Opening the App
The app is opened by clicking on the icon on your device. For convenience, the app will open to the page you were last on. For example, if you were last viewing METARs for a given set of ICAO stations, the next time you open the app, it will go to the MET page and auto-refresh on those same ICAO identifiers.
Additionally, for Android devices (including Amazon Kindle Fire), you can open the app by clicking on any supported file (".gpx", ".fpl", ".flightplan") on your device's file-system (e.g., on the SDCARD). The app will open on the MAP page with the imported route pre-loaded. A typical usage scenario is to download a route file (in any of the supported formats) from an email attachment, and click on the downloaded file to activate and load the file into iNavCalc. A handy addition to your toolkit when working with the Android file-system is the ES File Explorer app which, amongst other things, enables you to explore various cloud drives (and open iNavCalc from those !)
Main Menu
The Main menu page is the "homepage" of the app, and looks like this:
Click on the desired option in the Main Menu to navigate to the relevant feature "page". Note: whenever you click on a "Coffee Mug" icon, you will be brought back to the Main Main.
The various options available via the Main Menu are described as follows:
The Plan (PLOG etc) page
This is where you can quickly plan your route via the iNavCalc command-line functionality. The page looks like this:
Once you have entered your route in the PLAN COMMAND-STRING dialog, hit the Plan button to receive (via email) comprehensive suite of VFR flight planning reports (.PDF files) including PLOG, METAR & TAFs, NOTAMs, and NAVCOM frequencies computed along the specified route. The email will also contain ".GPX" file and ".FPL" file attachments which you can then load in to any compatible software and/or avionics equipment.
Worked examples on using the iNavCalc command-string can be found via the following links. Note: exactly the same usage instructions are relevant to either the iNavCalc email subject-line or to this mobile-app command-string (hence you may find in the links below references to the email subject-line. Simply replace "email subject-line" with mobile app "command-string" and everything remains relevant).
Clicking the Map button takes you to the Map page described later. Importantly, your specified route will be parsed for correctness before being loaded into the map. This is convenient way of checking that you have entered a valid route in the command-string. You are notified if errors are found during the parsing process.
In the lower half of the Plan page you will find the PLAN PARAMETERS section where you can adjust the many parameters pertaining to the preparation of the navigation calculations. In principle, all the parameters can be set via the command-string (i.e., by typing-in the optional parameter control commands in addition to specifying the route, see the iNavCalc Parameter Reference Document for a detailed description of all parameters). However, the mobile app provides a simpler and quicker graphical user interface (GUI) for setting the parameters. It works as follows:
In the lower half of the Plan page you will find the PLAN PARAMETERS section where you can adjust the many parameters pertaining to the preparation of the navigation calculations. In principle, all the parameters can be set via the command-string (i.e., by typing-in the optional parameter control commands in addition to specifying the route, see the iNavCalc Parameter Reference Document for a detailed description of all parameters). However, the mobile app provides a simpler and quicker graphical user interface (GUI) for setting the parameters. It works as follows:
Use the Toggle button to globally switch the included parameters on and off. When "on" the button turns orange, when off, white. If "on", the next time you hit the Plan button, the settings pertaining to all those included parameters will be automatically applied.
Use the Edit button to choose which parameters to include, and to set the respective desired values of those included. An included parameter is one whose individual button is toggled orange. It is excluded (ignored) if white.
The Map page
As the name suggests, this is where you can edit your route via a (Google) Maps graphical interface. Additionally, from here you can access the Route Edit and Route Share pages (described later). The Map page looks like this (loaded with the example route from the Plan page described earlier):
Quick summary of how to use the main features on the Map page:
- Use the Search dialog (located below-left of map) to look-up a waypoint in the FlyLogical global database. If that lookup is unsuccessful, automatically reverts to a general Google GeoSearch
- Click the Find Me icon (located bottom-right of map page) to determine your current location (requires Location Services to be activated on your device)
- Click on Add-To-Route ("target" icon, located bottom-center of map page) to add a new waypoint from cursor (or search result) location
- Double-click on a waypoint to delete it from the map
- Click on a route leg to insert new waypoint (with rubber-banding)
- Click the Route-Edit button ("road-sign" icon located top-right on the page) to enter the Route Edit page (described below)
- Click the Route-Menu button ("compass" icon located top-center on the page) to enter the Route Selector page where you can load, save, and share to the Cloud (described later)
- Click the Plan button to generate the iNavCalc comprehensive VFR flight planning documents (delivered by email, described in the Plan page description above) for the route currently displayed on the map.
