{"id":4828,"date":"2018-07-01T13:27:41","date_gmt":"2018-07-01T19:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/?p=4828"},"modified":"2023-11-21T13:29:31","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T19:29:31","slug":"aviation-tools-blogging-tools_","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texas-flyer.com\/newblog\/?p=4828","title":{"rendered":"Aviation Tools, Blogging Tools_"},"content":{"rendered":"

July 1, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

I was asked, recently, what aviation “tools” I use, and how I use them to put together my Texas-Flyer blogs.<\/p>\n

I put quotes around “tools” because we’re generally not talking about just physical devices.\u00a0 We are talking about software (although there is always some hardware that needs to run the software, so I’ll talk about that hardware, too.)<\/p>\n

“Aviation tools” and “blog tools” may sound like two different circles in a Venn diagram with almost no intersection, but since I tell stories about my flying, and my primary audience is pilots, then there is some overlap.\u00a0 For example, my ADS-B system could be considered an “aviation tool,” but does it really help me create a Texas-Flyer blog?\u00a0 Well, most of the time, not directly.\u00a0 Indirectly, it certainly helps me stay safe by letting me see and be seen when flying.\u00a0 More directly, I have taken photos of the iPad screen showing how the ADS-B work.\u00a0 But most of the time, it isn’t something that would be both an aviation and a blogging tool.\u00a0 On the other hand, my navigation tools are not just indirectly, but usually directly involved in a blog just due to having information on the flights.<\/p>\n

Fundamentally, after I finish a flight, I want to tell a story about that flight.\u00a0 To tell the story, I need the text, of course, but I also need information about the flight: how I got from point A to point B (and to points C, D, and ???), where I navigated to, when it occurred, why I took the flight, who might have been involved in that flight, and some record of the things I saw and did along the way.\u00a0 The few tools I use provide me with most of that.<\/p>\n

Before I get started enumerating the tools:\u00a0 These are tools — hardware and software — I use now, but I fully admit they may not be the best and\/or only tools for the job.\u00a0 I’m certainly not advocating for any of these tools, and have no relationship with the makers of these tools, except that I use them.\u00a0 I change my tools as I find new ones that are better.\u00a0 You may know of similar tools that are better, and I would love to hear from you!\u00a0 But so far, the tools I’ve found work well and are usually low-cost or free.\u00a0 One more thing:\u00a0 this is not a review, and I’m not going to justify why you should or should not use these products, I only make mention of why I<\/em>\u00a0use the products. You’ll have to make up your own mind.\u00a0 Ok, let’s get started.<\/p>\n

Navigation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Purpose-built navigation devices are going the way of the dot-matrix printer, frankly.\u00a0 That’s not to say that they aren’t a good solution for many aircraft in many environments, but for the small, slow aircraft that I fly, spending a lot of money on a dedicated navigation product is not financially prudent.\u00a0 Instead, there are a number of excellent navigation software programs that run on iPads, Android tablets, Windows tablets, and iPhone\/Android smart-phones.\u00a0 And most of these are much less expensive than dedicated devices — even if you include the cost of the tablet.<\/p>\n

Not only are these software navigation programs less expensive, but updates are common and usually included in the annual subscription.\u00a0 And if you get a better\/faster tablet, then your navigation software will (in theory) run better\/faster.\u00a0 The most popular of these navigation tools (often called generically an EFB, “Electronic Flight Book”) is Foreflight.\u00a0 However, only 95% of everything I want is in the basic package (at $100\/year), but to get the other 5% — the obstruction database — I have to make a huge leap up to the Pro version ($200\/year).\u00a0 So, I looked around and found an excellent alternative that not only works well for me, but is much less expensive\u00a0and<\/em> includes the obstruction database:\u00a0 Adventure Pilot’s iFlyGPS ($70\/year).\u00a0 Yes, there are a few things in the basic Foreflight I don’t get with iFlyGPS, but to me they aren’t critical.\u00a0 I consider the obstruction data to be critical since I fly low a good part of the time.\u00a0 And iFlyGPS works quite well for me and I’m very happy with it.\u00a0 Additionally, it interfaces well with my Stratux, and when I replaced that with a uAvionix echoUAT ADS-B unit, it works well with that too.\u00a0 So, no complaints.\u00a0 Adventure Pilot has been very responsive to my comments, bug reports and improvement suggestions.\u00a0 Is it perfect?\u00a0 Nope, it has some clunky interfaces for some tasks, but it does 100% of what I need, and about 95% of what I want.<\/p>\n

