Thread: Flymap

Wow, it looks like "flymap" from Europe is finally coming to the US. This EMS was shown in early pictures of the CT - in fact the second picture to the right at the top of the page with the wood grain panel has a flymap in it - between the two Dynons.

Anyhow, in this country they'll be called "Brightflite" I guess. Web site is www.brightflite.com.

What can you boys across the pond tell us about this stuff. I know one or two of you have it!

Roger H

I have been using the Flymap for almost a year now and overall I think it is fantastic. Extremely well built, very reliable and simple to use. I have it integrated with my Dynon D180 as well as Zaon PCAS XRX and they all work well together. It provides excellent situational awareness, much better than any other system I have used including AVMap, Garmin and even Avedyne. I have not purchased the AHRS unit but have seen it demoed several times and it works extremely well.

My big complaint is the cost. The system is not cheap and then on top of that they charge you for everything additional. So for example, despite paying nearly £4,000 ($8,000) for the basic unit they charge for additional maps (you get the UK maps but that's it...you pay a significant amount more for maps of Europe as well as the landing plates), NOTAMs service (you can upload these from the Flywin windows software...but they charge you an annual fee for the download service), weather service (also subject to an annual fee), and even adding the features to integrate with the Dynon and PCAS (if memory serves they charged me £120 for each feature to be enabled individually)! When I initally purchased the FlyMapL I had not fully appreciated that I would be charged for everything additional.

It will be interesting to see what they do in the US since I cannot see the US market tolerating thier current pricing strategy which is excessive. They also have not yet developed a good update service for the maps, airspace and airports. In fact, in order to get the latest maps you have to buy an entire new set even though many of them have not changed. Apparently they are working on an annual subscription service that will ensure everything is kept up to date.

So overall a great piece of kit but it isn't cheap.

$8000??? No WX Weather with this.

Does it serve tea and sandwiches during the flight?

Hmmm, I think I will stick with my AVMAP.

Well immediately after I received my new LS first thing was to change the Garmin 496 to the Flymap L. Since the first day (3rd of May this year) I cannot imagine to go back to another system. I used to have it in a PDA Format before and even then I was quite happy. It brought us over to France as well as Spain without any problem. I know that its a bit expensive, but I doubt there is a brighter and more reliable system on the market. If you have a nice bird like the CT you should also have the best equipment . If you are interested in further details, their homepage is http://www.flymap.de (they also have a english Site.)

CTLS more than 120 h in 3 month - happy flying

Sorry for the delay... been away on holiday.

I was that impressed with the unit that I now sell them alongside my Bose & Apple products, that's where I think it is in the market place - right at the top. I agree with Dean about the cost & that is dictated by the German factory not the UK supplier. My unit has the gprs option (edge network in the USA) so I get real time Notams & rain radar. The flight planning software you get with it (at extra cost) is just so easy to use.
Copy of the review in Loop magazine back in March.

Any questions just let me have them.
Mal

LOOP/march08/flightgear/dc





[lead]


[strap]
>>GEAR REVIEW
FLYMAP L
PRICE: £xxxxx


[head]




[photos:
1. Unit in use in CT
2. Various screens shot in flight
3. Screenshots from PC showing flightplanning, NOTAM and topographical view]




