CAPFlightPro2 & CAP Preflight 2.0 now available for iPad - integrates WMIRS 104

[bigfootpilot]

CAPFlightPro2 and CAP Preflight 2.0 were rewritten from the ground up.  In addition to the features you love, they both now integrate with the CAPF104 in WMIRS.  The apps import initial data from WMIRS to get the CAP IDs, Mission Number, and other data and cross reference them with internal databases to fill out the 104 in its entirety.  The app automatically selects crew qualifications, aircraft equipment, aircraft information, crew contacts, calculates the Fuel based on the W/B, marks the appropriate ORM Risk Assessment based on the ORM total value, and even adds the current METAR and TAF weather to the crew notes.

CAP Preflight is designed to complete all preflight paperwork to get the briefing done quickly and get in the air.  The app is free on the App Store at: https://appstore.com/cappreflight

CAPFlightPro2 adds SAR Track features to use during the sortie to track your flight and capture sortie events.  The flight log and notes taken during the flight are automatically added to the Deliverables section of the 104.  It also adds the Fuel Receipt Capture.  The app is $5.99 and can be viewed at: https://appstore.com/capflightpro2

You can see videos, read app documentation, and see other apps available at http://www.goflycap.com

Looking forward to your feedback.

[jayleswo]

Hi! Love CAPFlightPro. Any upgrade path to v2 from v1? Or just pay $5.99 and buy as a new app?

[Bayareaflyer 44]

Bought V2 since V1 works so well.  A quick question:
-  How do I download all the Personnel and Aircraft info from V1, and import into V2?  Or do I just gotta slog it out and manually enter everything again?

Thanks!

[bigfootpilot]

Here are some answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions (so far...):

1.  Is there an upgrade option if I've already purchased SAR Track or CAPFlight Pro 1.X?

CAPFlightPro2 is a new product.  All the upgrades will be free.  You can continue using the original CAPFlight Pro for free, but to change to CAPFlightPro2 requires the $5.99 purchase.  If you purchase CAPFlightPro2 and get a new device, you'll be able to install it for free.

2.  Can I move my aircraft and personnel databases from CAPFlight Pro 1 to Pro 2?

Unfortunately, Apple does not allow direct interaction between apps, so this is not possible.  An export/import function is in the works, but will not be ready any time soon.  For now, the information for the Personnel database will need to be re-entered.  Aircraft information can be imported from the cloud using the Aircraft Import function.

3.  Do I still need iCabMobile?

You will still need it to upload the Fuel Receipt PDF (or any other PDFs).

4.  Import from WMIRS didn't pick up hardly any of the fields from the e104 in WMIRS.

In order for the app to work effectively, it must be setup and configured properly with personnel and aircraft information prior to importing the 104.  For best results, view the setup demo video at: http://www.goflycap.com/apps/cap-preflight-user-guide

5.  How do I upload a PDF into mission files?

One of the most common issues with using the iPad is that it does not, by default, allow the user to upload documents to a web site.  One can see how this can be a problem with WMIRS when trying to get your Fuel Receipt loaded after your flight.  There is a relatively painless way to get the job done without a computer.  All you need is CAP Preflight and the iCabMobile app.  See the details at: http://www.goflycap.com/ipad

6.  Do I need CAP Preflight if I purchased CAPFlightPro2?

You do not need CAP Preflight if you have Pro.  Pro does everything Preflight does and adds the in-flight tracking/log + fuel receipt capture + CAPF104 Debriefing.

[RogueLeader]

How can you say that your app will be able to work with WIMRS 2.0 when National says that it is a closed system?  Are the weight and balance sheets validated by the manufacture?

[bigfootpilot]

How can you say that your app will be able to work with WIMRS 2.0 when National says that it is a closed system?  Are the weight and balance sheets validated by the manufacture?

I don't know if it will work with WMIRS 2.0, as I don't have access to it yet.  It will certainly need to be modified to be WMIRS 2.0 compliant.  All the app does is automate input fields, but you as the user still need to login and validate the inputs.  The app cannot do anything in WMIRS without the user logging in first.

The Weight/Balance worksheets are validated by the pilot based on the manufacturer POH.

[RogueLeader]

So . . The weight and balance worksheets are not validated by the manufacturer, and thus per faa guidelines not legal.

[Eclipse]

So . . The weight and balance worksheets are not validated by the manufacturer, and thus per faa guidelines not legal.