The Route Edit page
This is where you can edit your route via a list of waypoints. The page looks like this (loaded with the example route from the Plan page described earlier):
Quick summary of how to use the main features on the Route Edit page:
- Use the Search dialog (located below-left of waypoints list) to look-up a waypoint in the FlyLogical global database. If that lookup is unsuccessful, automatically reverts to a general Google GeoSearch. After a successful search, you will be asked if you would like to add the newly-found location to your route (or not).
- Click the Find Me icon (located bottom-right of map page) to determine your current location (requires Location Services to be activated on your device). After your location has been successfully determined, you will be asked if you would like to add it to your route (or not).
- The main list on the page contains all the waypoints in the route, ordered from start to finish. If you select a given waypoint (by clicking on its entry in the list), the (relevant) action buttons (located below the list) are activated. These have the following functionality:
- The Edit button opens an edit window where you can change the name and the precise location of the selected waypoint (via the editable Latitude and Longitude dialogs)
- The Delete button allows you to remove the selected waypoint from the route
- The Move Up button allows you to shift the position of the selected waypoint "up" the order in the route (i.e., towards the start). Repeated clicking moves the same waypoint successively further up the list.
- The Move Down button allows you to shift the position of the selected waypoint "down" the order in the route (i.e., towards the finish). Repeated clicking moves the same waypoint successively further down the list.
- The Reverse Route button reverses the order of (all) the waypoints in the route
- Click the Plan button to generate the iNavCalc comprehensive VFR flight planning documents (delivered by email, described in the Plan page description above) for the route currently defined in the list.
- Click the Map button (located top-right on the page) to go back to the Map page (described above). the map will reflect any changes you have made in the Route Edit page.
- Click the Route-Menu button ("compass" icon located top-center on the page) to enter the Route Selector page where you can load, save, and share to the Cloud (described below).
The Route Selector page
This page is accessed via the "compass" icon located top-center of both the Map page and the Route Edit page. The resulting Route Selector page looks like this:
From the menu presented in the Route Selector page you can carry out the following functions:
The list contains all routes available to the (app-login-verified) user according to the selection criteria which can be set as follows:
- New Clear all waypoints from the route and start fresh. Warning: you will lose any unsaved edits.
- Load from Cloud Select and load a route from the FlyLogical database (details below)
- Save to Cloud Save (or Delete) the current route in the FlyLogical database (details below)
- Share Open the Share Route page to access a range of sharing options (details below)
The Load from Cloud page
When Load from Cloud is chosen from the Route Selector page, the following page opens:
The list contains all routes available to the (app-login-verified) user according to the selection criteria which can be set as follows:
- All routes in the FlyLogical database which are available to the user. These include all routes owned by the user, plus all publicly-shared routes, plus any routes privately-shared with the given user by all other iNavCalc registered users
- Only those routes owned by the user plus any routes privately-shared with the given user by all other iNavCalc registered users
- Only those routes owned by the user
The selection criteria are cycled in a round-robin fashion by clicking the "selection group" icon located bottom-left of the page.
For a given selection criteria setting, the resulting route list can be sorted in accordance with either of the following options:
- Name of route, in alphabetical ascending order
- Date of route-creation or last-modified, in descending order (most recent first)
The sort order options are cycled in a round-robin fashion by clicking the "sort order" icon located top-left of the page.
The list contents can be narrowed by typing partial- or full- route name text into the search dialog located above the list.
A given route can be selected from the list by clicking on its entry. Once selected, the route can be loaded by clicking either of the "target" icons located top- or bottom-center of the page. Once loaded, the route will be displayed in either the Map page or the Route Editor page (depending on the page from where the route-load was triggered).
