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Skyview 7.0 is out!

Skyview 7.0

It's here, it's here, it's here! OMG - it's here.

http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/support_software_SkyView.html

SV Version 7.0 is here - I've downloaded it and can't wait to go upload and fly it!

Unfortunately, Western Washington weather has descended into its awful Fall, Winter, Spring (sometimes Summer) routine of low clouds, drizzle and fog.

Ugh - someone may beat me to this techno-junkie heaven.... I may have to tree-top it and canyon it over to Eastern Washington to check it out. Maybe I'll buy a house while I'm over there in the sunshine....

Bob Bogash
N737G
 
I'm excited as well - BUT - it does appear some of these new goodies will come at a charge $99/year to the database provider - Seattle Avionics.

Not flying IFR, I don't need the Approach Plates, but I DO want the airport diagrams.

This seems a major, if subtle, shift in Dynon's previous policies....

Bob Bogash
RV-12
N737G
 
Canadian Charts

Ver. 7.0 seems to have all the features. Wish they had the Canadian charts. A real bummer for someone who is planning on upgrading his ship to IFR! For some unknown reasons everything takes longer up here!
 
Their press release says that Skyview offers a "paperless cockpit." Is it true that with all the information on the Skyview map, you do not need an official (printed or digital) sectional? I've always carried my iPad with Foreflight because I thought I needed those charts on board. Is Skyview really enough on its own?
 
One piece of "paper" I have asked them to replace for some time is checklists. I had hoped they would put them back in, just like in my D-10A, so I could scrap those pieces of paper, but not this time... Somehow, no matter how much I love the Skyview, I can't call it paperless while I still have to rely on paper checklists. Maybe in 8.0. or 9.0, or...

Bob
 
Bob B.,

Concerning the $99; that is a special price only for our customers. Compare that to ANY other chart data package on the market for a panel GPS - or even a portable GPS- and you will see that it is a fraction of anyone else's price.

We work hard to obtain the best and lowest cost data possible, and are fortunate in the US that the FAA provides good data free or at low cost. Where we can't obtain it ourselves, we need to rely on other data providers. For non-US countries the navigation and obstacle data is via Jeppesen and PocketFMS. We are working with Seattle Avionics for charting solutions for SkyView for non-US countries.

Ken,

We fly with just the SkyView displays and data. The regs say that you should have all relevant information for your flight (my paraphrase; I'm not a lawyer). The SkyView charts and data comes from the FAA (in the US), and with ADS-B weather you have a lot of relevant information.

-Robert
Dynon Avionics
 
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Their press release says that Skyview offers a "paperless cockpit." Is it true that with all the information on the Skyview map, you do not need an official (printed or digital) sectional? I've always carried my iPad with Foreflight because I thought I needed those charts on board. Is Skyview really enough on its own?

Paperless for plates yes, but no charts are on SV - sectional/ELA.

Excerpt from AC 91-78:

______________________________________________________
6. REMOVAL OF PAPER FROM THE COCKPIT FOR OPERATIONS UNDER PART 91.

a. EFBs/ECDs can be used during all phases of flight operations in lieu of paper reference material when the information displayed meets the following criteria:

(1) The components or systems onboard the aircraft which display precomposed or interactive information are the functional equivalent of the paper reference material.

(2) The interactive or precomposed information being used for navigation or performance planning is current, up-to-date, and valid.
NOTE: Supporting reference material such as legends, glossaries, abbreviations, and other information is available to the pilot but is not required in the cockpit during operation.

b. The in-flight use of an EFB/ECD in lieu of paper reference material is the decision of the aircraft operator and the pilot in command. Any Type A or Type B EFB application, as defined in AC 120-76A may be substituted for the paper equivalent. It requires no formal operational approval as long as the guidelines of this AC are followed.

c. It is suggested that a secondary or back up source of aeronautical information necessary for the flight be available to the pilot in the aircraft. The secondary or backup information may be either traditional paper-based material or displayed electronically.
__________________________________________________

Similar to attitude instruments, I will always have a backup to electronic charts, BUT it is not paper. I always carry my iPad and iPhone with Wing-X, but do not fly with them on. My primary is a panel mounted iFly. Now with SV plates, I have SV (plates only at this time), iFly, iPad, and iPhone. You won't catch me with any paper chart in the cockpit.

Actually I lie. I always carry a pubs bag from years of habit in the military. It has a local ELA, sectional, and A/FD dated from when I did my last FW add on about 3 years ago...
 