Also, I have it running not just on my iPad, but on my Android smart-phone and on my Windows 10 PC at home.\u00a0 That gives me the ability to use my PC for planning, and the smart-phone — when in flight — as a reliable redundant backup.<\/p>\n

If there is a down-side, it’s simply that it doesn’t do 100% of what I really want, but since there are a couple of other products I use that complement it, I’m not too worried about it.\u00a0 For what I pay, I get a terrific package, so, no complaints!<\/p>\n

I started using iFlyGPS on a new 10.5″ iPad Pro and I loved the size and brightness.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it didn’t really fit on my panel.\u00a0 I struggled with it but finally decided to sell it and get an iPad Mini 4, which fits perfectly!\u00a0 That particular size issue was solved, but the Mini 4 is not as bright, not as fast and, well, it’s smaller.\u00a0 I think I got spoiled.\u00a0 But I’m very happy with how it now fits easily into my panel, and the other lesser features are tolerable.<\/p>\n

Link:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.iflygps.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Sample screen:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Flight recorder<\/strong><\/p>\n

This category is tougher for me.\u00a0 There is a flight recorder in Foreflight, I understand, but I have no experience with it.\u00a0 And even if it works and does everything I want, it still wouldn’t justify the extra expense.\u00a0 Especially because I’ve found two other utilities which do provide just what I want, and both are free!\u00a0 I do still look at flight recorder software that becomes available, but so far I’m happy with these two.<\/p>\n

—\u00a0 CloudAhoy<\/p>\n

CloudAhoy is basically, at its core, a flight recorder.\u00a0 It has a free mode and paid mode.\u00a0 The paid mode is super-cool and has a ton of really excellent features, but I simply can’t justify paying their subscription fee.\u00a0 But I still use their free mode as it works as a really good flight recorder, recording where you are, when you had wheels up, wheels down, destination and distances.\u00a0 So, before each flight, I start the recording function and then rely on it later to give me actual time in the air vs. Hobbs meter time.\u00a0 The free mode of CloudAhoy will also show you a 2-D track (over the ground) of where you flew.\u00a0 (Their paid mode does that in 3-D, which is super-cool.)\u00a0 But for a track, I almost always use Ramblr.\u00a0 If I need a very accurate track, then I use CloudAhoy.\u00a0 CloudAhoy has some faults but most of them are minor.\u00a0 I do have trouble, sometimes, with it knowing which airport I’m at, but that might be because of a poor cell tower signal.\u00a0 (But since it records where you are via GPS, it should remember all that and figure it out later.)\u00a0 Still, it’s a good tool and I use it to help me remember details about my flights so that I can enter them into my paper log book.<\/p>\n

Link:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.cloudahoy.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Sample screeshot:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

— Ramblr<\/p>\n

I’ve used Ramblr for a few years, but until recently I used it only for hiking.\u00a0 As of this moment, I have 211 “trips” in Ramblr and only 47 of them are “flying” trips.\u00a0 In November last year I had a kind of epiphany and realized that when I flew it would record my track on the ground, and other statistics.\u00a0 It makes a nice map, I can add photos and text to make a map and photo-centric story, and I capture the screen from it often to use in my blogs.\u00a0 In some ways — if you use it with pictures — by itself it’s a kind of small blog.\u00a0 But it’s photo-centric versus my story-centric Texas-Flyer blogs.\u00a0 I’ve found that Ramblr will often disagree with CloudAhoy on times, distances, elevations, etc., but it’s all small differences.\u00a0 When there is a conflict, I usually defer to CloudAhoy since it seems to be more accurate for time in the air, and for distances.\u00a0 CloudAhoy’s track is also more accurate.<\/p>\n

