Sorry for dragging up a slightly old topic guys, but i have a problem with the trial version. Ive setup the online tab as per instructions but i dont see any ATC online, also the button that has "TFRC" on it is greyed out, is this meant to be like that?

While perhaps not as "Sexy," FS Commander remains a viable alternative and it has served me well since version 7. It is not a full-featured, but it does cover the general purpose of having something like FSNavigator. I messed around with planning a flight for EFB and found that FS Commander was more intuitive.

Well, there are some options to consider when looking for the online station display.First of all, you will need to set up those online settings which point EFB to the sector descriptions. Then you have to activate a route and also activate the online connection.Note the green field at "Online Network".When looking for the traffic display (in the online mode), EFB needs a running instance of your online client, so FSX should run, including a connected SB, FSInn or Ivap.Also make sure to have the traffic display enabled in the Display Unit.For further support questions, feel free to visit http://www.aivlasoft...ewforum.php?f=5 since the forum is open for trial users in full detail too of course and I'm sure that some more competent guy like me can help you there. :(

I messed around with planning a flight for EFB and found that FS Commander was more intuitive.

I think that from the intention, EFB is not a flight planning tool although it offers various ways of injecting a route and also modifying it.But the main purpose is to work with your (already existing) route then, giving you inflight information as needed and tailored to your preferences.While I found FSC to be strong in the planning phase (there is no such thing in EFB), the more modern and straightforward interface of EFB easily gains attraction if you already have a route and now want to fly it, including the planning of SID and STAR, looking at the current weather, using different chart views and so on.So maybe a combination of both programs is the thing to aim for unless you aren't happy with getting your routes via the known and free online source, which are also partially integrated in EFB.If you e. g. fly online and use VatRoute or Route Finder, the routes are already there, through the EFB interface. Just enter your departure and destination and inject them, then modify if needed and activate.If you get your routes on Simroute, just copy over the ATS routing and, again, modify and activate the desired route. Any source offering a route description will be a valid one of course, so things like FlightAware work too.

Thanks very much indeed CoolP! I didnt see the online part on the planning stage, now all works correctly :) Ive signed up at the Aivlasoft forums and awaiting activiation. again thanks very much.

Hi,I have looked at both Aivlasoft and FS Flight Keeper features but it is difficult to see why one is better than the other. Is there a side by side comparison of these 2 products? FS Flight Keeper looks very nice but then again so does Aivlasoft's product.Anyone had experience with both?RegardsBob

I screwed up the name Aivlasoft a few times myself. The easy method for me is to alway think AI, not Al, AI as in Artifical Intelligence, for the first two letters. The rest seem to fall in place.EFB fits in real nice with the rest of these guys.Ray

I have looked at both Aivlasoft and FS Flight Keeper features but it is difficult to see why one is better than the other. Is there a side by side comparison of these 2 products? FS Flight Keeper looks very nice but then again so does Aivlasoft's product.

