Runway Threshold (thank you Trevor Thom) would be depicted (BIG FIGURES PLEASE) underneath the dial plus an altitude or an e-altitude strip. (Can I see an e-instrument panel in the offing?)

I am certain that the SD Team can get more artistic and fine tune options and representations later on as they see appropriate, after all they've done a brilliant job thus far.



By the way I can feel the breeze of the BIG ears of KingBendix and Garmin flapping about on this site to take advantage of the free suggestions sent! Do we need a windsock for this site?




Very Newbytheway

DurhamTeaseAirport

Here is my take on Tim's Part 1 (Dont use ILS so unable to comment on that).

1. It wd be helpful to get an "intelligent indication" of the runway in use and whether its a L or R circuit
2. Garmin do this first by showing an extended centre line for ALL runways  .. not visible until a certain zoom level. These are shown as "fantails" from the centre of the airfield.
3. But you can also bring up a runways small window that allows you to toggle runways and it then shows the left/right circuit pattern.

You could do something similar using the airfield plate, the wind direction (cd even give Xwind component) and then show "expected" runway and circuit pattern. But cd manually override the runway & pattern. In this case the default zoom wd have to use a 2 or 3 mile radius around the field.

Hope that makes sense.

D

Personally I don't have any problems with the current automatic selecting off the runway centerline and I would be more than happy if it just automatically selected e-ILS and e-DME automatically.



I'm really looking forward to trying this feature out for real and would like to thank you implementing what I feel is an excellent safety feature.

As you may know, when entering a route in PFMS, you can select the destination airfield or the destination runway. If you chose the airfield, the track will position you in the overhead. If you choose a particular runway as the destination, the track will position you on a long final for the chosen runway. The runway option also provides you with a Top of Descent marker and the distance/height table that has been previously posted. So selecting a runway as the destination seems to work but I wouldn't know how to change that easily in flight. I must admit that I tend to position overhead and sort out the runway approach from there

We've been giving this some thought and this topic is sort of divided into two distinct problems that we need to solve.

1. What's the best way of unobtrusively asking the user which runway they're heading for? Currently SkyDemon does a pretty decent job of just displaying the extended centreline for whatever runway best lines up with your current position, and if your position changes, this is updated. There should be an easy and intuitive way of the user telling the software they're going for a specific runway. Going for a different airfield is already taken care of with the "Direct To" functionality.

2. How best to present a GPS-based ILS instrument once a runway has been selected. We've already developed an ILS instrument for SkyDemon which I will hopefully be flight-testing tomorrow. This is just the standard ILS display with dots and crosshairs. It will also show the distance to runway threshold (pseudo-DME) and report the accuracy of vertical fix. It may also re-introduce the tickertape altitude display. What else should it display, and how?

Neither of these proposed new features will be allowed to negatively impact the existing user experience.

Your feedback is appreciated!

Having said that, the concept of ILS or precision approaches are here with us to stay for the foreseeable future. I must admit I use it in more than 80% of my approaches for the past 15 years, and an E-ILS & E-DME are not mere once-in-a-blue moon gadgets. As said elsewhere, every little bit counts to make it simpler, safer, more precise & efficient. After all, that is what we use technology for.

Very Newbytheway

DurhamTeaseAirport

I have to admit I do find the PFMS implication of e-ILS and e-DME to be pretty rubbish.



Although I know nothing about programming I'm sure something a bit slicker could be developed which in turn would make Skydemon more attractive to customers.

Not being an ILS user (should I be?), this thread is a bit erudite.

For ordinary mortals, if this feature is added, pl can we be able toggle its use on/off? But shd not detract from extended runway line at destination  .. this is v helpful but as discussed elsewhere being able to select actual runway you intend to use wd be useful.

D

Sorry the screenshot is a bit misleading. The plane blob has nothing to do with it. Thats just where the plane was last located when I last had it on gps. It has nothing to do with the approach bit. I just selected the runway then pressed the button to make it into a letdown or whatever they call it.



You can plan a whole route and make the last bit an approach then you would see the plane going in the right direction (hopefully) and a joined up magenta line to the end of the approach. Also it takes into account terrain and airpspace when it plans you an approach.

Beech Bonanza A36 Based at Blackpool

G-FOZZ www.gotoair.com

It does look disjointed a bit. But I guess there is a system in this madness. The line directly out from the runway represents the localiser line (usually the same as the extended runway line as in SD map on approach). The line that goes up at an angle from the localiser line is the intercept line (currently not in SD). The angle of the latter with the former is a predetermined intercept angle. conveniently 30, 45 degrees etc. The intercept line usually points in the rough direction of the aeroplane as the programme expects the aeroplane to intercept from its current position (info obtained from the GPS Fix). A crucially needed addition is the glide slope (the extended runway centre line at say 3 degrees slope already in SD). So most of the ILS info and function is already in SD. They just need to be combined into one instrument. The E-DME reading can be depicted as a continuous reading below the instrument.

Very Newbytheway

DurhamTeaseAirport