Jump to content

WingX Pro7 version 7 released


CT4ME

Recommended Posts

Tim,

 

I just upgraded and could not figure out why WX was not showing on the moving map on my iPad.

 

Turns out its not available on the first gen iPad.

 

Anyway, it works fine on Karen's iPad 2 and I may have a new iPad mini in a month or so.

 

Just a head's up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tim,

 

...I may have a new iPad mini in a month or so.

 

Just a head's up.

 

Eddie, not sure if you follow the Apple rumors much, but we should be a couple months from iPad mini2 (or at least the announcement) so you will be able to get either cheaper or newer technology with a little longer wait (btw I'm waiting also).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have an iPad1 and Foreflight. I'm wondering (I know this is an endless discussion) what good alternatives exist.

I don't like Apple. (But, I don't like Ford, either, and have one.) To be candid, I'd rather have a Windows platform but I supposed that is not possible. No one makes the right software for them, eh?

With Wing-X I'm still stuck with Apple, right?

I need to see what will be on my SkyView 6 when I get it installed so I'm not buying redundant capability. I do feel the need to upgrade the iPad to something better, in any case. Funny, I have a Surface Pro and don't use it much because it doesn't have the apps I want. (Got a Windows 8 phone but it didn't have the USAA app and one or two other apps that I insisted on, so ended up with an android Samsung Galaxy III which I don't really like very much).

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jim, have you tried Garmin Pilot? Not sure what the feature set is on the first-gen iPad, but I have both it and Foreflight and I find myself preferring the Garmin app as it seems easier to use to me.

 

Now that the Windows 8 tablets are becoming available and more common, you might get your wish and see some good apps for it soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Garmin Pilot has come a long way. Has the same User Interface as the 79x and has some sharing of information between devices. Available for Android but don't know if it has the same features as iOS. I've been using Foreflight since it's release but will probably move to Garmin once my subscription expires (OK -- I'm cheap :) ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As much as I would like to settle on using Garmin Pilot, I can't. I'd love to, as it satisfies my needs of being cross-platform, but it falls short after that. First, the IOS and Android versions are fairly different and don't have the same features. And the feature set is lacking... but that should change over time. No notepad, no terrain, no extended runways, no traffic patterns, limited ADS/B compatibility, limited split screen. The routing and active flight plan thing isn't intuitive. I do like GP vector map, panel widget, and trip following features.

tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks.

 

Thinner or lighter mean little to me - my devices end up in Otterboxes or ZooGue cases or whatever.

 

And while I guess retina would be nice, my aging retinas probably wouldn't take full advantage of increased resolution anyway.

 

I'm typing this on my first gen iPad, bought used after the "2" came out, so I have no great need to be right up to the bleeding edge.

 

Still, keep those rumors coming! You and TWIT!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I on the other hand love my F-150 with its bells and whistles, and I have Android devices using AviationMaps and AOPA's FlyQ plus a few miscellaneous aps for flight planning. Seldom use them in the cockpit. What I have seen for aviation on Win8 so far is not in the least impressive. It is going to be an uphill battle for MSoft since they are so late to the party. The other thing going against them is that people are abandoning desktops and laptops for pads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FWIW from NETWORLD:

 

"A spasm of woe convulsed the iOSphere on a rumor that iPad mini 2 has been delayed until 2014, with Apple planning to substitute a slightly improved mini in the fourth quarter in the hopes that people won’t wait for the greatly improved mini early next year. Only the heat can account for the willingness to accept that chain of illogic."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

I use WingX as my primary EFB, on an iPad Mini. 'Don't think there would be any difference with the newer iPad mini, as the "extra" resolution makes no difference.

As a certified "gadget freak", I also use a Nexus 7, and have/use Garmin Pilot, Foreflight, Naviator, SkyCharts Pro, and Fltpln Go.

 

I like WingX best, because of the mix of features and the value of the $200 for 3yr subscription. In general, WingX comes up with features ahead of the other guys. While the company isn't as flashy and professional as FF, they get back to you quickly and follow their threads on the major forums.

While you can buy upgrades for Geo-ref'd IFR charts/plates, synthetic vision, and gas prices, the basic subscription includes full terrain and obstacles, and geo-ref'd taxi diagrams, Many people like the split screen, a feature being added by the competitors. It's possible to have a sectional, route info, airport info, and a notepad all on the screen at once... or any number of combinations.

There are little features that I really like: The passive radar altimeter always shows my AGL, and has warnings. The position report always gives me ATC-proper position in relation to aviation-specific reporting points. Distance measuring is easy. Airport searches are quick and intelligent.

The best thing to do is do the trial, and be sure to watch the YouTube demo videos - probably the only training you'll need. WingX works with just about all hardware vendors, or at least those who are open systems.

Tim

PS... I think I've converted Roger and Tom, in Tucson, after they played with it for awhile.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use WingX as my primary EFB, on an iPad Mini. 'Don't think there would be any difference with the newer iPad mini, as the "extra" resolution makes no difference.

As a certified "gadget freak", I also use a Nexus 7, and have/use Garmin Pilot, Foreflight, Naviator, SkyCharts Pro, and Fltpln Go.

 

I like WingX best, because of the mix of features and the value of the $200 for 3yr subscription. In general, WingX comes up with features ahead of the other guys. While the company isn't as flashy and professional as FF, they get back to you quickly and follow their threads on the major forums.