Skyview 7.0

Hi Denis

You got that one right, sometimes I have the feeling I'm living somewhere in the jungle in Africa..:rolleyes:

For that we can thank Nav Canada who wants Providers like Seattles Avionics to pay them for the Data that we pay with our taxes..

Welcome to the great North..

A++

Bruno
[email protected]
 
Paperless for plates yes, but no charts are on SV - sectional/ELA.

Excerpt from AC 91-78:

______________________________________________________
6. REMOVAL OF PAPER FROM THE COCKPIT FOR OPERATIONS UNDER PART 91.

a. EFBs/ECDs can be used during all phases of flight operations in lieu of paper reference material when the information displayed meets the following criteria:

(1) The components or systems onboard the aircraft which display precomposed or interactive information are the functional equivalent of the paper reference material.

(2) The interactive or precomposed information being used for navigation or performance planning is current, up-to-date, and valid.
NOTE: Supporting reference material such as legends, glossaries, abbreviations, and other information is available to the pilot but is not required in the cockpit during operation.

b. The in-flight use of an EFB/ECD in lieu of paper reference material is the decision of the aircraft operator and the pilot in command. Any Type A or Type B EFB application, as defined in AC 120-76A may be substituted for the paper equivalent. It requires no formal operational approval as long as the guidelines of this AC are followed.

c. It is suggested that a secondary or back up source of aeronautical information necessary for the flight be available to the pilot in the aircraft. The secondary or backup information may be either traditional paper-based material or displayed electronically.

The portion I highlighted is the key to the charts question. The SV doesn't have the look of a sectional or IFR chart but they are the functional equivalent of the paper reference material and therefore complies with AC 91-78. Personally, I prefer the sectional/IFR chart look on my display so for now I will continue with my Foreflight subscription.
:cool:
 
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I loaded up 7.0 and took it out flying this morning. I really like the map pointer feature that pops up information about airports, airspace, etc. under the cursor. That was a great "fix" from Dynon. I hate to sound like I'm gushing here, but I absolutely love the Skyview system. It is by far the best decision I made for my RV. It just keeps getting better all the time.
 
I must be missing a setting - SV displays airways?

Functional equivalent does not mean drawn the same. Enter your flight plan with the required airway points and you have a functional equivalent of the paper reference material. For part 91, that is all you need. Me, I am a belt and suspenders kind of guy so I still prefer the actual chart(s) just in case.


I loaded up 7.0 and took it out flying this morning. I really like the map pointer feature that pops up information about airports, airspace, etc. under the cursor. That was a great "fix" from Dynon. I hate to sound like I'm gushing here, but I absolutely love the Skyview system. It is by far the best decision I made for my RV. It just keeps getting better all the time.

I am excited about the timers. Especially the Up/Down timer and fuel time switch reminder.

:cool:
 
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Functional equivalent does not mean drawn the same. Enter your flight plan with the required airway points and you have a functional equivalent of the paper reference material. For part 91, that is all you need. Me, I am a belt and suspenders kind of guy so I still prefer the actual chart(s) just in case.

:cool:

Not wanting to come across as agrumentative, but IMO you're missing a huge amount of info to say that the SV could replace an ELA - MEA, OROCA, MCA, etc.

Much tighter argument for the sectional. However, I am like you, I prefer to have the actual sectional (albeit a digital copy :D ). I'm not trusting enough to take the chance that there wasn't a data input error to something of critical importance - airspace altitudes for instance.
 
However, I am like you, I prefer to have the actual sectional (albeit a digital copy :D ). I'm not trusting enough to take the chance that there wasn't a data input error to something of critical importance - airspace altitudes for instance.

I had a Collins Pro Line 21 go TU on me once. Everything went black. Luckily we were in VMC and had some old charts with us. I learned my lesson right there and now carry a paper copy, even if it is a year old, just in case.
:cool:
 
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7.0 Flight this morning.

I flew with 7.0 this morning. Let me warn you, to get the charts you need 1 16MB thumb drive for each display and a couple of hours to get the data downloaded and installed on each thumb drive. That's 4 hours total;) Works perfectly for me! Nice addition to a already great system.

Oh, by the way, the autopilot enhancements made in 6.0 are awesome!! Much more positive responses, doesn't overshoot a course change at a flightplan turn now like it used to. Advanced functions are nice, once you learn how to work everything.:D
 
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Just to be clear, you need a 16GB drive for the charts. We're not using quite all of that right now and you could get by with 8GB, but we do have some stuff planned for the future ;)

It is a ton of data so it does take a long time to download the first time. However, the Seattle Avionics application runs in the background, and only downloads changes. So next month, the data will already be on your computer when you go and put the USB stick in for update, and it will only need to copy changes so it only takes a few minutes.