I think you are talking about Flight Sim Commander and Aivlasoft EFB there, Bob. FS Flight Keeper is another great software, which comes from Thomas Molitor, but hasn't much in common about the purpose of those other two titles.Well, even Flight Sim Commander and Aivlasoft EFB don't have that much in common, although some of their features could be seen as an overlapping set of attributes.Mainly, you will use FSC in the flight planning stage, working out your route and the weather there, maybe thinking about the procedures to use and later downloading some current NAT tracks to build your planned way around them for example.While inflight it will give you some more "static" moving map and offers additions like a GPS panel (which I've never used though). I wouldn't do the product justice if I'd say that this is all, but you may get the impression about it being some soft for your pre-flight planning, where it is great, while still being useful when actually flying, but offering a completely different character there when compared to EFB.Now EFB is free of that pre-flight phase, so to speak. It doesn't offer a "generate route" button, but you can fill it with nearly any external route description available. So if you do your VFR stuff in Plan-G or if you download some company routes from FlightAware, or if a friend gives you some nice description to try, EFB can process them all. Modifying also isn't a problem at all then.The route will then be displayed on a chart-like view (check the screenshots on the site), being equal to some approach or departure views on e. g. Jeppesen charts while the enroute charts represent some own format, but a very usable one. The big advantage arising from this on demand chart generation is the flexibility and also speed if offers, when you are looking for that approach at this location or just want to check all northbound departures and so on.Click your wish and EFB generates the desired view.You don't have to buy charts or search pdf files, you just get them displayed in EFB as the program itself calculates them by using current nav data.If you don't need current nav data (which comes at small costs from Navigraph) you can use the one coming with the product itself, which is current enough to stay ahead of offline flying. Your preference decides, mine did choose Navigraph updates.You will see some information being available in a Flight Information Panel (for e. g. planing your descent), you can check airport data, see some online frequencies from Vatsim and IVAO and get your whole flight sim world rendered on a real-time map, being customizable and clear in it's drawing style.The interface is touch-friendly (there also is a special touch mode included) and clear, but may eat a bit more of your RAM when running on the same machine as FSX. This comes from the DotNet basis of EFB, but using a second computer is easy and doesn't need any additional software to run out of the box (which is a big pro when looking at FSC, which needs some more payware to run over the LAN).I think the best way to explore the different aims and characters of both programs would be to make use of their trial options. Both do offer them, just go to their dev's sites and download the software there. Links are at the top of this post.I think that both are time limited only (at least EFB is, so full feature set available to test), which is a great opportunity for future customers of course.Ray did some review about EFB which also covers the planning aspect and offers quite some pictures and explanations to enjoy. Find it here. http://www.avsim.com...Combo/MD11.htmlYou will find many reviews covering FSC of course, as it is available since quite some time and only got lifted from version to version, while e. g. staying with the older looking (and sometimes behaving) interface.You've may read some bias in my descriptions which comes from the fact that I always use EFB, sometimes use FSC + EFB and never use FSC alone anymore since I've bought EFB (which won't look cheap on the first view, but later did for me because of the high value).Even when doing some VFR (with the planning in the great freeware Plan-G), EFB runs in the background, giving me some frequencies and sometime charts when e. g. the weather doesn't behave as planned.

I didnt see the online part on the planning stage, now all works correctly :)

Glad to read this. Enjoy. :(

Hi,I have looked at both Aivlasoft and FS Flight Keeper features but it is difficult to see why one is better than the other. Is there a side by side comparison of these 2 products? FS Flight Keeper looks very nice but then again so does Aivlasoft's product.Anyone had experience with both?RegardsBob

