Announcing WingX for the Pocket PC

[Hilton Software LLC]

Hi everyone,

Hilton Software has spent over a year developing WingX. Earlier this week,
we announced general availability of the product.

"WingX is a Microsoft Pocket PC application designed by pilots for pilots.
WingX was designed from the ground up using the latest .NET technology from
Microsoft to create an application that pilots could use while down at the
airport and away from their desktop PC at home."

Weight and Balance, Route Planning, Sunrise and Sunset information, E6B
calculations, and the new Expiration page are included. FAA and Model
Databases can be downloaded wireless or by connecting your Pocket PC to your
PC.

Graphical Weight and Balance calculations are easy with pre-defined aircraft
models. WingX knows about Piper Warriors, Cessna 172s, Sundowners,
Schweizers, and more. Route Planning uses the current FAA database for
airports and VORs.

Go to http://www.hiltonsoftware.com and download WingX. We're hoping you
will like it and register with Hilton Software.

Thank you,

Hilton
Hilton Software LLC
http://www.hiltonsoftware.com

[bob zee]

> "WingX is a Microsoft Pocket PC application designed by pilots for pilots.
> WingX was designed from the ground up using the latest .NET technology
from
> Microsoft to create an application that pilots could use while down at the
> airport and away from their desktop PC at home."
>
> Thank you,
>
> Hilton
> Hilton Software LLC
> http://www.hiltonsoftware.com
>

woo-hoo! great! that is exactly what we need! more apps running on
micro$oft crap!!!
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39115732,00.htm
just a little sample, another example
--
bob z.
"people with less brain power than you are doing more difficult things
everyday"©

[Cecil E. Chapman]

Just my two cents (and 'no' I am not an employee or affiliate of
HiltonSoftware <grin>)...

I've been checking out the program and have been more than pleased with its'
intelligent and thoughtful layout. The design of the program's display
interface is well-reasoned and most intuitive. One would be hard-pressed to
find a similar program that provides more features with out-of-the-box
functionality right from the point where you press the 'on' button on your
handheld device (PocketPC).

I'm running it on a Dell Axim with a 300Mhz Intel x-scale processor with
PocketPC 2003 and most pleased!

--
--
Good Flights!

Cecil E. Chapman, Jr.
PP-ASEL

"We who fly do so for the love of flying.
We are alive in the air with this miracle
that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"

- Cecil Day Lewis-

My personal adventures as a student pilot
and after my PPL: www.bayareapilot.com
"Hilton Software LLC" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Hi everyone,
>
> Hilton Software has spent over a year developing WingX. Earlier this
week,
> we announced general availability of the product.
>
> "WingX is a Microsoft Pocket PC application designed by pilots for pilots.
> WingX was designed from the ground up using the latest .NET technology
from
> Microsoft to create an application that pilots could use while down at the
> airport and away from their desktop PC at home."
>
> Weight and Balance, Route Planning, Sunrise and Sunset information, E6B
> calculations, and the new Expiration page are included. FAA and Model
> Databases can be downloaded wireless or by connecting your Pocket PC to
your
> PC.
>
> Graphical Weight and Balance calculations are easy with pre-defined
aircraft
> models. WingX knows about Piper Warriors, Cessna 172s, Sundowners,
> Schweizers, and more. Route Planning uses the current FAA database for
> airports and VORs.
>
> Go to http://www.hiltonsoftware.com and download WingX. We're hoping you
> will like it and register with Hilton Software.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Hilton
> Hilton Software LLC
> http://www.hiltonsoftware.com
>
>

[JerryK]

Unfortunately it is built on the compact framework....

