No EFS like aivlasoft needed

[kavehmz]

All,

 

Today I bought aivlasoft EFS and charged my navigraph account in hope of increasing my charting and instrumental flights abilities. I had two different experiences with them.

 

I am flying PMDG 737 that is a piece of art in its modelling and specially FMS. Navigraph was very useful specially by its ability to print the chart that let me to have the charts separately and reading them comfortably while flying. It gives kinda of realistic experience. The charts are complete and for me affordable as I don't need many of them. Enroute maps are more expensive but again I need only 2 of them for now.

 

Aivlasoft EFS was disappointment in several ways. It is very unrealistic and by using them I remembered the discussion today in FSBreak about simmers and how unrealistic they are. I some bad combinations of tools that are not helpful are making this impression. Aivlasoft EFS is in this category in my opinion.

 

I think as a simmer one of the joys is to try and make a more realistic environment for myself.

 

I wasted my money on this product. I hope others don't do the same mistake as I did.

[beep]

As one of the many simmers that made "the mistake", I have to admit that I like EFB very much and use it on each and every flight.

I can recommend it to anyone,

 

Jos

 

[kavehmz]

Today http://www.fsbreak.net/ Nick and others were talking they cant even mention they like virtual flights!. :)

 

I personally don't think it is actually harmful to pilots to be virtual pilot too. In situations like using real charts like navigraph how could it be bad?

 

Or playing with procedural stuff in models like PMDG 737.

 

But tools like EFB that have nothing to do with real world or real charts or even real style of reading (reading in paper or tablet) can ruin the style.

 

This is only my opinion. I enjoy trying to make the virtual flying as realistic as possible to its obvious limits. Fortunately it is getting easier now a days with many greats addons available to simmers.

 

Many of us I think are using the old FSX of FS9 because it feels kinda more realistic and educational, otherwise for 3D effects and new technologies both FSX and FS9 are very old and inferior products compares to new MS Flight or some new combat simulations. :)

[Fatback]

I have made many "mistakes" too but the AivlaSoft EFB surely isn't one of them. I use it on every flight as well. To say that it's not real because it's on a computer screen and not on paper or a tablet is kinda picky IMHO, but we all have different tastes. I really enjoy using it and now would be lost without it, pun intended lol.

[Pete Dowson]

But tools like EFB that have nothing to do with real world or real charts or even real style of reading (reading in paper or tablet) can ruin the style.

 

I think your knowledge of real world practices is a little behind the times. Take a look sometimes at the more expensive EFB packages which more and more real pilots use on a regular basis. The Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck for iPad, for example, would be a dream to use in a simulator, like real airline pilots do in real airliners, but at thousands of dollars per year, who of us can afford that? The Aivlasoft EFB is good value for what it provides, believe you me!

 

I can recommend some of the recent cockpit videos where you will often see EFBs being used, and especially the Jeppesen one on an iPad! My favourite for 737NG is the Viking publication "Air Austral B737-800".

 

Regards

Pete

[kavehmz]

I have made many "mistakes" too but the AivlaSoft EFB surely isn't one of them. I use it on every flight as well. To say that it's not real because it's on a computer screen and not on paper or a tablet is kinda picky IMHO, but we all have different tastes. I really enjoy using it and now would be lost without it, pun intended lol.

 

You are true about different taste. :D I dont mean it is waste of money for everyone! It was just about more realistic tools against less realistic tool we can use. Also paper and recently (few airlines) tablets (really recent) are the tools pilots use for planning and entering/correcting data in FMS and we have access to one of them at least. Not only Aivlasoft but also other tools that are too far from reality seems to give us bad habits as real pilots say.

[kavehmz]

I think your knowledge of real world practices is a little behind the times. Take a look sometimes at the more expensive EFB packages which more and more real pilots use on a regular basis. The Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck for iPad, for example, would be a dream to use in a simulator, like real airline pilots do in real airliners, but at thousands of dollars per year, who of us can afford that? The Aivlasoft EFB is good value for what it provides, believe you me!

 

I can recommend some of the recent cockpit videos where you will often see EFBs being used, and especially the Jeppesen one on an iPad! My favourite for 737NG is the Viking publication "Air Austral B737-800".

 

Regards

Pete

 

Pete I want that Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck Too! :D Damn cool and Damn unreachable!