The Save to Cloud page
When Save to Cloud is chosen from the Route Selector page, the following page opens:
This page enables you to carry out the following tasks:
This page enables you to carry out the following tasks:
- Click the Save button to save the current route from your mobile device into the FlyLogical database, overwriting the version already there. This option is only realizable if (i) you have already loaded a route from the FlyLogical database (see Load from Cloud page above); and (ii) you are the owner (i.e., the original creator) of that route (i.e., it has not been merely shared with you by the owner). Otherwise, the Save button will be disabled, and you will only be able to use the New button.
- Click the New button to create a new entry in the FlyLogical database
- Delete the route from FlyLogical database. This is a permanent action and is only realizable if (i) you have already loaded a route from the FlyLogical database (see Load from Cloud page above); and (ii) you are the owner (i.e., the original creator) of that route (i.e., it has not been merely shared with you by the owner). Otherwise, the Delete button will be disabled.
- Toggle the PUBLIC SHARE status of the route. If PUBLIC SHARE is enabled, the route will be available for loading (via the Load from Cloud page) by any registered iNavCalc user. Otherwise, the route will only be available for loading by the following people: (i) you as the owner; and (ii) other users with whom you have privately shared the route (see the Route Share page below).
The Route Share page
When Share is chosen from the Route Selector page, the following page opens:
This page facilitates sharing the route by a variety of means, described as follows:
Sharing your route via Twitter
When Twitter (via #ROUTEVIEW) is chosen from the Route Share page, you are directed to the RouteView page (of the iNavCalc web-app) where the (encoded) route is loaded and prepped for sharing on Twitter (via the Tweet button, as shown in the screenshot below for the same example route from earlier):
The resulting draft Tweet contains a shortened URL with the encoded RouteView link. An introduction to the iNavCalc RouteView functionality can be found here.
Sharing your route via Email
When Email is chosen from the Route Share page, the following page opens:
You can enter one or more (space-separated) email addresses in the dialog, then press Send. Each of the recipients will receive an email containing the RouteView URL (see above), plus a .GPX and an .FPL file attachment (for import to any other compatible software or avionics equipment).
"Like" your route
When Like is chosen from the Route Share page, the following page opens:
By clicking the LIKE button (with an optional message), this allows you to "vote" for the route so it appears on the Cool Routes listing (accessible via the Main Menu page). If the route is already listed in Cool Routes, then further LIKES will increase its ranking (which is determined by Number-of-LIKES multiplied by Number-of-Views). The same action can be effected via the Cool (or Like) button on the RouteView page for the given route.
You can enter one or more (space-separated) email addresses in the dialog, then press Add. This will add these users to the Private Share list for the route (likewise, clicking Remove will remove the specified users from the Private Share list). IMPORTANT: the email addresses specified must be valid email addresses registered with FlyLogical against the respective user accounts.
By adding users to the Private Share list for the route, the given route will then be accessible (via the Load From Cloud page, see earlier) only to you (as the owner) plus those users on the Private Share list. The route will not be editable by the users on the Private Share list (since they are not the owner) -- but they can always choose to copy-and-paste their own (editable) version by saving as New (see earlier).
The whole point of Private Shares is to enable a select group to conveniently share a saved route without having to make it Public.
Alternatively, you may indeed wish to make your route Public such that it becomes accessible to all registered FlyLogical users via the Load from Cloud page (overriding the Private Shares for the given route). You can do so by clicking the Make route Public button.
Note: when a route is Public, if you choose Users from the menu on the Route Share page, you will first be asked if you wish to make the route Private again before being taken to this Modify Shares page (since the Private Shares are inconsequential for a Public route whereby all Private Shares are overridden in any case).
All route share settings are saved in the Cloud (i.e., in the FlyLogical database, in this context) and so, by definition, are equally applicable when accessing the routes via this iNavCalc mobile app as well as via the iNavCalc web-app.