"Cecil E. Chapman" > wrote in message
om...
> Just my two cents (and 'no' I am not an employee or affiliate of
> HiltonSoftware <grin>)...
>
> I've been checking out the program and have been more than pleased with
its'
> intelligent and thoughtful layout. The design of the program's display
> interface is well-reasoned and most intuitive. One would be hard-pressed
to
> find a similar program that provides more features with out-of-the-box
> functionality right from the point where you press the 'on' button on your
> handheld device (PocketPC).
>
> I'm running it on a Dell Axim with a 300Mhz Intel x-scale processor with
> PocketPC 2003 and most pleased!
>
> --
> --
> Good Flights!
>
> Cecil E. Chapman, Jr.
> PP-ASEL
>
> "We who fly do so for the love of flying.
> We are alive in the air with this miracle
> that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"
>
> - Cecil Day Lewis-
>
> My personal adventures as a student pilot
> and after my PPL: www.bayareapilot.com
> "Hilton Software LLC" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > Hilton Software has spent over a year developing WingX. Earlier this
> week,
> > we announced general availability of the product.
> >
> > "WingX is a Microsoft Pocket PC application designed by pilots for
pilots.
> > WingX was designed from the ground up using the latest .NET technology
> from
> > Microsoft to create an application that pilots could use while down at
the
> > airport and away from their desktop PC at home."
> >
> > Weight and Balance, Route Planning, Sunrise and Sunset information, E6B
> > calculations, and the new Expiration page are included. FAA and Model
> > Databases can be downloaded wireless or by connecting your Pocket PC to
> your
> > PC.
> >
> > Graphical Weight and Balance calculations are easy with pre-defined
> aircraft
> > models. WingX knows about Piper Warriors, Cessna 172s, Sundowners,
> > Schweizers, and more. Route Planning uses the current FAA database for
> > airports and VORs.
> >
> > Go to http://www.hiltonsoftware.com and download WingX. We're hoping
you
> > will like it and register with Hilton Software.
> >
> > Thank you,
> >
> > Hilton
> > Hilton Software LLC
> > http://www.hiltonsoftware.com
> >
> >
>
>




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[John T]

"JerryK" > wrote in message

>
> Unfortunately it is built on the compact framework....

I'm curious: Why is that unfortunate?

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/tknoFlyer
__________

[John T]

"JerryK" > wrote in message

> There are many memory leaks and other issue with the CF. Check the
> newsgroup microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.compactframework for the
> details. The CF is getting better, but still has a ways to go.

I've been following that group for a few months, but I wouldn't go so far as
to say it's "unfortunate" a developer chose to use the CF. Most of the
memory issues (many reports of "leaks" are not actual leaks) I've seen have
been due to either custom unmanaged code or poor resource management
(usually an indication of poor development habits gained in desktop
development).

I will grant you that the CF needs to improve, though. The lack of tooltips
and context-sensitive help, for instance, are quite significant since they
are requirements for the logo program. Therefore, any CF-based app cannot
be certified on the PocketPC/Windows Mobile platform.

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/tknoFlyer
__________

[JerryK]

I just think it will take time to shake out .Net in general, and CF in
particular. I agree that many of the memory issue are the results of poor
resource management. Unfortunately an environment with a GC tends to let
programmers thing they can forget about explicitly managing resources.

I am still using the older C++ compilers for my PPC work. Still works,
still requires a lot of steps, but the code it tight and runs very fast.
What sort of dev environment are you using?

jerry

"John T" > wrote in message
ws.com...
> "JerryK" > wrote in message
>
> > There are many memory leaks and other issue with the CF. Check the
> > newsgroup microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.compactframework for the
> > details. The CF is getting better, but still has a ways to go.
>
> I've been following that group for a few months, but I wouldn't go so far
as
> to say it's "unfortunate" a developer chose to use the CF. Most of the
> memory issues (many reports of "leaks" are not actual leaks) I've seen
have
> been due to either custom unmanaged code or poor resource management
> (usually an indication of poor development habits gained in desktop
> development).
>
> I will grant you that the CF needs to improve, though. The lack of
tooltips
> and context-sensitive help, for instance, are quite significant since they
> are requirements for the logo program. Therefore, any CF-based app cannot
> be certified on the PocketPC/Windows Mobile platform.
>
> --
> John T
> http://tknowlogy.com/tknoFlyer
> __________
>
>
>




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---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

[John T]

"JerryK" > wrote in message

>
> I am still using the older C++ compilers for my PPC work. Still
> works,
> still requires a lot of steps, but the code it tight and runs very
> fast.
> What sort of dev environment are you using?

Has been eVB/C, but I'm moving to CF for compatibility with desktop stuff.
We'll see how it pans out. For the most part, C#/CF is far superior to the
eVB stuff I had but, as you say, isn't quite as tight and speedy as a
well-written C++ app.