 

But take a look at it in videos. It is basically the Jeppesen charts that we have in navigraph presented in the best way for pilots. The information that pilot must absorb is again the same as real charts. The other EFB I was talking about doesn't give us neither the same layout nor information of the same. It just make us lazy to search a plan auto enter it and then follow exact location of flight in the screen with again limited information.

 

But if we use paper or at least exported real paper in pdf into tablet(our emulation of jepessen app! :D ), find the real flight plan and enter it into FMS. Follow the plan and check it in our cockpit screens (not another application beside FSX) it at-least will be the procedure that real pilot do.

 

I am also writing about some bad habits we as simmer might have and combination of tools that can help. I will post it and then I can explain why I say some tools are actually bad. Some tools "bring knowledge" and some tools are unrealistic with no connection with real-world.

 

Again it is for fun of making it more realistic otherwise as AoA sometime say, just take off and have fun :P

 

PS: About Viking Aviation video I like them! I dont have that particular one but in sample video it shows pilot is reviewing the real charts (we can use navigraph or find it some other sources). It will be replaced in future with tablet that basically show the same chart in a much more convenient way. You have tried yourself for sure, combinations of real charts +enroutes+ a good FMS is amazing and very much near reality (except another 200 details ;) ).

[ajpongress]

Unless you've used real EFB software as a real pilot for an airline, how can you say that Aivlasoft's EFB is less/more realistic then what's used in current aviation?

 

As Pete said many companies offer tablet pc's to their pilots to save on constantly printing paper charts.

It's a lot easier to update a database then it is to update thousands of paper charts every month.

 

I don't use Aivlasoft because it has some limitations I can't get past, but it's still an excellent tool for planning, navigation, and situational awareness.

 

I've always found the challenge of getting readily available gate information for FSX gates. I pull the real gate info off of Flightaware when I plan my flight so I like to stay true to which terminals my VA uses in the real world.

Software like Aivlasoft and FSCommander handle that very well, and so much more.

 

I sure as heck can't afford all the paper/ink printing chart after chart on a monthly basis. My laptop is a godsend to my flight simming acting as my own personal customized EFB....and browsing youtube on those long flights.

[GHarrall]

I use FSKneeboard2 on the iPad......it's great IMHO

[TheDanger]

I have the charts on my iPad in PDF format as downloaded from myairplane.com and Plan-G on my other PC for looking at places geographically. The all-in-one planner/map/charts doesn't interest me.

[brucewtb]

I have to plead guilty too for being an Aivlasoft EFB fan - I use it on every heavy iron flight. I must also admit that after reading and re-reading the OP's posts I still can't quite figure out what on earth he is on about.

 

Bruce

[andrewr]

The A380 is a paperless cockpit.

 

They would have an 'EFB' and I have Aivlasoft's EFB. So not unrealistic at all.

 

Aivlasoft's EFB It is a joy to use with FSX on an IFR flight. It helped me visually understand IFR flights, SIDs and STARs.

 

It is not a waste of money and is a great resource, if you know how to use it OP.

[CoolP]

I wasted my money on this product. I hope others don't do the same mistake as I did.

While I can't judge your preferences when it comes to some 'simconstances', I wanted to add that Aivlasoft's EFB is one of the few software packages around which allows for a 30 day full feature test. No regulations and limits of any kind, you even cause web traffic for the dev when using the online feature.

 

So that's the point where I think this 'warning' of yours comes in a bit too harsh.

 

For me, the software allows for EFB-like procedure views and planning for the price of the software itself and some Navigraph subscription to stay current. Compared to the Jeppesen rw coverage, which surely adds some more detail, we are running cheap with our flying game.

 

And of course we are running a sim only solution. Where's the news? The first unrealistic thing I do when wanting to 'fly' is to double click some exe file. Don't know about others, but rw flying happens in real planes and I guess that even some rw pilots are happy to 'just start the sim' at times.

 

As seen, others know about some alternatives for viewing charts and perhaps you'd like to try those too. Just make sure to really use the testing period before buying, that's what it's for. No warnings needed, but reports on the pros and cons are always welcome I guess.

[Andydigital]

The OP probably has an ulterior motive for some reason, why else sign up to AVSIM and make your very first post about not liking a product. CoolP just beat me to it but its so true there is a 30 day fully functioning demo there is no excuse to waste your money.

[deetee]

+1 for Aivlasoft EFB

A great visual flight plan tool for which saves having to print out or download individual charts and connects to FSX acting as a moving map.