I was just wondering if there was something I've missed to get additional visual items displayed on the SD charts (both on my PC for planning and on the iPad for Navigation).

The best example I have is the various white horses around me as whilst Avebury is noted as a VRP, the white horses aren't marked in SD but they are on the CAA charts (my 1:500,000 chart has them clearly).

As a secondary observation, the appearance of roads and rivers can be quite different - comparing the river betwen Avebury and Marlborough, the CAA map has a lot of detail (despite not being zoomable in any way) whereas the SD one is a lot of straight lines (very obvious when zoomed in).

The same is evident on the A361 between Avebury and Wroughton, there is a marked bend in the road, clearly visible on the CAA map but completely absent on the SD plot.

I understand that it needs to be sampled as straight lines, but it seems that not enough sampling points have been used to give a true indication of the river shape, though maybe this is to reduce the data footprint.

I guess as SD is being used with GPS, it is not as important to have totally accurate mapping - but as there is an option to print the route, I was a little suprised they are not that accurate...

I totally sympathise with the last comment about the need for accuracy in mapping, particularly that SD is marketed as a VFR flying aid.

Very Newbytheway

DurhamTeaseAirport

While I sympathise with the view that the SD maps may or may not have various bends missing and that they should be as accurate as possible, let's not lose the plot and remember that VFR flying is precisely that -- FLYING MAP TO GROUND --- and the only map that should be used for this purpose is the CAA approved and endorsed maps.

I have no issue with missing bends as I can see the ground (I assume that is how you know it was missing) and the only thing that I do ask of SD is that the vertical data and geofixed reference points (VRPs etc) and aeronautical data (airspace etc) are accurate so that when SD reports my current location I know that I haven't busted air space or missed my reporting point, requested by the radar service, that I should report at. Afterall, there are stop "STOP SIGNS" etc down there along the roads on terra-firma, but I've yet to see one at 4500 ft QNH at the class A airspace boundary saying "NO ENTRY" or "BUS LANE - BUSES ONLY". This is where SD comes into it's own, as long as the GPS is reporting the correct lat/long location to the SD software.

Furthermore, if I use SD in IMC (which of course I don't -- Do I?) I can't see the bend in the road anyhow due to big white fluffy things getting in the way, so it really doesn't matter whether it's there or not. But then I don't use it for IMC flying do I......

Just a thought

Biggles -- EGKB

We consciously decided not to include things like white horses, quarries etc on our maps. One of the main reasons people buy SkyDemon is because our maps are simple and uncluttered. If you want to use the CAA chart as a moving map there are several apps that let you do that, and they're cheap too.

We think the detail of roads and railways on our vector charts strikes a good balance between resolution and speed of loading and presentation.

Surely, there is also the added fact that a pilot should always carry a constantly refered to, up-to-date, route marked map so that in the event of a GPS failure he is not bimbling around in a three dimensional no-mans-land!!! All the additional data for further accurate VFR navigation is there-on.

I love SkyDemon but traditional VFR navigation techniques must never be forgotten or allowed to fall into dissuse. You never know when you might need them in earnest!!!

Fly safe

Smokey

Thanks for the reply Tim, I was just checking there wasn't another overlay I'd missed for the extra features either on the moving map or for pre-flight planning. They are quite useful as turn points.

As for the detail levels of roads/rivers, I understand for the moving map whilst airborne that speed is important and the GPS fix means the exact shape of features isn't really an issue.

Howecver, that was really more a question for the planning side. I have been printing out a map with route on it, but found that this really isn't accurate enough for falling back on if there is a GPS issue so was again wondering if there was an increased detail level I'd missed. Clearly for pre-planning (which I tend to do on the PC) having the most accurate printout is beneficial and load time isn't an issue.

I guess I'll just continue to draw my route on the CAA map as well (though a nicely cropped and printed single sheet would be easier to refer to that a folded CAA map)

I have to say that the CAA maps are great when it comes to "in cockpit" use. Those moments when you haven't folded it quite right in the pre-flight checks (I'm sure we have all been there) and have to refold "in flight".

It guarentees at least 5 minutes of IMC flying on an otherwise perfectly sunny day when you begin to undertake the CAA set Mensa task of working out what folds goes where in order to put a 4' x 4' object into an 8" x 8" space.

The most enjoyable part has to be that it's the only IMC flying I have done where I cannot see outside the cockpit while, at the same time, not being able to see any of the instruments inside the cockpit.

Adds a new meaning to "flying by the seat of your pants". Best total instrument failure I've ever experienced and still trying to work out how to determine which way is up!

Just a thought!

Biggles -- EGKB

I do a lot of open cockpit flying where it isn't an option to take out a printed map, unfold it and re-fold it in a way that shows your route and fits on my kneeboard. Doing that would just tear it out of my hands.

For exactly that reason I was looking toward SD as my chance to a paperless cockpit. Therefore I put in my vote in favor of a more accurate map representation.

I would like to have the option to select the level of accuracy in the setup. Every video game lets me choose my balance between fidelity and speed. Why not SD?

-- Chris.

Because we have decided that, in our product, highly detailed roads are not important. There are other products where that decision might not have been made, but it fits our needs well and is a good balance between detail and speed and memory consumption.

To say our charts are not accurate implies they are not accurate from an aeronautical standpoint, which would be wrong.

Thanks for the reply Tim,

As a moving map for real-time navigation it is perfect and the fast update and less cluttered view is definitely a bonus.

I was just hoping to be able to increase the detail levels for printouts (even if this was an optoin on the PC only it would be useful) as having a single sheet printout with my planned route drawn on it exactly (ie matching the PLOG I have printed from SD) would be really useful as a backup should the iPad fail in some way.

I did this as a 'test' which is how I discovered this and I found it much easier to use a sheet of A4 than the unwieldy folded CAA map, which I found throughout my training that I always seem to pick up upside down or looking at the wrong side for several seconds. A single sided print of A4 is so much easier to use for a quick glance (even if the CAA map is carried in case it is needed).

However, what I found was that with the current levels of detail (and and lack of visual references, like the white horses) then I'll have to carry on drawing up the route on the CAA map. Maybe you could consider this in the future?

(Oh, along with being able to get SD to draw in plot 5deg/10deg 'off track' lines to aid estimation of closing angle)