Link:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.ramblr.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Sample screenshot:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What else?\u00a0 Well, that is actually it!\u00a0 The rest of my blog is done via the simple WordPress software and a few 3rd party add-on’s.<\/p>\n

As a side note…. I also, for most every flight, will use Glympse.\u00a0 Glympse can tell someone you choose (and who is also running Glympse) exactly where you are.\u00a0 My wife and I use Glympse all the time so that we know where each other are, in case one of us has an issue.\u00a0 Since she cycles a lot, it makes me feel good that I can get to her directly because I’ll know where she is via Glympse.\u00a0 And she likes me to use it when I fly alone, so she will know where\u00a0I<\/em> am.\u00a0 Glympse does need a cell phone connection to work so it’s not always available when I fly (or, for that matter, when she cycles), but generally it does a fair job most of the time.\u00a0 For example, on my flight from Maryland to Texas, Glympse worked for about 90% of the time.<\/p>\n

When I plan to fly cross-country, I also take along a SPOT, which is probably better than an ELT for most situations.\u00a0 Yeah, if I crash into a mountain or have a mid-air collision, it won’t automatically be turned on, but as long as I’m able to press a button, I can activate emergency services anywhere I fly.\u00a0 Plus for non-emergency notifications, I can set it up so my wife and brothers get a text message, showing the time and where I am, when I press the “I’m OK” button.<\/p>\n

Glympse and SPOT are not used for the story telling, but I consider them essential components to safe flying.<\/p>\n

Oh, I almost forgot….<\/p>\n

Photography<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, a core element to my Texas-Flyer blogs are the photos, so having a decent camera is important.\u00a0 I am definitely not going to get into a Nikon vs. Canon debate here, and besides, there are plenty of good cameras that are neither!\u00a0 But due to the vibration of the aircraft as well as the plane moving around — often, quite suddenly — in just about any direction, having a camera with a sensitive chip, allowing high ISOs, and one that permits you to put your shutter speed at 1\/1500 or 1\/2000 (or quicker) is vitally important.\u00a0 It seems no matter how still I try to keep the camera, anything below 1\/1500 is subject to movement blur.\u00a0 This is doubly important when you use a telephoto or zoom lens… and, well, you’ll want to use a telephoto or zoom lens if you’re taking pictures from the plane!<\/p>\n

Also, post-processing of images is almost a necessity.\u00a0 Due to the (usually) great distances between you and your subject, there is a lot of atmosphere (including humidity, dust particles, pollution, etc.) you have to deal with.\u00a0 Having some kind of photo-editing software that let’s you “de-haze” or “clarify” is very important if you want your audience to see and appreciate your photos.\u00a0 I’ve been taking photos for many decades, and I fully realize that even the most modern cameras can’t do as good a job of “seeing” as the human eye.\u00a0 So, the purists who disrespect any kind of editing simply don’t understand:\u00a0 I make changes to the images so that my reader can see what\u00a0I<\/em> saw, not what the camera saw.\u00a0 To do that requires a light but sure hand with editing software.<\/p>\n

I have used many different photo-editing software over the years.\u00a0 I change them frequently as different features become available inside different software.\u00a0 Certainly, I always ensure they have the de-haze\/clarify capability, at the very least.<\/p>\n

How do I know what everything is?<\/strong><\/p>\n

What?\u00a0 You want\u00a0ALL<\/em> my secrets?\u00a0 Well…. ok…\u00a0 the answer is:\u00a0 research.\u00a0\u00a0I’ll give you an example of how I work\u00a0 (note: this ONLY works if you have GPS data on your photos; if you don’t, keep reading as I’ll show you an alternative method below):<\/p>\n

METHOD 1 — use this if you have GPS data on your photo<\/p>\n

Step 1:\u00a0 I take all my photos and I upload them into Google Photos.\u00a0 You’ll see why in a moment.\u00a0 It usually takes a while, so I start it then go do something else.<\/p>\n

