wrote:
Last year at the Hobbs Region 9 contest the CM used a PC program for
providing driving directions to crews based on GPS coordinates reported
by wayward pilots. Can someone tell me what software that was?

I need to get something like that for me and crew to use (PC based),
with the additional feature that after giving it a latitude/longitude
destination, it will give you driving directions, dynamically, based on
your current GPS position (as opposed to a set of static directions
that end with "Rotsa Ruck").

The laptop based systems work OK if you have space to put the laptop and
don't mess with it while you are driving. Using a keyboard is fiddly,
the screens can be hard to see, but if a passenger is using it, it can
be OK. Some motorhomes have a dash that makes it easy to mount one, but
most cars and trucks don't.

If you want a real car navigation system, something designed for the
task is better. The software is more expensive. I use TomTom Navigator
"4" for USA (tomtom.com - version 5 due out soon), which runs on my
glider's backup Ipaq 2215. The Ipaq mounts on the dash where it's easy
to hear the spoken instructions and the screen is easy to see, and the
touch screen makes interaction simple. It's easy enough to use that my
non-geek wife is willing to use it when she's trying to make the
motorhome arrive at the same strange airport I'm heading for.

It's also very useful while traveling, glider related or not,
particularly around cities and towns. It moves from the car to the
motorhome in a couple minutes.


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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA