Flight Planning software

[PA28Rdrvr]

Greetings, I would like to find out which flight planning software is
preferred by readers of this group. I currently use Destination Direct but
need an update. I have been considering switching to Flightsoft. What
would you recommend? I always file IFR when going CC so I use the planner
for that feature 99% of the time. Thanks.

[Peter R.]

PA28Rdrvr ) wrote:

> Greetings, I would like to find out which flight planning software is
> preferred by readers of this group. I currently use Destination Direct but
> need an update. I have been considering switching to Flightsoft. What
> would you recommend? I always file IFR when going CC so I use the planner
> for that feature 99% of the time. Thanks.

I prefer Aeroplanner and have been a premium subscriber now for a little
over one year. They are about to release a much-needed improvement to
their flight planner, complete with auto top of climb and begin of descent
calculated waypoints and a flight planner that allows the pilot to specify
what airspaces to avoid.



--
Peter

[Ross Richardson]

I use CSC (DynCorp) DUATS. I have my airplane profiled in DUATS and it
seems to be darn accurate. Not fancy, but it works.

Ross

PA28Rdrvr wrote:
>
> Greetings, I would like to find out which flight planning software is
> preferred by readers of this group. I currently use Destination Direct but
> need an update. I have been considering switching to Flightsoft. What
> would you recommend? I always file IFR when going CC so I use the planner
> for that feature 99% of the time. Thanks.

[ArtP]

On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 11:42:17 -0500, Ross Richardson >
wrote:

>I use CSC (DynCorp) DUATS. I have my airplane profiled in DUATS and it
>seems to be darn accurate. Not fancy, but it works.

Me too. Except that I also run the flight path through AreoPlanner.com
to make sure I have avoided any restricted areas and MOAs. This is
critical anytime I go VFR. If I go IFR I would be routed around any
hot areas, but I find if I chose a path that avoids them initially, it
is not that much longer and the chances of having a routing change in
flight are much less.

[Mark Manes]

Matthew,

I've been using FliteSoft Pro for 4 or 5 yrs. I have considered trying
some others, mainly FlightStar, but FliteSoft does everything I need it to
do and does it well. Support is great, I get IFR and VFR current Charts and
Approach Plates to print off if I need them, all for
$110/year(approximatley). I even have Express on my PDA. I use Anywhere WX
enroute on the Ipaq but use Express for flight planning when I'm not at
home. Express will dial duats from a CF modem and do the flight planning
just like FliteSoft. If you have any specific questions in mind email me
and I'll try to answer them.

Mark Manes
T310Q - N28409
WC5I


"Matthew P. Cummings" > wrote in message
ray.net...
> On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 01:34:43 +0000, PA28Rdrvr wrote:
>
> > Greetings, I would like to find out which flight planning software is
> > preferred by readers of this group. I currently use Destination Direct
but
> > need an update. I have been considering switching to Flightsoft. What
>
> If I was to suggest a software program to take the place of yours, then
> the only thing in the running would be Jeppesen's Flightstar IFR. The
> weather overlays are much nicer than any of the packages you have, but the
> downside is the cost of updates.
>


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.507 / Virus Database: 304 - Release Date: 8/4/2003

[Stan Gosnell]

"PA28Rdrvr" > wrote in

t:

> Greetings, I would like to find out which flight planning
> software is preferred by readers of this group. I
> currently use Destination Direct but need an update. I
> have been considering switching to Flightsoft. What would
> you recommend? I always file IFR when going CC so I use
> the planner for that feature 99% of the time. Thanks.

The only PC software I've tried is Flitesoft, & I like it. I've
flown 5 hour+ multiple-stop round robin trips, & the actual
flight time was within 5 minutes of the time Flitesoft
predicted. You do need to get accurate performance information
into it, as well as reasonably accurate winds.

I use Copilot and Flyby Nav Pro for Palm for flight planning
most of the time.

--
Regards,

Stan

[Matthew P. Cummings]

On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 12:42:49 +0000, Mark Manes wrote:

> I've been using FliteSoft Pro for 4 or 5 yrs. I have considered trying
> some others, mainly FlightStar, but FliteSoft does everything I need it to

I played with Flightsoft, Flightstar, Destination Direct, DigAV, and
another one that I can't quite remember the name of, the author posts in
the rec.aviation.* newsgroups about it. I am so close to remembering what
it's name is, but I can't get it. It's cheap compared to the others, has
most of their features, but I don't like it's interface. It does work
fine though.

They all deliver a product that can tell you how to get from a to b and
give you accurate times in doing so. What I believe seperates them is how
they display weather information. At the top of the heap is DigAV (now
discontinued) and FlightStar. Next would be FlightSoft and the rest
meander in follow the leader format. No Earth shaking differences once
you get past the Flightsoft/Flightstar level.

I have used the online planning software and it's nice, has some nice
features, but the drawback is they are sometimes very slow to load, and a
pain to update a complex flight plan.

The next software I buy will be Jeppesen's Flightstar because it's weather
graphics are lightyears ahead of any of the others, plus it's vector
charts are very nice in the amount of topographic data they display. You
can't go wrong with the newest version of Flightstar which is due to come
out soon, demo'd at Airventure.