Hello Aviators!

We hope you have a great winter! We’ve been hard at work on a major update packed with exciting new features. On the front end, that means new basemaps (yes, Satellite and OpenStreetMap are here!). Under the hood, we’ve made several improvements to parallel processing and file handling, preparing the app for even more enhancements.

New Basemaps: Satellite, OpenStreetMap & More
EasyVFR 4 now supports raster basemaps, giving you more map styles to choose from! We’ve carefully chosen maps that complement the vector map.

🗺️ To select a basemap, go to: Map Layers Menu → Select Basemap.

When panning the raster map, you may see a checkerboard texture briefly—this means tiles are still downloading. This should happen quickly, and once downloaded, tiles stay on your device for future offline use.

🛫 Flying with raster basemaps? Yes, you can! But keep in mind that an internet connection is required to load map tiles for new locations.

Smarter Search & Flight Briefing

• AeroData Search now remembers your last 20 searches for quicker access.
• TripKit now includes landing weight & CG in the Mass & Balance chart and table.
• MSA calculation improved:
  • Now based on highest terrain + highest obstacle within a 5NM path + 1,000 ft
  • If terrain exceeds 5,000 ft, an additional 1,000 ft is added

Line Obstacles for Norway and Austria

We've upgraded our obstacle data sources for Norway and Austria, increasing coverage and improving detail. Now, in addition to obstacle columns, we also draw the full lines where cables cross valleys, providing a clearer and more complete picture of potential hazards.

This update adds even more obstacles to the layer, including bridges, powerlines, and cable cars, covering key structures like those crossing fjords and mountain passes.

To get these on updating AeroData: Status Card → Data → AeroData → [Update AeroData]

Fixes & Other Improvements

• Earth Magnetic Model 2025 implemented.
• Tapping on an airspace or NOTAM label now instantly opens its info card.
• Improved airspace labels: Faster and more readable.
• Mac users rejoice! MGL SD card creation now works properly.

We’d love to hear your feedback on these updates! Let us know how it works for you.

Cheers!
Team EasyVFR

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

📝 RELEASE NOTES

All changes in this beta cycle since the last public App Store release:

• NEW: EV4 now supports various new raster basemaps, including OpenStreetMap and Satellite. Go to: Map Layers Menu → Select Basemap
• NEW: Norwegian line obstacles, such as bridges, powerlines, and cable cars over fjords, are now implemented.
• NEW: Austrian line obstacles, including bridges, powerlines, and cable cars over mountain passes, are now implemented.
• NEW: When performing an AeroData search, tapping the clear input box will display a list of the last 20 search items used.
• NEW: The flight briefing document (TripKit) now also shows the landing weight and landing CG in both the Mass & Balance chart and table.
• IMPROVED: Significant performance improvement in airspace label rendering.
• IMPROVED: Enhanced downloading of multiple files simultaneously.
• IMPROVED: The TripKit previously used a coarse grid with MSA values to report the MSA for a leg. This has been changed to:
  ✔ Highest terrain elevation + highest obstacle in a 5 NM path width + 1,000 ft
  ✔ If terrain exceeds 5,000 ft, an additional 1,000 ft is added
• IMPROVED: Implemented the Earth Magnetic Model 2025.
• EXPERIMENT: Realtime Rendering (RR) is improved and enabled for iOS (A12 GPU and up) on all maps.
• NEW/FIXED: Tapping on an airspace label on the map will now automatically open the information card and highlight the selected airspace.
• NEW/FIXED: Tapping on a NOTAM label on the map will now automatically open the information card and highlight the selected NOTAM.
• FIXED: Waterdrome airfields no longer have their icons rotated to align with runway direction.
• FIXED: When POI/FA was off and Render Realtime was on, spot elevations floated in incorrect places when panning the map.
• FIXED: Creating MGL SD cards using Menu → Dynon and MGL EFIS → MGL Data SD Card failed on macOS with an error stating the destination file could not be created.
  

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

📥 BETA DOWNLOADS

📱 Mobile & Tablet

🍏 iOS, iPadOS, and Apple Silicon Mac

Minimum requirements:

• 64-bit and 2GB RAM.

Effectively:

• iPhone 8 and higher.
• iPad Air 3 and higher.
• iPad Mini 5 and higher.
• iPad Pro's.
• M1 MacBooks and higher.

The iPad Mini 6 and newer, and any iPad Pro perform extremely well.

Download Steps:

1. Install the Apple TestFlight app via the Apple AppStore.
2. Go to the following URL to download the latest version of EasyVFR 4 via TestFlight.
   👉 Open the EasyVFR 4 page in the Apple TestFlight app

🤖 Android

IMPORTANT: Devices with the old 32-bit Android OS are not supported

Minimum requirements:

• 64-bit OS, +3GB RAM. Android 10 and higher is advised.

At least compatible (but slow) are:

• Huawei MediaPad M5.
• Xiaomi Mi Pad 4.
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (except  SM-T810). (slow)
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S4.

We see good results with Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, and higher and most modern high-end tablets and smartphones.

Download Options:

• Google Play: You can download the beta directly via Google Play when enrolled in the beta program on the Google Play app page.
  👉 Open the EasyVFR 4 page in Google Play to enrole for beta
• Sideload (alternative): To install you must enable the option: "Allow the installation of apps from sources other than Play store" in Android Settings, Lock screen and Security. Some Android devices require you to tap&hold the link below, then choose [Download link] to store the APK on your device from where you then can install this downloaded APK.
  Download APK https://members.pocketfms.com/WebProgramDownloads/EasyVFR4/EasyVFR4_4.4.9.apk

💻 Desktop and Laptop

🪟 Windows

Minimum requirements:

• 32-bit, 2GB RAM, Windows 8 and higher is advised.

Download: Download EasyVFR 4 for Windows https://members.pocketfms.com/WebProgramDownloads/EasyVFR4/EasyVFR4_win32_4.4.9.exe

🍏 Apple Silicon Mac

See the iOS version.

🍎 Intel Macs

IMPORTANT: Intel Macs on Big Sur and Monterey need to have the latest macOS version 11.6.1 or 12.0.1 or higher installed.

Intel-based Macs can only install the below .dmg file and need to follow the below instructions.

Minimum requirements:

• Most 64-bit macOS versions. E.g. High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina. BigSur 11.6.1 and Monterey 12.0.1 and up.
• Apple Silicon M1 and greater Macs can download via the iOS AppStore.

Download: Download EasyVFR 4 for Intel Macs https://members.pocketfms.com/WebProgramDownloads/EasyVFR4/EasyVFR4_osx_4.4.9.dmg

Installation instructions:

1. After downloading the DMG file, open it and drag the EasyVFR 4 icon into the Applications folder. EasyVFR 4 is now available via Launchpad.
2. Users of MacOS Sequoia must first enable the option to offer the option to allow a non-signed applications, see https://www.idownloadblog.com/2024/08/07/apple-macos-sequoia-gatekeeper-change-install-unsigned-apps-mac/ for instructions
3. When you get the message "EasyVFR4.app can’t be opened because it was not downloaded from the App Store" choose [Open in Finder] from that popup, then right-click on EasyVFR4.app and choose open. Now the same popup will appear, now with a [Open] button.
4. From there on you can launch EasyVFR 4 from the launchpad without this warning.
5. With every update, you need to redo step 2. 🔄