Why all these worries with a company offering a navdata service ?

Only thing I could complain about might be the price, since for 100€ /yr I also get the charts service with Navigraph, which I particularly use extensively, as well as SimBrief updates which in my case are important since that's the only flight planner I use...but if one does not need the charts, and is looking for a Navdata only feed, then this looks ok to me ?

I do regret though having purchased a 1 yr subscription of AVIAPLANNER... That was a disaster because soon after they had problems and kind of discontinued their service 😕

A quick search of Google reviews, due diligence. A few 1-star reviews and a couple of concerning reviews. No context either, which makes it more intriguing. Hence, the reason I am always sceptical about doing business with Turkey. I have operated a business for many years, and I have learned through experience which countries require immediate due diligence. PS Italy is not one of them 🙂 

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=e948bafec9f39f8c&rls=en&sxsrf=AE3TifMgtl0BEnVMttbaRO5LtgWQ38Orlg:1753779676628&si=AMgyJEtREmoPL4P1I5IDCfuA8gybfVI2d5Uj7QMwYCZHKDZ-ExFOIieX2AOlcea6VFl_m9178NqwQM26x4SAO0xBYINNkiBgdVTtT6i5bYMX6B9kiUJNQpQxjHrMB13jEX_CVvrpODUJJFJTw4mILEc2Ye0K5HUMfw%3D%3D&q=Keyvan+Havacılık+A.Ş.+Reviews&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwif7Y612uGOAxXvYEEAHWqDOOEQ0bkNegQIIBAE&biw=1470&bih=766&dpr=2

4 hours ago, Ianrivaldosmith said:

Hence, the reason I am always sceptical about doing business with Turkey.

But you don't necessarily have to do business between your company and Turkey. 🙂
It's just a matter of paying $30 to buy an add-on for xPlane, and nothing else.

When I bought the iFly 737, I didn't start a business with an unknown Chinese company by investing large amounts of capital.
I simply used a prepaid credit card (they're "disposable" cards, loaded with a small amount of money, say $100), and I used that card to pay for iFly for FS9.
Let's assume that iFly was a "scam" company. 🤞 The only harm they could have done to me would have been not delivering the product I'd purchased, but they couldn't steal any more money from me because the card, once it exceeded the limit I'd loaded, was no longer worth anything.

But beyond all this, there's this thought that's running through my mind: IF this Turkish company is "unreliable", how can it be a member of other major (reliable) aviation companies around the world?
And how would all these companies around the world (which use Keyvan Aviation's products/services) do business with the Turkish company?
How would payments be made between all these companies, and Keyvan?
Do they put the money in a paper envelope 📩 that will be delivered by the postman,.. or do they all pay only in cash 💰 for fear of giving their credit card number to a Turkish company?

2 hours ago, efis007 said:

But beyond all this, there's this thought that's running through my mind: IF this Turkish company is "unreliable", how can it be a member of other major (reliable) aviation companies around the world?

Assuming, of course, that is true... 

2 hours ago, efis007 said:

Let's assume that iFly was a "scam" company. 🤞 The only harm they could have done to me

Pull the ladder up. Only harm to you. What if 10000-20000 people each paid 35? That would make these hypothetical scammers extremely rich, and who knows what they use that money for! 

16 hours ago, efis007 said:

However, I have a question: if it is a company that "cannot be trusted", how can it be a member of reputable aviation organizations around the world? (ACI, Eurocae, NBAA, IATA, etc.) 
https://keyvan.aero/about-company/

In other words, are we assuming that the entire aviation industry doesn't trust dealing with Keyvan Aviation only because... they're Turkish?
They may be Turkish, but if they work for aviation companies around the world, it means they're reputable. 

Hi,

So are you saying that a company can't make up a bogus about page filled with nonsense? Did you go outside the web site to find independent reviews or customer feedback?