I raised the same issue before, it also doesn't, and likely can't (easily) accommodate wing-specific changes to the W&B for
specialized equipment (FLIR, ASP, short-guy ladders, whatever), nor the differences for aircraft which have been upgraded
but where changes are not indicated in the FAA database such as increased horsepower / weight in the upgraded 172s.

[bigfootpilot]

I raised the same issue before, it also doesn't, and likely can't (easily) accommodate wing-specific changes to the W&B for
specialized equipment (FLIR, ASP, short-guy ladders, whatever), nor the differences for aircraft which have been upgraded
but where changes are not indicated in the FAA database such as increased horsepower / weight in the upgraded 172s.

The app can account for a "Custom Station" where the user can enter a description, weight, and arm value for custom loads.

Regarding the weight/balance validity, I don't see how it's any different than the spreadsheets everyone uses that are published by their various wings.  Those spreadsheets are the basis for the aircraft database in the app.  I recommend pilots use their "normal" method and check it against the app until they are comfortable the app is accurate.  That said, there are well over 1,000 CAP Pilots using the original app to perform W/B and many wing DO's are the ones letting me know when the aircraft W/B changes.

According to faa-h-8083-1a - the FAA Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook

The pilot in command of the aircraft has the responsibility
on every flight to know the maximum allowable weight
of the aircraft and its CG limits. This allows the pilot to
determine on the preflight inspection that the aircraft is
loaded in such a way that the CG is within the allowable
limits.

That's what the app does.  As the app says: Pilots are responsible for verifying proposed flights are within the weight and balance limits according to the aircraft POH.

[SunDog]

The spreadsheets in general use are good enough for estimating, getting a ballpark idea if the load and CG are reasonable.  Not good enough if you're close to an aft limit, for example. Probably best to use the authoritative data in the airplane.  Wing maintained spreadsheets are useful, but are also just some guy (or gal) putting something together for convenince.  They tend to be off a bit, as avionics change out, stuff gets removed or added, etc.  I did find one off by 100 pounds (typo) once.

If you fly a bunch of diffrent CAP airplanes, it's nice to get a rough estimate before the long drive, and perhaps avoid having to tell a scanner to go home.  If it's close, I use the airplane numbers and do my adds and takeaways with whatever calculation device is handy; cell phone, calculator, electronic flight bag, whatever.

For 172 and 182, it's real hard to be out of CG  or GW limits with two guys in the airplane and normal gear.  Most pilots aren't doing a 'real' W&B  in those situations, other than the perfunctory spreadsheet version, if that. Once you add a third or fourth body, you probably want to do a real W&B, at the airplane.  Doesn't much matter what you use to do the math; FAA isn't in the loop on arithmetic - they just care if the numbers were computed correctly. 

[SarDragon]

The spreadsheets in general use are good enough for estimating, getting a ballpark idea if the load and CG are reasonable.  Not good enough if you're close to an aft limit, for example. Probably best to use the authoritative data in the airplane.  Wing maintained spreadsheets are useful, but are also just some guy (or gal) putting something together for convenince.  They tend to be off a bit, as avionics change out, stuff gets removed or added, etc.  I did find one off by 100 pounds (typo) once.

If you fly a bunch of diffrent CAP airplanes, it's nice to get a rough estimate before the long drive, and perhaps avoid having to tell a scanner to go home.  If it's close, I use the airplane numbers and do my adds and takeaways with whatever calculation device is handy; cell phone, calculator, electronic flight bag, whatever.

For 172 and 182, it's real hard to be out of CG  or GW limits with two guys in the airplane and normal gear.  Most pilots aren't doing a 'real' W&B  in those situations, other than the perfunctory spreadsheet version, if that. Once you add a third or fourth body, you probably want to do a real W&B, at the airplane.  Doesn't much matter what you use to do the math; FAA isn't in the loop on arithmetic - they just care if the numbers were computed correctly.

Exactly. I have a W&B app on my phone, and all it does is the math. There is the capacity to save a specific plane's data set entered by the user, but it's really no different than doing the math manually. I've used it several times, using data from the POH, and there's never been a problem.

I'm still trying to see what the issue is with a spreadsheet, as long as the POH data are used. Since it's my ass in the right seat, I am reluctant at best to use generic data.

[JeffDG]

So . . The weight and balance worksheets are not validated by the manufacturer, and thus per faa guidelines not legal.

Once a plane leaves the assembly line, the manufacturer has nothing to do with "validating" weight and balance, that's the responsibility of the PIC

[SarDragon]

So . . The weight and balance worksheets are not validated by the manufacturer, and thus per faa guidelines not legal.