Step 2:\u00a0 After they are all uploaded, I start writing my story and when a picture needs to be placed within the flow of the story, I look at it to see if I know what it is.\u00a0 If I take a picture, for example, of the Kemah Boardwalk, I don’t need to look it up.\u00a0 But if I see something while flying, but don’t know what it is… for example:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

then I go to Google Photos and find that photo.\u00a0 Then I click on the “Info” icon (black circle with an “i” in it).\u00a0 Then I see something like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Look in the bottom-right corner and you’ll see part of a map.\u00a0 If you click on that, then Google Maps will open up and show you exactly<\/span> where you were (or where your camera’s GPS thought you were) when you took that picture!\u00a0 Zoom out a little and you can usually figure out what that is.\u00a0 This is how I discovered the\u00a0Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center!\u00a0 And, dear friends, this is one of the many reasons I love flying around, taking pictures…. you never know what you might find!<\/p>\n

Note: I’m only using Google Photos as a research tool.\u00a0 The photos I use in my blogs are post-processed in a photo editor and then imported into my WordPress blog software… I don’t actually use the Google Photo version of the photo in my blog.\u00a0 I could; it would probably be okay most of the time, but I don’t.\u00a0 I prefer to take the original and process it, and use it in my blog.<\/p>\n

METHOD 2 — use this if you don’t have GPS on your camera.<\/p>\n

I mentioned above that Ramblr is a pretty cool tool.\u00a0 Here’s something else about it that I really love:\u00a0 I turn on Ramblr on my phone, I go fly and it records my track.\u00a0 Then, when I get back to my PC, I move the photos on to my PC which I can then upload into my Ramblr “story.”\u00a0 Ramblr will use the date\/time stamp of the photo to figure out where you were when you took the picture!\u00a0 It’s like magic!<\/p>\n

This method\u00a0requires<\/em><\/strong> that your camera date\/time setting be very accurate, so check it every week or so to ensure it’s set correctly.\u00a0 But if it is set correctly, then it’s kind of magical to see Ramblr place your photos right where they were taken.\u00a0 You do have to be careful and tell Ramblr the time zone (and whether you’re in daylight savings or not), but if you get all your ducks in a row, it usually works out great.\u00a0 (And it’s reversable if you mess up.)<\/p>\n

So, if you’ve done all this, then using Ramblr you can figure out where you were when you took a photo.\u00a0 Then, either by zooming in to the spot on the Ramblr map (which is a subset of Google Maps), or, if that doesn’t give you enough detail, you can figure out on Google Maps where you were and then zoom in using the full featured Google Maps to look around for what you are looking for, you can almost always find the object or place.<\/p>\n

It sounds a bit tedious, yes?\u00a0 Well, yep.\u00a0 Research usually is tedious.\u00a0 But I figure my readers appreciate knowing what it is that I’m taking a picture of, but, frankly, I<\/em> like knowing what everything is.\u00a0 Maybe it is tedious, but I enjoy it.\u00a0 It’s kind of a like a game to me, so it’s fun when I figure out what something is that I didn’t know about before.<\/p>\n

What about the rest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The rest of it is just typing up what I want to say, and assembling the text and the photos in a way that makes sense, that creates the story, and letting WordPress do the rest of the compositional magic.\u00a0 I go through many iterations before I finally push the “Publish” button, and try to have someone else read the final draft blog to help me find those terribly simple errors that always seem to secret themselves into my text.<\/p>\n

I hope this helps someone who might be struggling with these same issues.\u00a0 And please note that I reserve the right to come back and make changes that reflect any changes I may make in my configuration.\u00a0 (If I do, I’ll be sure to let you know a change has been made, and what it is.)\u00a0 And, last, if you know of any tools that have been a big help to you in your aviation trials and tribulations, I would love to hear about them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0 If you enjoyed this or any of my other blog entries, I suggest you subscribe to this blog so that you are automatically notified when I make a new entry.\u00a0 Go to the top of this page, and look along the left side for the subscription field.<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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