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/tknoFlyer
_______________

[Thomas Borchert]

Cecil,

haven't tried it yet (but I will). Just noted the price, which seems
very high. There is a handful of 20-$-apps out there which will do much
of the same. Not to mention Copilot for the Palm, which is free.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Thomas Borchert]

Cecil,

Ok, I have looked at it. The price is indeed very steep, compared to,
for example, Aerocalc (http://www.2flyeasy.com/, 20 $), EFISce
(http://www.btinternet.com/~navtech/ - flight planning AND GPS moving
map for about the same price as WingX, 69 $), NavigaCE
(http://members.aol.com/NavigaCE/, 20 $) or PocketFlightplan
(http://www.pocketflightplan.com/, 20 $).

Also, no mention of user waypoints, no mention of a European database
or a database containing more than just airports and VORs (e.g. NDBs or
intersections). No mention of wind being figured into the flight
planning function, either.

BUT: Maybe my view on this is wrong, so I'd be very interested in other
peoples opinions and experiences. I want to buy something for my iPaq
soon, so please let me know what you guys use!

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Hilton Software]

Thomas Borchert wrote:
> Cecil,
>
> Ok, I have looked at it. The price is indeed very steep, compared to,
> for example, Aerocalc (http://www.2flyeasy.com/, 20 $), EFISce
> (http://www.btinternet.com/~navtech/ - flight planning AND GPS moving
> map for about the same price as WingX, 69 $), NavigaCE
> (http://members.aol.com/NavigaCE/, 20 $) or PocketFlightplan
> (http://www.pocketflightplan.com/, 20 $).

Thomas,

Thank you for your feedback. WingX features and its usability advantages
resulted from a significant amount of feedback during our Beta testing.
There are extremely useful features such as a list of expirations (for
example, just enter the data of your medical and WingX will calculate the
expiration dates of your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class). WingX is also primarily
driven by popup menus, so you can calculate a graphical W&B in about 10
seconds. On the route page, a popup will display a list of 'recent'
airports. Popups also simplify the E6B calculations.

WingX supports real-time downloading of databases (via the internet) which
means that you will always have the latest FAA data and a complete database
of aircraft models with which to calculate W&B. For example, attach a
wireless card to your PDA (if required) and download the databases without
using your PC!


> Also, no mention of user waypoints, no mention of a European database
> or a database containing more than just airports and VORs (e.g. NDBs or
> intersections). No mention of wind being figured into the flight
> planning function, either.

We plan to include airports, VORs, NDB, and intersections within the next
few days. Since the database may be downloaded wirelessly (or by cradling
your PDA), this update will literally be just 2 clicks away. Wind
calculations in the route page will also be added very shortly. These
updates will be free.

As far as a European database is concerned, we are currently looking for a
good reliable source of information so that we can provide our users with an
uninterrupted source of information. If you can point me to a reliable
source, we should be able to add it expeditiously.


> BUT: Maybe my view on this is wrong, so I'd be very interested in other
> peoples opinions and experiences. I want to buy something for my iPaq
> soon, so please let me know what you guys use!

The features being added to WingX are driven 100% by users, so we appreciate
your feedback.

As a result of your email and other market feedback and customer comments,
Hilton Software is now making WingX available for $39.99. We thank you for
your support.

Hilton
Hilton Software LLC
http://www.hiltonsoftware.com

[Hilton Software]

JerryK wrote:
> I just think it will take time to shake out .Net in general, and CF in
> particular. I agree that many of the memory issue are the results of
poor
> resource management. Unfortunately an environment with a GC tends to let
> programmers thing they can forget about explicitly managing resources.
>
> I am still using the older C++ compilers for my PPC work. Still works,
> still requires a lot of steps, but the code it tight and runs very fast.
> What sort of dev environment are you using?

Jerry,

While this is probably not the best forum in which to discuss the merits of
the Compact Framework, I'd like to add a little to this thread and how it
helped in the development of WingX.

The most obvious advantages are: no bad pointers, no leaked memory, no
crashes! These become especially important on handheld devices where leaked
memory and crashes are unacceptable. In addition, we believe our
development time is very much shorter using C# over C++ and this allows us
to get new features to customers in the shortest time. Moreover, since we
ship one EXE for all platforms, we reduce potential bugs on the numerous PDA
platforms; i.e if your PDA has the Compact Framework, WingX will run on it
irrespective of the CPU type - the same cannot be said for C and C++.