EFB:Aivlasoft's EFB is essentially a chart generating program that will also allow you to set up flights with SIDs and STARS, so it is almost like a flight planner in some respects although you do really have to import flight plans into it and then tag on the SIDs and STARs to make life easy. You can also add other details such as aircraft type etc. Having done all the setting up of the flight, you then hit 'Activate' and your flight plan is running. You can then view each chart necessary for your flight, such as the airport diagram, or the SID, en route chart, or approach and STAR. When you view these, your aircraft is overlaid over them and you can display wind data and such to assist in navigating (which is great incidentally). EFB does also have a very good plan export capability too, which is a seriously major plus point for it.EFB is pricey, there is no denying that, but if you can close your eyes when you press that 'buy now' button, you won't be sorry when you open them and see what a great product it is.Flight Keeper:Flight Keeper is a lot more complex with may more features, but it doesn't do everything that EFB will do, although some of it is kind of similar. First up, FK is what its name suggests, a log book that has expanded capabilities a bit like a flight data recorder has, and it will let you record and store all that stuff. It adds some realism by allowing you to add cabin crew sounds and flight attendant announcement and such to enhance your flight sim realism. You can tweak the FS database it reads to add other capabilities to it, and there are lot of options for that. It will read your flight plan and track it as you fly in a manner similar to EFB too. Perhaps the most fun thing it offers is the ACARS gauge, for which there is a little utility which will automatically add it as a pop up panel to any FS9 or FSX aircraft, although it is also possible to fit it in a VC manually if you wish.The Flight Keeper ACARS is definitely worth having if you make airline flights as it has so many features that are a godsend for flying IFR, and it is something that FMCs in even posh add-on airliners don't include. First up it gives you a moving map, which is similar to the EFB charts in many ways, since it will allow you to overlay navaids and such and it displays your route, winds, pressure ETA etc, and it displays the names of towns as you fly over them which is great. It also works as a TCAS, in that it tracks and displays all other FS flights within your radius and alerts you to conflicts. It has a built in keyboard, which you can use via your keyboard or with the mouse. With that keyboard you can access literally dozens of features, for example, you can search for any ICAO airport code or navaid and it will find the data for it and display it on the ACARS screen, so if you want to know which runway is the longest at Heathrow or wherever, what the runway heading and ATC or ILS frequencies are for that airport, then you can find all that out, by simply typing in EGLL. It will also let you search for weather reports en route and at various altitudes, give you ETAs to waypoints on your flight plan etc, etc. In fact if I listed everything it can find for you, I'd be here all night. On top of all this, you can communicate with other pilots via that ACARS, since it works like a real ACARs in that it has a text email capability.Choices:If I had to recommend just one, it would be Flight Keeper, since it is a massive amount of bang for your bucks and I would not fly an airliner in FS without it. There is also the fact that to some extent, you can find charts online that will suffice instead of EFB (albeit not in such a convenient way), but there is nothing else that will do everything FK can do. But really EFB and FK are both great products and it is definitely worth having them both, since they excel at different things and EFB's charts really take some beating, since they are really convenient thing to have and it does help a lot with navigational decisions.Bearing in mind the OP question, Flight Keeper does also best fit the description of being a 'map follower' that one can use from the cockpit, so it would seem to fit the bill better from that standpoint. The fact that it displays town names on that map as you fly along is one of its major plus points, and there are many of those.Al

CoolIP,Hey sorry for not getting back right away but had some biz going on. Hey, very nice of you to spend the time to provide such an informative comparison, Thank you very much. I am leaning towards Aivlasoft as I have had some interesting feedback. It is a pricey litte bugger but I can see the quality and thought that was put into it. Creating on the fly charts must have been a real job to program and it certainly has been well thought out. Thanks again for your nice reply. You are an asset to the community.RegardsBob