While you can buy upgrades for Geo-ref'd IFR charts/plates, synthetic vision, and gas prices, the basic subscription includes full terrain and obstacles, and geo-ref'd taxi diagrams, Many people like the split screen, a feature being added by the competitors. It's possible to have a sectional, route info, airport info, and a notepad all on the screen at once... or any number of combinations.

There are little features that I really like: The passive radar altimeter always shows my AGL, and has warnings. The position report always gives me ATC-proper position in relation to aviation-specific reporting points. Distance measuring is easy. Airport searches are quick and intelligent.

The best thing to do is do the trial, and be sure to watch the YouTube demo videos - probably the only training you'll need. WingX works with just about all hardware vendors, or at least those who are open systems.

Tim

PS... I think I've converted Roger and Tom, in Tucson, after they played with it for awhile.

 

That was an excellent review Tim, just what I was looking for.

Thank you.

 

I HAVE reviewed the videos on YouTube and I think they are excellent also. Glad to hear about the tech support and responsiveness on the forums.

That settles it, WingX Pro7 it is! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eddie,

 

How long have you had it?

 

About a week.

 

Here's a pirep I posted to the Pilots of America site:

 

First impressions after a couple days...

 

1) It IS smaller than the standard iPad (duh). The impression of smallness was to some extent exacerbated by the fact that for the last couple of weeks I've been using my 15" MacBook Pro.

 

If used mainly around the house, I think I'd prefer the larger. In fact, rumor has it Apple is considering a "Maxi-Pad", though I hope they call it something else.

 

But this is my plane/traveling device, so I think the choice to go with the Mini was the right one.

 

I have gotten into the habit of double-tapping the screen to zoom in a bit before trying to hit a button or link, which makes it comparable to the larger screen in level of difficulty.

 

2) It IS sharper - I guess. With my aging eyes and looking through smudged $1 Sav-A-Lot readers at a normally smudged screen, I don't see a huge difference. YMMV, but I never found anything wrong with the iPad1 screen in the first place.

 

3) It IS fast! Especially loading web pages. Nice.

 

Only problems...

 

1) I was trying to download the large pdf of the FAA's "Flight Training Handbook", to save to iBooks along with "The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge" and maybe a couple others. Hangs up about half way and crashes Safari.

 

2) Went to stream "Dancing With The Stars" to our Apple TV yesterday, and got little "hitches" every 10 to 15 seconds. Restarting both devices made no difference. Played fine through my wife's iPhone, so I don't think it was the program.

 

Anyway, happy so far.

 

And Jake, at least, seems to appreciate the higher resolution:

 

11085533714_0920dfd2a5_c.jpg

 

In any case, still have not flown with it, but yesterday did a trip to Knoxville and got to try out my RAM mount/Otterbox combo:

 

11117213314_22db08abca_c.jpg

 

I think the form factor is about perfect. That's WingXPro7 up on the screen.

 

Oh, and I revisited the FAA site and successfully downloaded the two pdfs, now safely ensconced in iBooks for future reference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Way off topic, but has anyone found a road navigator that can download all it's maps so as not to be dependent on cellphone signal?

 

I don't plan on using the 4g on the iPad except maybe on long road trips, but the screen size would make it nice as an on board car navigator of not dependent on cell signal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tim and Eddie, thanks for the review of WingX. I really want to go Android due to the lower cost for the tablets that run this OS compared to the iPad tablets. Also, just something grates me about iPads being the "only game in town". I don't like to be forced into buying because there's nothing else being offered. Reading various articles, it appears that Android OS tablets will also run Windows software. If so, this fits my mission better for the times I want to use my tablet for things other than flying. This review is timely. Just yesterday, I was thinking it would be nice to know if any of the flight programs available for Android offer the same capabilities as Foreflight provides for iPad users? Seems that ForeFlight is the program that most talk about and my friends all seem to use this on their iPads. I'm considering using a 7" tablet as a knee board. Maybe it's time to start shopping for my best deal on something running Android coupled with WingX pro7.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Way off topic, but has anyone found a road navigator that can download all it's maps so as not to be dependent on cellphone signal?

 

MotionX has a couple of products, one specifically for driving... GPS Drive. MotionX is headed by long-time computer innovator Philippe Kahn, creator of Turbo Pascal, Borland Software, Quattro Pro, Sidekick, and inventor of the camera phone.

 

Another product that caches the entire map is Scenic Map (west, central, east). It's not specifically for driving, but can be used for flying or driving. It's sort of like Google Earth, but with no Internet connection needed.

Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't use mine in the cockpit, but I have my phone and sometimes my tablet for emergencies, both Android, and I have been using Avilution's AviationMaps for a couple of years now. It has undergone major improvements and adds features every few months. Great stuff from independent programmers.

(The only thing Apple I own is an Apple TV box I got a year ago. it it's unused - if anyone wants to make an offer, I would gladly sell it.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dick,

Windows programs will NOT run on Android. You may be confused by the ads for the "Surface" tablets that run Windows.

If you want to go Android, there are several EFB apps out there... most notably Garmin Pilot. But also Naviator, Avare, Avilution, Jeppesen, Anywhere Map, and FlyQ. Free Trials are available.

You can't go wrong with the Nexus 7 tablet (either generation), or the Samsung tablets.

Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...