The first release of the CF was in pretty good shape, and Microsoft has
since released Service Pack 1 (downloadable from
http://www.hiltonsoftware.com/Download.html) to fix several bugs and improve
performance. In fact, this release will be pre-installed in Pocket PC 2003
so the newer PDAs, phones, and other devices will have the CF pre-installed.

We have found the Compact Framework to be very solid, and we have yet to
discover any leaked resources or other major problems.

Thanks,

Hilton
Hilton Software
http://www.hiltonsoftware.com

[Thomas Borchert]

Hilton,

wow, you guys sure are quick! Ok, here are some thoughts:

- Price: Much more attractive now. As you have hinted at (and I
understand you can't say it outright, but I can), some other offerings
look much more cobbled together by hobbyists. Hmm, we should all
complain some more and see what you do to the price then ;-)

- User waypoints: A big thing for me. Let's say I want to cut a close
corner around some airspace next to my home drome. I need to plan with
a waypoint I'll put right there. Also, this brings me to...

- European waypoints: Many other programs realize that it's difficult
to get a reliable source for that (Jeppesen has them, of course). So
they let users compile them and put them up for download. There's a
risk of error (really higher than Jepp?), but everybody is made aware
of that risk. At least, they have them. Some European authorities have
their airport and nav aid info on the web for free, e.g. the UK and
France.

And two more questions:

- Is there a way to factor wind into the flight planning feature?
That's pretty much a deal breaker for me. One other software I
mentioned has an option to input winds aloft for all relevant altitudes
- and the flight planning will use that accordingly. As I mentioned,
Davies' (sp?) Copilot for the Palm is one of the gold standards for PDA
flight planning, IMHO.

- How do I get the Socata TB-10 Tobago POH data to you? I could e-mail
you our POH as a PDF, but it would be in German.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Paul Tomblin]

In a previous article, said:
>- European waypoints: Many other programs realize that it's difficult
>to get a reliable source for that (Jeppesen has them, of course). So
>they let users compile them and put them up for download. There's a
>risk of error (really higher than Jepp?), but everybody is made aware
>of that risk. At least, they have them. Some European authorities have
>their airport and nav aid info on the web for free, e.g. the UK and
>France.

For the CoPilot/GPSPilot/GPX waypoint generators, I use a combination of
DAFIF data and user contributed data. I've never been able to find UK
data as anything other than a PDF file per airport, which sucks.

>- and the flight planning will use that accordingly. As I mentioned,
>Davies' (sp?) Copilot for the Palm is one of the gold standards for PDA

Laurie Davis

>flight planning, IMHO.

BTW: If the WingX developers want, we could arrange for me to provide the
data I have in whatever format they need.

--
Paul Tomblin >, not speaking for anybody
"This was, apparently, beyond her ken. So far beyond her ken that she was
well into barbie territory." - J.D. Baldwin

[Thomas Borchert]

Paul,

There we go, the magic of Internet! I hope they get in touch with you.
Wonderful work you are doing!

Thanks for correcting me on Laurie's name. I wish the software was
available for the PocketPC.

The PDF format is indeed what I found - and yes, for this purpose, it
sucks.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Paul Tomblin]

In a previous article, said:
>Thanks for correcting me on Laurie's name. I wish the software was
>available for the PocketPC.

You're not the only one. A guy in my flying club carries both a Palm (for
CoPilot) and an iPaq (for Anywhere Map).


--
Paul Tomblin >, not speaking for anybody
Pascal - A programming language named after a man who would turn over in his
grave if he knew about it.

[Thomas Borchert]

Paul,

So do you know if there's a way to convince Laurie? Or even an easy
technical way to port stuff like that?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Paul Tomblin]

In a previous article, said:
>Paul,
>
>So do you know if there's a way to convince Laurie? Or even an easy
>technical way to port stuff like that?

Laurie is a Mac programmer. It's unlikely that he would be able to port
to wince^WPocketPC, since there is no SDK for any platform other than
Windows.