You can subscribe to the SA data right away and let it start downloading before you have a USB stick handy.
 
Just to be clear, you need a 16GB drive for the charts. We're not using quite all of that right now and you could get by with 8GB, but we do have some stuff planned for the future ;)

It is a ton of data so it does take a long time to download the first time. However, the Seattle Avionics application runs in the background, and only downloads changes. So next month, the data will already be on your computer when you go and put the USB stick in for update, and it will only need to copy changes so it only takes a few minutes.

You can subscribe to the SA data right away and let it start downloading before you have a USB stick handy.

Thanks for clarifying---nice to know it only downloads changes. That's a long process the first time. Would have been horrible to do it everytime new data comes out. It was really time consuming for me with two displays.
 
Not wanting to come across as agrumentative, but IMO you're missing a huge amount of info to say that the SV could replace an ELA - MEA, OROCA, MCA, etc.

Much tighter argument for the sectional. However, I am like you, I prefer to have the actual sectional (albeit a digital copy :D ). I'm not trusting enough to take the chance that there wasn't a data input error to something of critical importance - airspace altitudes for instance.

Now that I really read your post I see you are talking about the IFR charts while I was talking about the VFR sectionals. Apples/Oranges. You are right about the MEA, OROCA, MCA, etc. Gotta have the IFR charts for those.
:cool:
 
Hi Denis

You got that one right, sometimes I have the feeling I'm living somewhere in the jungle in Africa..:rolleyes:

For that we can thank Nav Canada who wants Providers like Seattles Avionics to pay them for the Data that we pay with our taxes..

Welcome to the great North..

A++

Bruno
[email protected]

Trying hard not to sidetrack the focus of this thread, but an even bigger heartburn for me is the lack of recognition of Light Sport pilots. My wifey, being a Canadian with a huge extended family, and myself - having worked in Canada for some years - have literally a hundred friends and relatives begging us to come visit in our RV-12. No can do.

I brought this up with Craig Fuller, retired prez of AOPA - twice and in person, and have traded emails with the AOPA exec vp.

AOPA successfully lobbied with the Bahamas who now welcome Light Sport planes and drivers, but not Canada.

But - I fixed 'em - last week, I flew from Friday Harbor to Port Angeles right over downtown Victoria, all with the blessings of the Nav Canada ATC controllers. Overflights are OK, but better not land....

i-kpzSckJ-L.jpg


Bob Bogash
RV-12
N737G
 
Not wanting to come across as agrumentative, but IMO you're missing a huge amount of info to say that the SV could replace an ELA - MEA, OROCA, MCA, etc.

Much tighter argument for the sectional. However, I am like you, I prefer to have the actual sectional (albeit a digital copy :D ). I'm not trusting enough to take the chance that there wasn't a data input error to something of critical importance - airspace altitudes for instance.

I'm one of Skyview's biggest fans and boosters, but I don't see how you can fly without a Sectional. I fly a lot from Bremerton up to the San Juan Islands. The SV map is wonderful, especially for threading around the numerous military and national defense areas. But -- it doesn't tell you to call Whidbey Appr on 118.2 within 20NM like the Sectional does.

And, even though the Ver 6.0 adds a spectacular radio Push/Pull capability, it doesn't show the Whidbey NAS ATIS under the KNUW Coms tab. It's the only ATIS in the area and I have to pull out the trust old Sectional to get that info.

Bob Bogash
RV-12
N737G
 
Bob,
Thanks for all your support of our product!

As a note, we do show the ATIS for KNUW right at the top of the list. However, we did have a version of 6.2 with the built in database on our website for 1 hour when it was released in August that was missing this data. I think you're quick on the draw and ended up with this. Sorry about that. Any other database will have that data.

2w2g.png


Also, we do show what directions to contact an airport from if it has a direction. We don't show "Within 20 nm" but that's because the FAA doesn't tell us to, and there is no requirement to do so. Those indicators on the sectional are really telling you what frequency to use in that sector.

6ned.png

t9ez.png


Not saying a sectional is not handy, but the data is generally in SkyView if you need it.