[text]
IT'S not often you find a product with THREE things that stand out as key selling points - but here's the FlyMap L.
First, as with other FlyMap GPS units, it uses the CAA's half-mil chart - the one we're all used to flying with. So what you see on the chart in your hand is the same as you see on the 6.4in screen of the GPS - and it's much easier to keep track of both your progress and, most importantly, airspace around you.
Second, the FlyMap L is 'touch-screen' operation and because the screen is so big, you can just use a finger - no need for a sharp ended pointer such as a stylus.
Third, and this is where it all starts, the PC-based flightplanning software offered by FlyMap as an optional extra is extremely capable and easy to use. Not only that, but you can download the route onto a USB flash device, plug it into the FlyMap L and load it into the unit's memory. The operating software of the FlyMap L is exactly the same as the flightplanning software so you can amend the flightplan if you want, or even reverse it for the return journey.
That's exactly what we did when LOOP went flying with Malcolm Titmus, who has just taken on the dealership for FlyMap at his Birmingham audio-visual business, Smallworld AV. FlyMap sits alongside Bose and Apple Mac products in the shop, and Malcolm offers test flights in his own Flight Design CTSW microlight (see page xx) aircraft fitted with a panel-mounted FlyMap L.
First, we planned a route from Otherton Airfield, where Malcolm is a member of Staffs Aero Club, to Halfpenny Green. It's a simple matter of putting in the start point, the destination, choosing the aircraft to be flown - there's a standard list and you can add your own - and the software immediately draws a track line on the CAA chart.
We wanted to route round the north of RAF Cosford and it's simply a case of 'dragging and dropping' the route to where you want to go. Then, check NOTAM by simply clicking a button to do so online, and the chart is overlaid with red circles where NOTAM apply. You go through the red NOTAM circles one by one to check if they affect the flight, clicking them off if they don't. Make any necessary changes to the route by dragging and dropping.
So route OK, then add the wind to the flightplan and it makes all the necessary calculations and gives you a PLOG showing headings, waypoints, leg distances, speeds and times, fuel burn. Print this off, save to the flash dongle and head for the aircraft.
Plug in the dongle to the FlyMap L, load the flightplan and up it comes on the unit's big screen, exactly as on the PC. Malcolm shows me another useful function. Touching the screen he drags the track line into nearby Birmingham's CTA and then switches to a screen which shows the route in 'topographical' view. This shows the route over the ground - the Wrekin is the nearest high ground round here - and also any airspace conflicts. We can see that this new route would take us into the 'upside-down wedding cake' of controlled airspace for Birmingham International so we're not going there!
To add a waypoint or check a feature on the FlyMap L's chart is a simple matter of poking a finger at the screen. We take a look at Halfpenny Green and up comes the relevant page of Pooleys Airfield Guide, so we can see that with today's wind we're likely to be using runway 16 which has a left-hand circuit.
Poke again and we're now looking at Malcolm's own pre take-off checklist of actions for the CTSW. As we check each item - mags, full and free movement etc - he touches the relevant item on the screen and we move onto the next item. Finally, the screen says, "Ready to fly - go have fun!".
In the air, the FlyMap L's big screen is really easy to see. The CT has a solid roof but even with sunshine coming in through the side windows, the screen remained bright and easy to read. A big screen like this makes navigation so straightforward and relaxing - you can keep eyes out of the cockpit more because all you need is a quick glance every now and again.
Accessing the various functions and screens is a piece of cake - the touch screen is so big that a fingertip in roughly the right place is good enough, important if it's a bumpy day. Airspace warnings come up clearly - it projects your track ahead and warns of impending conflicts. You can choose between 'north up' or 'track up' although the CAA chart really only works properly 'north up', in my opinion.
Information on track, heading, speed, position, time, ETA etc is displayed in boxes either side of the display.
Options include a Traffic Collision Awareness System, an Artificial Horizon display in a corner of the chart, an auto-pilot link, and you can add a GPRS module. Malcolm has done this and it allows him to check NOTAM when away touring, meaning he doesn't have to carry a laptop.
Weather Radar showing rainfall is another function when you have either the GPRS module or a mobile phone link. It's not full weather radar and doesn't show electrical activity - useful should you be flying in the south of France, for instance.
Of course, should you go outside the UK you'll have to load another chart but that's no problem for the FlyMap L - Jeppesen charts are the obvious choice and load straight in. You can also have streetmaps, useful for helicopter pilots who would no doubt appreciate the touch screen operation even more than fixed-wing pilots.
FlyMap L and its flightplanning software is not only hugely competent but it's the easiest and most intuitive system to operate I've ever seen. It's a pricey bit of kit, especially compared with, say, the Garmin 496 but has significant added features best appreciated in a test flight. Contact Smallworld, T: 0121 321 3000 or Flymap UK, T: