iPhone apps for paragliding

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:01 pm

Hiya ,

I ve just joined the ranks of the middle classes and bought an iPhone.

I ve searched in vain for apps for paragliding except for the wind meter. I thought the gps facility might be able to log a flight and upload to the xc league from the phone. Most gps apps seem like toys though. Apart from that I can browse the forum and xcweather.
Battery life is crap though.

Bradleisure · Post by **Bradleisure** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:08 pm

MotionX GPS (don't think it will do a GStamp) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIPNuf6wB8Y

Aeroweather. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA8nkkQRlQA

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:50 pm

Cheers tony!

bdoub · Post by **bdoub** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:39 pm

In one of the XC magazines there was a short article about someone developing software for the iphone specificly for paragliding. They had links to download the software and needed testers, but I can't remember which issue.

brian day · Post by **brian day** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:16 pm

Welcome to the world of the privalidge. Proweather seems good as does the anemometer even if it's just good for an argument! Magic has a ggod app as does Oakley for the real sport. Try the g metre, not sure it'll help you find the g spot but it'll tell you how dizzy you get! The gps is always good to help on the walk out. Lots of weather apps s well. For the absolute low down ask Colin, he's the expert.

Post by **colin keightley** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:20 pm

Thats chapman not me before i get inundated

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:27 pm

I know colin was raving about the iPhone ages back. Not seen him since fly in and in not on the forum much these days. He seemed to have gps and ability to send an IFC straight to xc league from the phone. Amazing! I ve just the motion x lite and A few other things. The anomometer is fairly accurate but averages too much. A great bit of kit

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:58 am

The Atomic Fart app is great fun!!!
Cheers
Mike

Sergey · Post by **Sergey** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:14 pm

Not quite an iPhone, but:

I've got an Android phone (aka google phone) and can develop apps for it.

Mine is HTC Magic, got GPS, 3 axis accelerometer and magnetic sensor, and lots of other goodies. Other android phones seem to have GPS too.

What would we like it to do?

For starters, one could launch a background app before take off, have it listen to accelerometers, detect when the phone gets completely still (e.g. you've crashed and don't move, or you're derigging and your harness lies there with the phone in it). It then switches on GPS receiver and begins crying with alarm, and if you haven't pressed a button in a minute - texts your coordinates to an emergency/retrieve number.

Having GPS on during the whole flight would drain the battery quite quickly, so airspace display and proximity warning, and thermalling drift detection can probably be done on demand, for limited period of time.

Also, I wonder how many pilots have this kind of phone to make the app development worthwhile?

bdoub · Post by **bdoub** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:13 pm

I have an O2 XDA with GPS and I have memory map loaded on it which I have used to track a few of my flights. I always fly with my Garmin as well. The O2 GPS doesn't take readings very often and I can't adjust it, so would never use it in a competition.

The memory map software seems to be OK, but I have found that if the map is over 4 mb it won't load properly into the memory of a PDA. Memory map is aware of the problem.

I have also downloaded XCsoar http://www.xcsoar.org/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page but haven't installed it. the developer wants testers.

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:21 pm

Looks like there is loads of apps about. I ve got motion x and another cockpit sim app. Just trying to get my head round wahat those can do for me.

bdoub · Post by **bdoub** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 4:38 pm

Here's another iphone app I found that does that was developed for runners, but looks pretty interesting: http://www.newbalance.com/iphone/totalfit/

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:41 am

There is an app that's been developed for the iPhone called ivariometer.

The ivariometer looks like it could be useful once fully developed. It's £5.99 at present but the developer just hasn't got the vario section right. He hasn't done a decent demo on YouTube yet. There is a video but it's crap!

With the accelerometers and gps ( gps receivers don't have great accuracy on the iPhone ) it could be a nice weight saving solution for paragliding. Phone, vario and gps in one unit. I used motion x with google maps and was impressed with the tracking and ease of use on a short flight today. The gps even worked in my pocket which my garmin would never do.

Hope this ksoft guy gets ivariometer sorted! It's on the apps store if you want a look.

Dave Hume · Post by **Dave Hume** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:04 am

GlennP wrote:There is an app that's been developed for the iPhone called ivariometer.

I'm assuming the variometer must use GPS derived altitude information to assess your vertical speed, unless Apple thoughtfully put a secret pressure transducer in when they designed the iphone. So I wouldn't have thought it would be that sensitive as a vario. Handy if you forget your proper vario I suppose.

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:31 am

Eeee you old hangies. It s 1980 every day!

The iPhone has accelerometers to determine changes in motion and this is what the vario section uses. The gps rarely has an accuracy of >50ft so there no chance they could use that for vario function.

I ve got anaccelareometer readout on another app which is suprisingly good. They hopefully will get the vario sorted.

ron freeman · Post by **ron freeman** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 12:50 pm

Eeee old hangies...

Don't forget the hangies will alway be in credit for showing everyone else our beautiful sites and how to fly them safely..

