iFly GPS Forum

Just signed up for the yearly subscription.  I have a RV4 with a surface 3 in the cockpit with power from the aircraft, and a 5 gang usb tied into the single usb port.  A usb mouse, external Wifi, and a BU-353 gps are plugged into the ganged usb.  The surface 3 is between my legs and pivots up flat to rest on my glove box when not in use.  I downloaded the latest windows version, but  at the moment the server is not acknowledging it to download maps, a message is into support.  At present I run Falconview, the Air Force flight planning software on the surface with terminal, sectional, WAC, ONC,GNC and Tiros maps, the BU-353 provides present position to the program with a 1 second update rate.  What it doesn't supply is ADSB in, at least I haven't figured out how to do it.  At one time I had Fltplan Go up on the surface with input from a stratux, but garmin bought them out and promptly discontinued the windows version.  To my knowledge, ifly is the only windows program with adsb presentation. I hope to replace Fltplan Go with Ifly gps, we shall see. I currently get ADSB in on my cellphone fixed the cockpit rail using Avare.

I used Falconview in the USAF years ago...incredible planning system for tactical events....

I think iFly is much more user friendly and intuitive for the types of GA flying we do...IMHO. Less memory intensive also.

Falconview was great for strikes, airdrops, insertions, night low-levels, etc.  To me, it is just a bit overkill for GA purposes, but has great utility.

If it were a choice between iFly with ADSB info, and Falconview without ADSB, it would be an easy decision for me, but each PIC has his/her own preferences. Where I fly, the sky is a bit more congested, so the ADSB is of great value now.

Best of luck!

Mike N714AJ

Thanks for the response Mike, yes Falconview is a bit clunky when it comes to human interface.  What I really liked about it in the cockpit of my RV was the ability to step out on the GNC and tiros maps to get a larger view before stepping in on sectionals or WACs.  To me stepping out on sectionals to the GNC size is useless because you cannot read Squat.  I went to the trouble of outlining states and warning areas, so I can actually see them even on Tiros and the GNCs. The RV is fast enough that the WAC is actually my favored scale to fly on, but of course all of them are out of date and informational only now. If the sectionals are zoomed out to WAC scale in IFLY GPS they are still readable and I think I will find that my preferred mode. 

Gary