Specify one or more (space-separated) ICAO identifiers and hit Enter (or Return). The latest METARs and TAFs will be retrieved and displayed. Hit the Refresh button (top-center) to update. Your settings will be "remembered" the next time you open the app. That way, you can conveniently get the latest weather update for the same stations as before, just by re-opening the app (if you happen to have closed it in the meantime).
If you optionally select (by checking the checkbox) to Also send an email, you will receive an email with the METARs and TAFs (in a .PDF attachment).
This page has been included in the app because often you wish to enquire about the weather within the general vicinity of your route, but before you have planned your route in any detail. Once you have planned your route in detail, you can obtain a complete METAR & TAF briefing, automatically interpolated along your route, via the Plan button(s) (described earlier). But until that point, you can simply enter some ICAO identifiers on this page to grab the weather.
By clicking the LIKE button (with an optional message), this allows you to "vote" for the route so it appears on the Cool Routes listing (accessible via the Main Menu page). If the route is already listed in Cool Routes, then further LIKES will increase its ranking (which is determined by Number-of-LIKES multiplied by Number-of-Views). The same action can be effected via the Cool (or Like) button on the RouteView page for the given route.
Sharing your route with other registered FlyLogical Users
When Users is chosen from the Route Share page, the following page opens:
You can enter one or more (space-separated) email addresses in the dialog, then press Add. This will add these users to the Private Share list for the route (likewise, clicking Remove will remove the specified users from the Private Share list). IMPORTANT: the email addresses specified must be valid email addresses registered with FlyLogical against the respective user accounts.
By adding users to the Private Share list for the route, the given route will then be accessible (via the Load From Cloud page, see earlier) only to you (as the owner) plus those users on the Private Share list. The route will not be editable by the users on the Private Share list (since they are not the owner) -- but they can always choose to copy-and-paste their own (editable) version by saving as New (see earlier).
The whole point of Private Shares is to enable a select group to conveniently share a saved route without having to make it Public.
Alternatively, you may indeed wish to make your route Public such that it becomes accessible to all registered FlyLogical users via the Load from Cloud page (overriding the Private Shares for the given route). You can do so by clicking the Make route Public button.
Note: when a route is Public, if you choose Users from the menu on the Route Share page, you will first be asked if you wish to make the route Private again before being taken to this Modify Shares page (since the Private Shares are inconsequential for a Public route whereby all Private Shares are overridden in any case).
All route share settings are saved in the Cloud (i.e., in the FlyLogical database, in this context) and so, by definition, are equally applicable when accessing the routes via this iNavCalc mobile app as well as via the iNavCalc web-app.
The MET page
Returning to the description of the Main Menu options, if you select METARs, TAFs, the following page opens:
Specify one or more (space-separated) ICAO identifiers and hit Enter (or Return). The latest METARs and TAFs will be retrieved and displayed. Hit the Refresh button (top-center) to update. Your settings will be "remembered" the next time you open the app. That way, you can conveniently get the latest weather update for the same stations as before, just by re-opening the app (if you happen to have closed it in the meantime).
If you optionally select (by checking the checkbox) to Also send an email, you will receive an email with the METARs and TAFs (in a .PDF attachment).
This page has been included in the app because often you wish to enquire about the weather within the general vicinity of your route, but before you have planned your route in any detail. Once you have planned your route in detail, you can obtain a complete METAR & TAF briefing, automatically interpolated along your route, via the Plan button(s) (described earlier). But until that point, you can simply enter some ICAO identifiers on this page to grab the weather.
The global ICAO lookup page
When on the MET page (or the NOTAMS page, see below), you can activate the ICAO lookup functionality by clicking the "magnifying-glass" icon (top-right). The following page will open:
Enter a full- or partial- string comprising the ICAO identifier, airfield name, or country of interest, and the results will be presented in the list. For example, by entering "dundee", we obtain the ICAO codes for all Dundee airports found in the global database -- in this example, one each in both the UK and South Africa. You can then select any entry from the results list and click the "target" icon (top- and bottom-center) to add the given ICAO identifier to your desired list on the MET page. When you have finished searching and adding, click any of the OK buttons ("tick box" icons) located around the page. You will be returned to the MET page, and the METARs and TAFs will be automatically refreshed to reflect your recently-modified list of ICAO identifiers.