Once a plane leaves the assembly line, the manufacturer has nothing to do with "validating" weight and balance, that's the responsibility of the PIC

Well, they are responsible for ensuring that the POH is correct when the plane is delivered.

[JeffDG]

So . . The weight and balance worksheets are not validated by the manufacturer, and thus per faa guidelines not legal.

Once a plane leaves the assembly line, the manufacturer has nothing to do with "validating" weight and balance, that's the responsibility of the PIC

Well, they are responsible for ensuring that the POH is correct when the plane is delivered.

Yes, but anything you do to the A/C after that point...for example, adding a CAP radio, means the manufacturer W&B is no longer valid and you need to work from the updated 337 for the aircraft.

[SunDog]

The Wing spreadsheets tend to "drift" as time goes by, for the same reason. And/or someone fat-fingers or transposes some numbers. Again, with a crew of two and normal gear, a W&B is mostly pointless, unless you find two truly enourmous folks - and put the second guy in the back becasue he won't fit in the front.

I've heard some Wings wanted the W&B uploaded in WMIRS;  I know ours asked for it - but I always responded that I couldn't do it till I got to the airplane, since that's where the authoritative data was located.  Then, if it was just me, or me and one other person, I'd blow it off.   I would use the time on those hot summer days to compute DA and performance, though, since we had routinely hot and humid conditions, and shorter runways, at some of our locations.

If you got gobs of runway, slightly over gross won't kill you; but aft CG sure will, and in 172 and 182 aircraft, over gross is often hand-in-hand with aft CG. If you've been a pilot for more than a week or two, you know if the CG/GW is gonna be close, and that you should crunch numbers. . .

Heck, you never truly know what the plane weighs, anyway - dirt in the bilge; dipping tanks is "estimating by averaging"; the scales last used may or may not been worth poop; that porky MO may be lying through his teeth IRT to his true weight; what's in the POH is close enough, though. . .

Some of he 172s with extended range tanks are basically two-person aircraft with full fuel - I bumped a MS once, even though the book said we were legal (barely) for GW, CG, and performance. High DA, older airplane - just not enough margin, in case all the tolerances added in the same, bad direction.  And we still went out of there seeing 200 FPM climb.  The Group CC (not a pilot) wasn't happy about the bump - which cost me almost two milliseconds of sleep that night.

To say it shorter, performance/DA are primary; GW gets in the mix under "performance", and then start thinking about CG when adding crew beyond two bodies. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[JeffDG]

On the "drift" in the spreadsheets...those numbers should be authoritatively (well, almost) from the Wing MX guy...he should be seeing any 337s that exist for any of the planes.

I know when I started seeing different numbers, I actually went to every plane (we had them all at an AFGTE) and grabbed copies of every 337 for my spreadsheet.

Honestly, there are precisely 2 numbers that you need from the plane:  Empty Weight and Arm.  Should be stored in WMIRS, IMHO, and the Wing MX guy should be the only one who can update it, and permit a scan of the 337 to be attached to the record.  This is not rocket surgery by any stretch of the imagination.  The envelope is the same within a model at a minimum, so are the station locations for the seats and cargo.

[SunDog]

That's cool, and corect. But the other sources, whether they were stored in WMIRS, or a spreadsheet, are still just some guy/gal re-typing the authoritative data from the airplane.  I still used the spreadsheets, for sure, for estimating. Like you say, it's not complicated. And with two or fewer people, it's usually not even necessary. Just a time-suck, really. . .

But if it's close, gotta go with the book, and a calculator or Mark 1 pencil.  If the spreadsheet data was wrong, or a random developer's software was gacked, and NTSB and/or FAA determined you were, actually, loaded behind the aft CG limit a bit, and you bent something and hurt someone, they likely won't care much if you bkame it on Wing or software.

[Mustang]

What's with the massive buttons on the main screens? I could see that for an iPhone version, but seems like a less than efficient use of space on an iPad.

[bigfootpilot]

What's with the massive buttons on the main screens? I could see that for an iPhone version, but seems like a less than efficient use of space on an iPad.

I guess I could make the buttons smaller, but then there would be an awful lot of white space on the screen which also seems inefficient.  I'm open to suggestions.  It looks better on an iPad mini.

[bigfootpilot]

By the way, version 2.1 of CAPFlightPro2 and 2.0.6 of CAP Preflight were just released to the App Store and I'm looking for feedback on users' 104 import experience.  I'd like to know if all the fields are getting captured now, and also confirm all the fields get uploaded to the 104 when uploading. 

Thanks in advance for the help from CAP Talkers.