7 hours ago, Ianrivaldosmith said:

 

A quick search of Google reviews, due diligence. A few 1-star reviews and a couple of concerning reviews. No context either, which makes it more intriguing. Hence, the reason I am always sceptical about doing business with Turkey. I have operated a business for many years, and I have learned through experience which countries require immediate due diligence. PS Italy is not one of them 🙂 

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=e948bafec9f39f8c&rls=en&sxsrf=AE3TifMgtl0BEnVMttbaRO5LtgWQ38Orlg:1753779676628&si=AMgyJEtREmoPL4P1I5IDCfuA8gybfVI2d5Uj7QMwYCZHKDZ-ExFOIieX2AOlcea6VFl_m9178NqwQM26x4SAO0xBYINNkiBgdVTtT6i5bYMX6B9kiUJNQpQxjHrMB13jEX_CVvrpODUJJFJTw4mILEc2Ye0K5HUMfw%3D%3D&q=Keyvan+Havacılık+A.Ş.+Reviews&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwif7Y612uGOAxXvYEEAHWqDOOEQ0bkNegQIIBAE&biw=1470&bih=766&dpr=2

Yeah, I would never use an about page created by the same company to do my investigation.

2 hours ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

So are you saying that a company can't make up a bogus about page filled with nonsense? Did you go outside the web site to find independent reviews or customer feedback?

Yes sir, I found something on the net, for example two European companies that produce flight simulators.

https://www.aviongroup.aero/news/mou-signed-between-keyvan-aviation-and-avion

https://simnest.com/articles/keyvan_and_simnest_forge_a_strong_data_partnership

And then... for the sake of argument... it's certainly not my intention to advertise that company or convince anyone that it's honest. 
I don't know that company at all, so I know as much about it as you do, which is to say, nothing. 😄

 

Edited July 29, 2025Jul 29 by efis007

3 hours ago, efis007 said:

And then... for the sake of argument... it's certainly not my intention to advertise that company or convince anyone that it's honest. 
I don't know that company at all, so I know as much about it as you do, which is to say, nothing. 😄

 

Exactly my point, why would I give my credit card information to a company that I know nothing about, in an area that is notorious for shady dealings? Here we have a professional web site that contains simple spelling errors, that's a big red flag for me! If that's not a red flag for you, that's your prerogative. 

Edited July 29, 2025Jul 29 by Mike_CFII_MEL

Keyvan's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keyvan-aviation

Simmarket also offers the nav data, albeit at twice the price (due to commissions and tax?): https://secure.simmarket.com/keyvan-havacilik-a.s.-(keyvan-aviation)-navigation-database-for-x-plane.phtml

 

Their privacy and returns & cancellations policies and terms of service can be read on their website.

This bit in the privacy policy has me scratching my head:

Quote

We may share your email address with third-party service providers who assist in providing our services, such as email marketing platforms.

@SIMDATA_Team Can you be a bit more specific on this, please? Which e-mail marketing platforms in particular?

And apologies for the scrutiny. I know Turkiye is an emerging player in global aerospace market, so having a navdata provider hail from there is only logical and I personally have little doubt in your credentials. It's just that having a new entrant in the simulator nav data field who offers data sets at a fraction of the price of the competition is too good to be true.

Edited July 29, 2025Jul 29 by Bjoern

5 hours ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

why would I give my credit card information to a company that I know nothing about, in an area that is notorious for shady dealings?

Mike, you shouldn't ask me those questions. 😊
As I've already said, I'm not interested in updating my Airacs, much less in acting as an "advocate" for companies I don't know.

However, it seems extremely strange to me that European companies that produce these wonderful toys ( https://www.aviongroup.aero/ftc ) would rely on a company considered (by you) potentially suspicious or fake simply because it's in Turkey. 🤔

I remind you again that when I bought the iFly 737 (paid almost $100), I trusted an unknown Chinese company, which appeared out of nowhere in the FS9 simulator market, whose existence no one knew about, much less its reliability.
I paid for the iFly737 as I always do when I make online purchases, that is, ALWAYS using a disposable prepaid card that is thrown in the trash after purchase. 🗑️🚮
I NEVER use my official credit card, not even if I were to buy a PMDG or a Toliss!!
Over the years, I've purchased other add-ons from dubious or emerging companies in the same way... I've bought airports from Russia, scenery from Yugoslavia, airplanes from who knows where... and many other things (especially for FS9).
I always paid with the disposable card, downloaded my product, and that was the end of the transaction.
I've never had any problems with anyone anywhere in the world.