I think you are talking about Flight Sim Commander and Aivlasoft EFB there, Bob. FS Flight Keeper is another great software, which comes from Thomas Molitor, but hasn't much in common about the purpose of those other two titles.Well, even Flight Sim Commander and Aivlasoft EFB don't have that much in common, although some of their features could be seen as an overlapping set of attributes.Mainly, you will use FSC in the flight planning stage, working out your route and the weather there, maybe thinking about the procedures to use and later downloading some current NAT tracks to build your planned way around them for example.While inflight it will give you some more "static" moving map and offers additions like a GPS panel (which I've never used though). I wouldn't do the product justice if I'd say that this is all, but you may get the impression about it being some soft for your pre-flight planning, where it is great, while still being useful when actually flying, but offering a completely different character there when compared to EFB.Now EFB is free of that pre-flight phase, so to speak. It doesn't offer a "generate route" button, but you can fill it with nearly any external route description available. So if you do your VFR stuff in Plan-G or if you download some company routes from FlightAware, or if a friend gives you some nice description to try, EFB can process them all. Modifying also isn't a problem at all then.The route will then be displayed on a chart-like view (check the screenshots on the site), being equal to some approach or departure views on e. g. Jeppesen charts while the enroute charts represent some own format, but a very usable one. The big advantage arising from this on demand chart generation is the flexibility and also speed if offers, when you are looking for that approach at this location or just want to check all northbound departures and so on.Click your wish and EFB generates the desired view.You don't have to buy charts or search pdf files, you just get them displayed in EFB as the program itself calculates them by using current nav data.If you don't need current nav data (which comes at small costs from Navigraph) you can use the one coming with the product itself, which is current enough to stay ahead of offline flying. Your preference decides, mine did choose Navigraph updates.You will see some information being available in a Flight Information Panel (for e. g. planing your descent), you can check airport data, see some online frequencies from Vatsim and IVAO and get your whole flight sim world rendered on a real-time map, being customizable and clear in it's drawing style.The interface is touch-friendly (there also is a special touch mode included) and clear, but may eat a bit more of your RAM when running on the same machine as FSX. This comes from the DotNet basis of EFB, but using a second computer is easy and doesn't need any additional software to run out of the box (which is a big pro when looking at FSC, which needs some more payware to run over the LAN).I think the best way to explore the different aims and characters of both programs would be to make use of their trial options. Both do offer them, just go to their dev's sites and download the software there. Links are at the top of this post.I think that both are time limited only (at least EFB is, so full feature set available to test), which is a great opportunity for future customers of course.Ray did some review about EFB which also covers the planning aspect and offers quite some pictures and explanations to enjoy. Find it here. http://www.avsim.com...Combo/MD11.htmlYou will find many reviews covering FSC of course, as it is available since quite some time and only got lifted from version to version, while e. g. staying with the older looking (and sometimes behaving) interface.You've may read some bias in my descriptions which comes from the fact that I always use EFB, sometimes use FSC + EFB and never use FSC alone anymore since I've bought EFB (which won't look cheap on the first view, but later did for me because of the high value).Even when doing some VFR (with the planning in the great freeware Plan-G), EFB runs in the background, giving me some frequencies and sometime charts when e. g. the weather doesn't behave as planned. Glad to read this. Enjoy. :(

Following the great advice given to me both by CoolP and Chock(Alan),I trialled the AivlaSoft EFB extensively until I missed the 'boat' for the special offer that they were offering at the launch of the iFly737NGX,and thus now find it a tad too expensive for me.However,again due thanks to CoolP,I also discovered that my Flight Sim Commander v9,now gives me all the info that I was getting from EFB.For example I can plan a flight;it saves and exports those flightplans to various aircraft's FMCs;it has both departure and arrival airports navaids information,which approach track to take and what altitude to be at to intercept the GS;it creates SIDs and STARs for me to integrate in my flightplan;it gives me options to link to IVAO and VATSim routes,gives me NATs as I tend to fly back and forth across the Atlantic,and above all,which to me is a bonus,it can be linked to the sim to use as a Map Follower.Prior to CoolP's help,I had just only explored FSC to creating a flightplan.I did not know it had so many hidden features.So much as Alan has given the pros and cons of both EFB and Flight Keeper,I for one,will stick to my FSC v9, until such time if ever,EFB makes another 'offer' price.

I for one,will stick to my FSC v9, until such time if ever,EFB makes another 'offer' price.

I wouldn't worry about that, I bet you Aivlasoft will do another celebration special offer when the PMDG 737 comes out, just as they did with the iFly 737. I think they'll probably be aware that the price puts people off when they analyse how many sales that discount got them.Al

I wouldn't worry about that, I bet you Aivlasoft will do another celebration special offer when the PMDG 737 comes out, just as they did with the iFly 737.

This post from the AivlaSoft forum mentions more about the recent sale.Essentially the "celebration" was orignally that EFB had won an award from Simflight, and that iFly offered to promote the sale.So if PMDG offers something to AiviaSoft prior to the launch of the PMDG 737 maybe there will be cause for another celebration.(Or heck, with all the Zürich news coming out, maybe Aerosoft or FSDT could join the parade. Let's all get along. :( )