Hilton Software LLC
October 2010 Newsletter

WingX gets Geo-Ref Approach Charts!

WingX now has geo-referenced approach charts!  Thanks to our friends at Seattle Avionics, we have added the amazing capability to view your aircraft on approach charts.  In fact, due to our advanced technology, WingX can show a split screen (as shown on the right) showing a geo-referenced approach chart and terrain-aware moving map simultaneously with the touch of a single button.  As the pilot descends, WingX uses the GPS altitude to color the surrounding terrain thereby giving the pilot a heads-up to a potential CFIT.  WingX fully supports the common iOS pinch-to-zoom gesture when viewing charts so that a pilot can quickly zoom right in to your aircraft's position - WingX keeps your aircraft centered thereby reducing your workload.  If it is nighttime, WingX will display the chart white-on-black and intelligently keep the mountains orange and not blue like other applications might show them.  WingX allows you to set up an entire flight from departure to landing - with WingX showing your location on airport diagrams, on approach charts, and on dynamic terrain moving map, your risk is vastly reduced.

To show your position on approach charts, you will require a $99 per year subscription with Seattle Avionics for their ChartData.  Seattle Avionics are the only company in the world to provide FAA-certified geo-referencing data other than Jeppesen.  In fact, the Seattle Avionics ChartData is so good that Aspen Avionics use ChartData in their panel-mounted systems.  By working closely with the engineers at Seattle Avionics, we have integrated ChartData into our WingX products in a very seamless fashion taking only a few seconds to download the geo-referencing ChartData to your device.

* WingX Pro7 for iPad is currently available on the App Store.  WingX Pro7 with geo-referenced approach charts will be announced at AOPA Summit 2010 in Long Beach.

Geo-Referenced Approach Charts on Android too!

WingX for Android is our latest and greatest product in the WingX product line.  We are very excited about supporting this new platform, and even though it is a new mobile platform, it is exceeding all expectations.  WingX for Android includes the base WingX functionality including A/FD, AOPA Directory, Approach Charts and Airport Diagrams, Documents including FARs etc.  The new WingX for Android Version 1.1 adds geo-referencing on approach charts.  By integrating ChartData from Seattle Avionics, WingX shows your aircraft's position on an approach chart.  This significantly increases Situational Awareness.  While no mobile device should ever be used for primary navigation, WingX's approach chart geo-referencing adds a great safety net for IFR pilots especially those flying in mountainous areas.  In fact, there have been CFIT accidents into low lying hills.  WingX now includes Geo-Referencing on the iPad, iPhone*, and Android platforms.  Version 1.1 also adds pinch-to-zoom on charts and weather images.

Devices: The great thing that the Android OS brings to the mobile space is the variety of phone devices that will be available.  A quick look at Verizon Wireless shows several new devices including the HTC Incredible, the DROID X with its large screen and many more.

Downloading and Installing: WingX for Android can be downloaded and installed from the Market or by pointing your Android's browser to "mobile.hiltonsoftware.com".  If you use your Android browser, the phone might complain about the software not being from the Market.  Either allow the download via the phone's Settings or try the desktop application called "Sideload Wonder Machine" that appears to install apps that are not from the Market.  We just became aware of Sideload Wonder Machine earlier today from a customer (we have not tried or tested Sideload Wonder Machine) - thanks for the feedback.

* To be announced at AOPA Summit 2010 in Long Beach

Cessna and Hilton Software partner - it's called Cessna iFlite!

We have some great partners including Jeppesen and Seattle Avionics.  Now we're working with Cessna - the result is Cessna iFlite.  In addition to including the WingX feature set, Cessna iFlite adds three superb new features specific to in-production single-engine aircraft from Cessna.  These new features are:

  • Weight and Balance.  Our company was founded on very successful Weight and Balance software and we have taken that technology and integrated it into Cessna iFlite.

  • Pilot Operating Handbook.  Pilots can download POHs and view them directly in iFlite.  The POHs are broken down into chapters for fast access.

  • Aircraft Performance.  Calculate take-off roll, climb over 50' obstacle, climb rate, landings distance, and landing distance over 50' obstacle.  This feature is unbelievably powerful.  In the blink of an eye, Cessna iFlite calculates performance numbers for every runway at the departure and arrival airports using the current METAR.  Pilots can even do 'what if' calculation?  What if the wind is calm?  What if it is 100°F?