Anyway, back to us, if I wanted to clear up some doubts, do you know what I'd do?
I would write directly to Aviongroup and Simnest (the European companies that produce simulators I linked to).....

"Dear administrators of Aviongroup and Simnest, a question please: I've learned about a Turkish company called Keyvan Aviation, and I learned from your official websites that you've started a business partnership with them.
Are you satisfied with your partnership with Keyvan?
Is it a reliable and serious company, or is it a fake company that advertises and sells fake products?
Did they cause you problems?
Did they steal your money?
Did they defraud you in some way?"

....and I'll listen to their response!
Based on what they say, I'll be able to form a more reliable opinion. 🤷‍♂️

Edited July 30, 2025Jul 30 by efis007

On 7/28/2025 at 10:33 PM, Bjoern said:

@SIMDATA_Team 

• Are the updates performed exclusively with your control panel or can I download an AIRAC cycle separately from your homepage (I use Linux, so I do not know if your control panel will work)?
• Are there any plans to provide the nav data in formats for plugins (such as specific FMCs) or external software (such as LittleNavMap) that are relevant to X-Plane?

Hi, 🙂

You will receive a control panel after your subscription, enabling you to log in and download your data every cycle. The software will update your X-PLANE automatically

And good news is that we're in negotiation to extent our product and soon will announce our new capabilities. 

thanks for your support. 

17 hours ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

Hi,

So are you saying that a company can't make up a bogus about page filled with nonsense? Did you go outside the web site to find independent reviews or customer feedback?

sir,

to be ensure about our company you can check our certificates here Quality - KEYVAN Aviation | Approved Aviation Data.

and you can check and verify their originality with issuing authorities. 

also, you can follow our page on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/keyvanaviation/ to see our events and airshows that we participated.  

Please note that SIMDATA is just one of our products and we support real airlines and flight planning around the worlds.  

13 hours ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

Exactly my point, why would I give my credit card information to a company that I know nothing about, in an area that is notorious for shady dealings? Here we have a professional web site that contains simple spelling errors, that's a big red flag for me! If that's not a red flag for you, that's your prerogative. 

please note that SIMDATA is available on SimMarket, too.  https://secure.simmarket.com/keyvan-havacilik-a.s.-(keyvan-aviation)-navigation-database-for-x-plane.phtml

so you can purchase our product from there.

also, Flight Simulator Association announce our SIMDATA product to its members. 

13 hours ago, Bjoern said:

Keyvan's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keyvan-aviation

Simmarket also offers the nav data, albeit at twice the price (due to commissions and tax?): https://secure.simmarket.com/keyvan-havacilik-a.s.-(keyvan-aviation)-navigation-database-for-x-plane.phtml

 

Their privacy and returns & cancellations policies and terms of service can be read on their website.

This bit in the privacy policy has me scratching my head:

@SIMDATA_Team Can you be a bit more specific on this, please? Which e-mail marketing platforms in particular?

And apologies for the scrutiny. I know Turkiye is an emerging player in global aerospace market, so having a navdata provider hail from there is only logical and I personally have little doubt in your credentials. It's just that having a new entrant in the simulator nav data field who offers data sets at a fraction of the price of the competition is too good to be true.

Thank you for your thoughtful response — and no need to apologize; your scrutiny is both fair and appreciated.

Regarding your question on email marketing platforms: in our previous campaigns, we used tools such as Mailchimp and Sender.net to reach out to simulator users and developers, particularly during our collaboration with the Flight Simulation Association. We're happy to provide any insights or performance metrics from those campaigns if that would help.

As for your comments on the pricing — we understand your hesitation. Our goal isn't to undercut competitors, but rather to make high-quality navdata more accessible, especially to smaller developers, flight sim communities, and educational users. We’ve built our data pipeline in-house with efficiency in mind, which allows us to offer a more competitive price without compromising on ARINC standards, coverage, or update frequency.

We also take pride in representing Turkiye as part of the global aviation data ecosystem.

Thanks again for your consideration and for supporting innovation in this field.