--
Paul Tomblin >, not speaking for anybody
"The Americans have said ``Ni'' and they want their shrubbery"
- Harry Teasley predicts a Bush victory, 8Mar2000

[Hilton Software]

Thomas Borchert wrote:

> Hilton,
>
> wow, you guys sure are quick! Ok, here are some thoughts:
>
> - Price: Much more attractive now. As you have hinted at (and I
> understand you can't say it outright, but I can), some other offerings
> look much more cobbled together by hobbyists. Hmm, we should all
> complain some more and see what you do to the price then ;-)
>
> - User waypoints: A big thing for me. Let's say I want to cut a close
> corner around some airspace next to my home drome. I need to plan with
> a waypoint I'll put right there.

Since we are in the design phase of user waypoints for WingX, I'd like to
solicit information on how you would like to create a waypoint. We're
looking at lat-long, bearing and distance from a fix, etc. How would you
like to define your 'close corner'?


> And two more questions:
>
> - Is there a way to factor wind into the flight planning feature?

No, but there will be within a few days. If you want, I can notify you via
email once the feature has been added, QAed, and shipped.


> - How do I get the Socata TB-10 Tobago POH data to you? I could e-mail
> you our POH as a PDF, but it would be in German.

Please email the POH (or the URL). No-one here speaks German, but we'll see
what we can do using the POH and other sources.

BTW: I mis-spoke earlier and the current database *does* currently contain
NDBs.

Thank you for your very constructive posts.

Hilton
Hilton Software LLC
http://www.hiltonsoftware.com

[JerryK]

I agree this is probably not the right place. But I was curious if you have
been running any of the profilers like .Net Memory Profiler or Application
profiler against your app. I have done this wit several apps and was
suprised about lingering references.

[Peter Duniho]

"JerryK" > wrote in message
...
> I agree this is probably not the right place. But I was curious if you
have
> been running any of the profilers like .Net Memory Profiler or Application
> profiler against your app. I have done this wit several apps and was
> suprised about lingering references.

Keep in mind that none of those profilers are 100% accurate. False
positives are a fact of life with them.

[JerryK]

> Keep in mind that none of those profilers are 100% accurate. False
> positives are a fact of life with them.
>
Agreed. But, when you invoke the same object 3 times and the reference
count climbs by 3 that is telling you something.

[Hilton Software]

JerryK wrote:
> I agree this is probably not the right place. But I was curious if you
have
> been running any of the profilers like .Net Memory Profiler or Application
> profiler against your app. I have done this wit several apps and was
> suprised about lingering references.

You probably know this, but... The Garbage Collector (GC) in languages like
C# and Java are optimized to spend as little time as possible freeing
objects. One such optimization is to not free an object unless the memory
it occupies is required; i.e. why spend time freeing 10K worth of objects if
you have 500M free? Therefore, it's almost safe to say that in a VM you
will have unreferenced objects. That is not a leak, the GC will reclaim
that memory if/when if needs to.

FYI: I read the Compact Framework newsgroups everyday and I don't believe I
have seen any leaks as a result of the Microsoft Virtual Machine. As you
mention, memory can be leaked inside a badly written app. WingX is 100%
pure C#, and we are quite confident about its 'long-term' behavior.

Thanks,

Support Team
Hilton Software LLC
Makers of WingX Aviation Software
http://www.hiltonsoftware.com

[Hilton Software]

Hi,

Hilton Software is pleased to announce that Version 1.1.1 is now
downloadable via http://www.hiltonsoftware.com/Download.html. This latest
version builds on the already comprehensive feature set of WingX by adding
Wind Calculations to the route planning. True Course (TC), Wind Correction
Angle (WCA), True Heading (TH), and Magnetic Heading (MH) are now displayed
per leg. In addition, the Average Ground Speed is shown along with the wind
effect; e.g. "0:12 faster". By combining wind information with a current
FAA database of airports, VORs, and NDBs, together with very easy-to-use
popup menus, route planning can be completed in a a matter of seconds.

WingX features currently include comprehensive weight and balance
calculations, sunrise/sunset information for any airport, expiration of
medicals, BFRs, etc, and much more. The Model Database has also been
updated to include numerous gliders. We've also added the Piper Tomahawk
and others to the growing list of supported aircraft models.

Try our free demo at http://www.hiltonsoftware.com

Hilton Software LLC
Makers of WingX Aviation Software
http://www.hiltonsoftware.com