Nothing can replace experience Glen

milleboy · Post by **milleboy** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:13 pm

Glenn P.

At the risk of looking like a fool.....

How the the acceleraometer work as a vario? If you are climbing at a steady rate, say 1mps, then an accerometer would read zero? It will only measure the change in climb or sink?

Or am I missing something? (I am a techno retart btw so simple non techy sentenses please)

Misk · Post by **Misk** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:22 pm

Steve, didn't you used to fly hang gliders?

Post by **chrisfozz** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:52 pm

I used to fly hang gliders and can’t see this thing working either – what happens in spiral dive?
Although, if someone develops a pressure sensor you can plug in and some software to go with it; there are already a few devices available for plug into an iphone

Dave Hume · Post by **Dave Hume** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:09 pm

GlennP wrote:Eeee you old hangies. It s 1980 every day!

The iPhone has accelerometers to determine changes in motion and this is what the vario section uses. The gps rarely has an accuracy of >50ft so there no chance they could use that for vario function.

I ve got anaccelareometer readout on another app which is suprisingly good. They hopefully will get the vario sorted.

I may be an old stick in the mud Glenn but I'm still very sceptical that an accelerometer can work anything like as accurately as the pressure transducers used in a normal vario. However there are no doubt still some old time members bemoaning the fact that nothing works as well as the old flask vario......

Fingers · Post by **Fingers** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:24 pm

It is great to see this pro GPS, four years ago most in here would rather be seen masturbating in the last window of the Fenwicks Christmas display than caught using a "GPS"

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:30 pm

Don't know which post you re replying to there ron. Can't remember any of the old hangies being out on the hill and ever giving me a site brief let alone actually knowing anything about paragliding or how to fly one.

Back to the accelerometer issue. Do a google or wiki for INS that was pre sat nav for boeings to cross the Atlantic. It contained a number of accelerometers integrated to provide a position reference.

Do you listen to a vario when in a spiral dive? Does that matter? Is it relevant? An accelerometer WILL give a Reading anyway.

If you go up at 1m/s for 10seconds you with be 10m higher than you were before you started and integrated with your start position and other accelerations you can calculate on a suitable device your position. When you go up and or back and forth you are subject to an acceleration. The barometer in a vario measures the acceleration as a secondary effect of a change in pressure with height. Your vario with give false readings on the ground with gusts / thermals coming through whereas an INS type instrument will not.

Seat of the pants flying without instruments is EXACTLY the same. You are feeling accelerations NOT pressure changes.

Anyway how many hangies does it take to program a gps? Ten! 9 to talk about the good old days and one to call a paraglider for advice.

Post by **colin keightley** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:38 pm

I think the point of a spiral dive is a lot of people like to know what there max decent was in the spiral and the possible issues are you are pulling G's in a spiral which would probably confuse the accelerometer, and ronnies point was some of the site were pre paragliding so you may not have had them if it wernt for hangliding

milleboy · Post by **milleboy** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:01 am

Glenn

If you are escaping from cloud in a spiral then yes, you do listen to your vario!

I remain unconvinced that a accelorometer will be as good as a pressure vario! Sorry

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:21 am

The question is ...........does any of you have an iPhone?

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:04 am

Based on what science will this device not work?

It'll get confused in a spiral? What? Accelerometer based nav systems put men on the moon and deep space probes out of Uranus and they supposedly can't take the Gs of a poxy spiral dive.

The lis302sensor can measure to +\- 8g On 3 axes. I m sure you won't be sat listening to your vario at -/+8g or sat at home monitoring your flight after such a manoevre.

Bradleisure · Post by **Bradleisure** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:30 am

Imagine the accuracy of the iPhone as a location device if someone could get their head round the programming to combine both of these!

Anyone know if anything like this exists?

GlennP · Post by **GlennP** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:37 am

But that techie stuff aside the most interesting aspects of this is where it would leave the current paraglider/hangie vario/gps market if the developers got the accelerometers sorted or another company made a plug in for the phone as chris says?

For less than £10 you could have phone, Internet, gps and a vario telling you exactly how many Gs you pulled in your crazy spiral and you could load it all up to the xc league from the phone and view your flight on google earth in 3d within minutes. You can even monitor ATC via 3g.

Why would anyone buy an overpriced vario/gps unit?

milleboy · Post by **milleboy** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:21 pm

Unless someone developes a plug in pressure sensor it simply won't work a a very good vatio. Better than nothing, and perhaps interesting for the future, but I don't think Flytec,Brauniger, Aircotec etc will be losing much sleep about it

Post by **chrisfozz** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:53 pm

From an accelerometer to an inertial guidance system is only a small step through the posts on this thread.
But it’s a giant leap for Muppetry.

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iPhone apps for paragliding

iPhone apps for paragliding

Apps

Apps

Appy days

Ivariometer

Re: Ivariometer

Behind the curve

Old hanggies

phones

Re: Behind the curve

Apps

Apps

Apps

Pps

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