--Ian Jordan
 
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Hi Denis

You got that one right, sometimes I have the feeling I'm living somewhere in the jungle in Africa..:rolleyes:

For that we can thank Nav Canada who wants Providers like Seattles Avionics to pay them for the Data that we pay with our taxes..

Welcome to the great North..

A++

Bruno
[email protected]

Actually, NavCanada is a private corporation (actually a monopoly), so they are not directly accountable to government. The only argument that may work with them to get this data at a fair price is 'flight safety'.

If widespread access to this type of data increases situational awareness, decreases runway incursions and improves efficiency, they may listen.

Don't expect Transport Canada (government department that used to run NavCanada) to step up to this, they are on a work-to-rule campaign.
 
So, not to spam here, but somehow our other 7.0 post got deleted, and we wanted our nice post out there ;)

---------------------------------

Dynon is proud to announce the release of firmware revision 7.0 for the SkyView platform.

This release includes:

  • Georeferenced Charts - only $99 a year!
  • Up/Down Timers
  • Fuel Timers
  • Map Selection Cursor
  • Nearest ATC/FSS
  • Approach/Departure frequencies
  • Faster Expert autopilot controls
  • Improved Synthetic Vision
  • Improved Direct-To behavior

Georeferenced charts
Dynon worked hard to give you a robust and affordable solution for charts. We partnered with Seattle Avionics and got the lowest price in the industry at only $99 a year in the USA for all your Georeferenced charts. That's airport diagrams, including over 5,000 FlightGuide diagrams, and all your approach plates, procedures, etc. Zooming, panning, and even following your plane on the center of the screen are all included.

55k3.jpg


0hfd.jpg


UP/Down timers
You asked for it, and we heard you. SkyView now has powerful UP/Down timers, which are easy to configure, use, and understand. Audio alerting on expiration is standard, and so is resetting a count down timer to the last value used. You can even run separate timers on different screens if you have multiple SkyView displays. Look for the new TOOLS button on the main SkyView menu to use this feature.

4gxv.jpg


Fuel tank Switch Reminder
Sure, Dynon can give you a simple countdown alert every X minutes when the engine is running, and we did. But we did more. You also have the option for an alert every X gallons used. So you can get a reminder every 4 gallons, which is really what you want when you are trying to keep your tanks balanced. An audio announcement to switch tanks is generated when this time or quantity expires. This is an independent feature of the UP/Down timer so you can use both at the same time.

Map Items Selectio with the Map Pointer
You can now use the map pointer on the map to select airports, airspaces, and just about everything else you can see. Once selected, the object highlights, and details show up in a window. This is a fast way to find airspace altitudes, or select an airport for DTO or more info. The cursor also lets you select a point on the earth and see the elevation as well as how high above it you are (or below!)

a62k.jpg


Nearest ATC/FSS
The Nearest list now includes the nearest ATC and FSS frequencies. This is in the USA only and requires the free FAA database from Dynon.

3pnb.jpg
w3qb.jpg



Approach/Departure frequencies
All airports now include the Approach/Departure frequencies you should use, even if they are not a primary airport that has Approach/Departure services from the local tower.

Faster Expert autopilot controls
When using the Expert autopilot, you can now just press NOSE UP or NOSE DOWN when in ALT HOLD mode, and the aircraft will switch to VS mode at your default climb or descent rate. This means you can just dial in a new altitude with the alt knob and press NOSE UP and the plane will climb, rather than needing to press VS, NOSE UP, NOSE UP, NOSE UP, NOSE UP, NOSE UP to get a 500 FPM climb.

Improved Synthetic Vision
SynVis in SkyView now draws the image all the way to the horizion, with no sharp cut off at a fixed distance. Shorelines and water are also smoothed and look much nicer.

wsme.jpg


Improved Direct-To behavior
Now if you press Direct-To (DTO) while on a flight plan, the default will always be to take you direct-to the next point on your flight plan without canceling your flight plan. Great for small diversions around weather or traffic. Another customer requested feature!


Thanks for all your suggestions and support, and we've got even more great things brewing for our next release!

--Ian Jordan
Dynon Avionics
 
Wow. Cannot wait to get my hands on this. Do you know (and this may be a touchy subject) if the new update will talk with and feed frequencies to the new Garmin radio on the RV-12?
 
There are no changes in radio control in the 7.0 release, however, the GTR 200 is supposedly SL-40 compatible, so as far as we know, we can tune it exactly like we could the SL-40 they used to put in the RV-12.

We do not currently support sending our frequency database to the GTR-200 for its local use.
 
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