The functionality is wholly analogous to that of the MET page but for NOTAMS (instead of METARs & TAFs). Specify one or more (space-separated) ICAO identifiers and hit Enter (or Return). The latest NOTAMs will be retrieved and displayed. Hit the Refresh button (top-center) to update. Your settings will be "remembered" the next time you open the app. That way, you can conveniently get the latest NOTAMs update for the same stations as before, just by re-opening the app (if you happen to have closed it in the meantime).
If you optionally select (by checking the checkbox) to Also send an email, you will receive an email with the NOTAMs (in a .PDF attachment).
This page has been included in the app because often you wish to enquire about NOTAMs within the general vicinity of your route, but before you have planned your route in any detail. Once you have planned your route in detail, you can obtain a complete NOTAMs briefing, automatically interpolated along your route, via the Plan button(s) (described earlier). But until that point, you can simply enter some ICAO identifiers on this page to grab the NOTAMs.
As with the MET page, the NOTAMs page has a global ICAO lookup feature (described earlier), activated by clicking the "magnifying-glass" icon (top-right).
Enter a full- or partial- string comprising the ICAO identifier, airfield name, or country of interest, and the results will be presented in the list. For example, by entering "dundee", we obtain the ICAO codes for all Dundee airports found in the global database -- in this example, one each in both the UK and South Africa. You can then select any entry from the results list and click the "target" icon (top- and bottom-center) to add the given ICAO identifier to your desired list on the MET page. When you have finished searching and adding, click any of the OK buttons ("tick box" icons) located around the page. You will be returned to the MET page, and the METARs and TAFs will be automatically refreshed to reflect your recently-modified list of ICAO identifiers.
The NOTAMS page
If you select NOTAMs from the Main Menu, the following page opens:
The functionality is wholly analogous to that of the MET page but for NOTAMS (instead of METARs & TAFs). Specify one or more (space-separated) ICAO identifiers and hit Enter (or Return). The latest NOTAMs will be retrieved and displayed. Hit the Refresh button (top-center) to update. Your settings will be "remembered" the next time you open the app. That way, you can conveniently get the latest NOTAMs update for the same stations as before, just by re-opening the app (if you happen to have closed it in the meantime).
If you optionally select (by checking the checkbox) to Also send an email, you will receive an email with the NOTAMs (in a .PDF attachment).
This page has been included in the app because often you wish to enquire about NOTAMs within the general vicinity of your route, but before you have planned your route in any detail. Once you have planned your route in detail, you can obtain a complete NOTAMs briefing, automatically interpolated along your route, via the Plan button(s) (described earlier). But until that point, you can simply enter some ICAO identifiers on this page to grab the NOTAMs.
As with the MET page, the NOTAMs page has a global ICAO lookup feature (described earlier), activated by clicking the "magnifying-glass" icon (top-right).
The Cool Routes page
If you select Cool Routes from the Main Menu, the following page opens:
This is really just a bit of fun. Whenever anyone "LIKES" a route -- via the "Like" option under this mobile app's Route Share menu, described earlier, or via the "Cool" or "Like" button on the RouteView web-page -- the given route is given an entry in the Cool Routes page. The ranking of the Cool Routes is determined by the number of Cool Points the routes have. Cool Points for a given route are computed as the Number-of-LIKES multiplied by the Number-of-Views (via the RouteView web-page).
By selecting a route in the Cool Routes list (by clicking on it), you are given the option of viewing the route in RouteView (thereby increasing its ranking if indeed you choose to view it!)
Note: any route can be voted as a Cool Route: it does not need to be saved to the FlyLogical database. It only needs to have been encoded for RouteView. That can be done be via this mobile app, or via the iNavCalc web-app. If the latter, you don't even need to be a registered user, since non-registered users have access to a subset of features which includes access to RouteView (via the "Route Share" button, see the web-app Users' Guide for details).
The TLB (SQWEEK) page
If you select TLB (SQWEEK) from the Main Menu, the following page opens:
This allows you to SQWEEK your present position to Twitter, as described in detail here.
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