Price Drop: Xavion - Synthetic Vision, Instrument Backup, and Emergency Lander for Your Airplane (Navigation)

iOSGods Bot · July 18, 2014

Xavion - Synthetic Vision, Instrument Backup, and Emergency Lander for Your Airplane 1.35

Device: iOS Universal

Category: Navigation

Price: $99.99 -> Free, Version: 1.35 (iTunes)

Description:

Xavion, by Austin Meyer.

Xavion is MY answer to the question: How helpful can I make an iPad in the cookpit?

In flight, Xavion constantly imagines engine-failed glides to every runway in gliding range. For each of these glides, Xavion scores the chance of a successful power-off landing based on runway length, runway width, headwind, tailwind, or crosswind on that runway, weather at the airport, and a number of other factors. Then, once Xavion has memorized the chance of a successful landing at EVERY runway within gliding range, it shows you the approach that it believes is best as 3-D hoops that you simply glide through to make it to the runway! The hoops are set up at the glide ratio for your airplane, so you can stay in them with power off!

This, finally, gives you guidance after an engine failure that is based on energy-management all the way down, where the computer does the work for you… all you need to do is fly through the hoops.

As well, Xavion gets ADS-B weather (if you have a Sagetech or iLevil receiver) and shows it on a moving map, and provides weather for all airports that report it. As well, Xavion gets METARS and winds aloft from the internet if you have a WIFI or cell signal before or during flight!

Also, Xavion checks your weight and balance, medical and BFR currency, and even estimates your takeoff distance and compares that to the length of the runway that you are about to take off on to warn you if the available length from your current location on the runway is too little for a safe take-off.

Also, Xavion estimates time and fuel burn at all different altitudes to any destination you want to go to, and shows you 3-D “highway in the sky” hoops to get there.

Finally, Xavion now offers current charts and plates for the entire United States, available by In-App purchase if you like.

This is the most user-friendly, powerful App that I can imagine, and I love flying with it.

NOTE: You do need to do the InApp subscription purchase to get current airport data! This is needed for Xavion to know the CURRENT suite of airports available, so it can guide you down safely in the event of engine failure!

What's New

WE ARE NOW MAKING THIS APP FREE, WITH A $9.99/MONTH IN-APP PURCHASE FOR CURRENT AIRPORT DATA. WE ARE SWITCHING FROM A ONE-TIME FEE TO A LOW MONTHLY FEE SO THAT WE CAN AFFORD TO GIVE YOU CURRENT DATA FOR AS LONG AS YOU OWN THE APP.

Now with Seattle Avionics current airport database, and optional VFR and IFR charts!

Here is how it works:

1: For $9.99/month In-App purchase, you get current Seattle Avionics airport and obstacle data. This also includes obstacles, fixes, and NAVAIDs.
This is NOT OPTIONAL to fully use the App! Xavion needs to have up-to-date airports and obstacles to be able to guide you to safety.
If you do NOT get the In-App purchase for current airport and obstacle data, then Xavion can only act as a synthetic vision system, without airport and obstacle guidance!

2: For $9.99/month In-App purchase, you get current Seattle Avionics VFR and IFR charts, airport diagrams, SIDs, STARs, and Approach Plates.
This is optional, since having charts and plates might not be somehting you really need if you fly with another EFB.

As well, we now have a totally different GLIDE protocol. We USED to glide down at something between best glide and worst glide with flaps down.
This got us to the airport every time, but it got us there rather... slowly.
Also, using the flaps to scrub off extra energy could result in aircraft battery depletion running the flaps up and down after engine power loss.

To deal with the problems of slow approaches to the airport and using up the battery in your airplane running the flaps, Xavion now looks at glide totally differently:
1: Enter the glide ratio of your airplane at BEST GLIDE, prop FEATHERED (if you can feather it, of course)
2: Enter the glide ratio of your airplane at Vno, prop REDLINE (if you have a blue-knob, of course)
You go to the GLIDE screen to enter this data, and NOTE THAT THE DATA FOR STEP 2 IS NEW FOR THIS APP VERSION!
So, you DO have another test-flight to run: Find the glide ratio of your plane with power-off at Vno, blue knob full forward!

Then, in the event of power-loss, Xavion will take you down at a glide ratio halfway between the two glide ratios you found above!
This will result in an approach that is much more fast and clean.
You will arrive at the destination airport faster, and with some extra speed, using this approach, since you wil not have dissipated energy by lowering the flpas when miles away.
Be sure you practice this a few times before you might have to use it for real: The speed is a good bit higher, so things happen faster!
This improves safety since you get down quicker after an emergency, and arrive at the field with some extra speed in your pocket, which is nice if you do not have power.

As well, if you get X-Plane 10.30 Beta or later, you can now import your flights from Xavion into X-Plane!
This is pretty amazing: Xavion is now a Flight Data Recorder!
Just fly about, land, launch X-Plane, and go to the "Load Xavion Flight" menu option in X-Plane.

There are also a number of minor things like seeing your zero-fuel weight in the weight and balance page as well.

So, this release is just huge. It makes huge leaps in safety and reliability and convenience.

Xavion - Synthetic Vision, Instrument Backup, and Emergency Lander for Your Airplane