Visit us at AOPA Summit in Long Beach - Nov 11-13

We'll be at AOPA Summit in Long Beach - look for us in Booth 1119.  In addition we'll have some time to show our latest WingX features in a Product Demonstration.  Dr. Hilton Goldstein will be demoing WingX on the iPad, iPhone, and Android in our booth.  Please stop by, take a look at what is new, share ideas, and ask any questions you may have.  Hilton will also be showing some new features that we will announced at Summit plus some of the goodies planned for future releases.  You won't be disappointed.

Where:

  • Booth 1119

Product Demonstration

  • Friday at 2pm-2:30pm - WingX Pro7.

Max Trescott's GPS Guide for the 430/430W now on the iPhone and iPad

Last year we partnered with Glass Cockpit Publishing to bring Max Trescott's GPS Guides for the Garmin 296, 396, 496, and 696 to the iPhone. We later added support for the Garmin 430/430W on the iPhone.  Recently we enhanced Max Trescott's GPS Guide for the 430/430W to be a Universal App meaning that it fully supports the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Click here for more information from Max.

Max Trescott is the 2008 National Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year and is a glass cockpit expert. Information on Max's books can be found on the Glass Cockpit Publishing web site.

Stay Current

Please be sure to stay current with your subscription. $99.95 for an entire year of A/FD information, NACO charts, METARs, TAFs, animated weather and much more is a steal. We have had a few users call us urgently to renew their subscription when they found out that they suddenly couldn't file a flight plan or get the latest animated RADAR. Please don't be caught on the ramp without WingX weather and DUATS.  Click here to renew your subscription or call us at 1-866-42-WINGX.

"One Second ROI" - User Feedback

“Just a quick note to tell you that I had a one second return on investment after purchasing your product last Friday. I purchased it to enhance my situational awareness in flight. Well It worked.

This Sunday night, I was flying myself and four women back from a shopping trip to Jacksonville Florida, with a destination of Charleston, SC. My course took me out over the ocean (about 12 miles out to sea) where it is very very dark. I was about 20 minutes into my flight when I experienced total vacuum failure. I was on the gauges instantly, but was wondering why I couldn’t see any lights under or around me.

Was I farther out to sea than I realized? Was I in the clouds and didn’t know it? I needed to know EXACTLY where I was WITHOUT fiddling with dialing in multiple frequencies to get a cross fix of where I was. I needed to fly the aircraft and know where I was. I turned on my iPad and within 1 second, I knew exactly where I was and where I needed to go. I got conformation of my course, speed, altitude and within a few minutes, I was back over land and my comfort level went up that I didn’t have a systemic failure of other systems.

So in that 1 second, your software paid for itself. Well done.

John F.”

A Word from the CEO

Firstly, thank you for your support and your kind comments.

When we introduced our Moving Map technology on the iPhone, it truly was a game changer.  The ease-of-use and interaction was amazing and the performance we extracted from the little device justified the design decisions and architectural optimizations we started building into our proprietary high-performance technology over 7 years ago.  Then the iPad came along and I was blown away by its capabilities.  We introduced WingX Pro7 for iPad that displays geo-referenced approach charts and a terrain-aware moving map simultaneously.  Does Situational Awareness get better than this?  Garmin announced geo-referenced approach charts capability on their Garmin 696, but it will cost $500 for an enabling key plus there will be the annual Jeppesen subscription, and that's on top of the 696's initial $3000 price tag.  We strive to lower costs and increase safety.  Thanks to our collaboration with the nice folks at Seattle Avionics, we just made another big leap in that direction.  We leap-frogged Garmin and provided solutions months ahead of their schedule.

The new Android Operating System is making a big splash on mobile phones and we expect Android Tablets to hit the market in earnest later this year.  We released WingX for Android Version 1.1 earlier this month.  Version 1.1 adds geo-referenced approach charts.  It also adds pinch-to-zoom on approach charts and weather images.  We are lined up to incorporate a lot more functionality over the next few weeks.  We have received great user feedback from our users about the Droid Incredible and the Droid X with its larger screen.  If you're looking for an alternative to the iPhone and/or the AT&T network, look at the ever-increasing range of Android-based phones.

Please stop by Booth 1119 at AOPA Aviation Summit and say Hi.  We'll have some new features to show and even some that are in Beta.

Thanks again for your support.

Always fly as though the DE is sitting next to you,

 

Hilton

Hilton Software LLC
Maker Of Aviation Software
www.hiltonsoftware.com