Hi, I was wondering how easy/difficult it would be to add this feature to easyVFR.
The app knows all the parameters such as GS, AGL, current position and landing coordinates for a given runway (your local or destination airport depending on your planning). It also knows the airplane performance data (if entered) like glide speed, vertical speed, etc...
Would it be possible to have a 'idle now' alert when you're about to land (or close to the runway) to allow pilots to optimise the idle motor moment and have better chances of a good landing?
I'm not sure if I'm making sense, but basically if you do idle motor landings, your GS is your glide speed plus/minus wind speed and your VS is Y, is just calculating when you would touch ground and moved horizontally over the runway landing marks.
As an example, if GS is 75 and VS is 1000fpm and AGL is 1000 feet, in one minute you'll be at 0AGL and travelled 1.25 NM, I'd like to hear the "idle now" alert at 1.25NM from the landing area...
Hi Matias, we get this question every now and then. In a number of forms, such as 'cones of safety', 'gliding projections' and so more. The math is quite straightforward indeed, but there's two catches which have always stopped us from building the feature.
The first one is accuracy. The outcome of any such computation is only as good and trustworthy as the quality of the data being input. A major factor is wind, and a number of minor factors would include the aircraft and the pilot's skills to fly the numbers exactly. Those factors together make for a LARGE margin, rendering the outcome of the calculation virtually useless!
The second one is: focus. When would a pilot need this feature? Probably at the time when he's being -forced- to glide, so in an emergency. That's in our opinion exactly the moment to NOT fiddle with iPads and what more have you, but to toss those on the back seat and do what needs to be done most urgently at that time: to fly the airplane to the ground!
