Hi,

I would like to purchase Skydemon, but there is one thing that is holding me off. I tested Jeppesen Mobile Flitedeck, Garmin Pilot and Air Navigatioin Pro and Skydemon intensely. I like Skydemon with all it´s features the best. But the only thing that is missing and is for me absolute essential and that it is the bearing indicator. I don´t mean just showing it on the map or the HSI, I meant showing it in the upper row next to the distance to a waypoint in numbers of degree.
I don´t know one GPS application ever since I am flying, that doesn´t have this feature. And the is a reason for it. Because it is one of the basics, that every GPS must have.
For example when I am flying and I am off course to my next waypoint, I look on the GPS and read the bearing, put my heading bug on the course and fly to the waypoint. Or even when I am on course, I read the bearing sometimes just to check my compass.

I know that this was discussed before but and I understand, that you can´t fulfill every single whish of just one user. But please think about it again, it would make your program just perfect. Skydemon does not have to fear, by adding  a feature, that all the other programs have, not to be any different any more. I am sure that by how far Skydemon came by now, other programs try to copy it, because it is so good.

Happy Landings an greetings from Bavaria ( www.edmy.de )

Start simulation or go flying
SD logo - Setup - Instruments - show track

-mike

I think what Bumblebee means is that he would like to see an extra box, so as to see both Track and Bearing, and I fully agree with him.

I agree, the bearing is an information I still look for, event if knowing it does not (really) appear on SD.
It's sometimes annoying, since reading a single value is way more (intellectually) efficient than transposing a rubber band to a route.

I'd love to see the bearing as part of the instrument's choices.

If this bearing instrument existed, what would you do with the reading? It's not like you could turn to that bearing with your compass/DI because that would fail to take wind into account. That's the reason there has never been an actual bearing instrument in SkyDemon. The closest is the compass wheel at the bottom of the map, which shows your current track and the bearing to reach your next waypoint. Lining those two up means that wind doesn't have to be considered.

I am sure people are using it on the the compass rose and are dragging the rose to the screen so they can see it if they are more than 40 or 50° away from the bearing. But on the other hand it would be much more convenient to look at that given the degree number and turn the airplane to that course. I say that wind in this moment does not play that much of a role. Say I fly to a waypoint and stop over a certain place and do a couple of turns because of what reason ever and I want to continue my flights to the given waypoint I could so easily see the bearing and head to it.

Or say I'm just flying around my home airport and I mark the airport that I took off as my next way point then I will always see very quickly the bearing I have to turn to get back to the airport. I really think this is used by so many pilots especially if they are using are a fixed install GPS in the aircraft and they are flying around in the vicinity of their home airport.

I have heard that point of view before, but I don't understand it. If you've done some manoeuvring and need to reorientate yourself, you have two options, assuming that we creating this bearing instrument:

1. Look at the bearing instrument, imagine it says 179 degrees, and look at the track instrument, imagine it says 314 degrees. You have to mentally work out which way to turn, and by how much, then execute the turn while comparing the values to see when to stop turning.
2. Look at the map, where you have a clear magenta line pointing towards your next waypoint and a big line projecting from the front of your aircraft, from which you can quickly determine which way to turn and how big a turn to make.

I suppose I just don't understand how the potential solution given in option 1 is better in any way than the current solution which is option 2. Then there's always the course correction indicator, which is a collapsed version of the compass rose at the bottom of the screen, which simply shows you which way to turn and by how much. Even that is a simpler proposition than option 1 above, and it already exists.

Okay, the bearing is indicated in the HSI. But if I am too far off course I have to drag it first to the screen to see it. And then the read out it is pretty small so maybe there is a way you could at least consider to display the number above the bearing bug so it is easily to read.

But maybe I'm just too old-fashioned and the majority of users don't need this readout at all. Thanks very much for your comments and a chance to try out SkyDemon.

I am with Tim on this and fail to see the benefit of a dedicated bearing display.

First, SD can never display a bearing because you'd need actual winds at altitude for that. All SD can do is give you a number for track (which it does) and heading to the next waypoint (which it does).

If you quickly want to get on the right bearing en-route to the next waypoint you simply turn until the line projecting out from the aircraft symbol coincides with the magenta course line shown on the map. If you then look on your compass in the aircraft you can read off your bearing including wind correction and all.

-- Chris.

"First, SD can never display a bearing because you'd need actual winds at altitude for that."

First, SD is showing the magnetic bearing (little magenta bug on the HSI). Second, bearing has nothing to do with the wind.


"All SD can do is give you a number for track (which it does) and heading to the next waypoint (which it does)"

Please show me, where SD is giving a heading to the next waypoint.


Happy Landings

Bumelbee