AeroPlus, I am not against the extra bits of information SV provides. My question is strictly about the presentation paradigm: one can display the 3D features on a 2D screen either as a perspective drawing (this is SV), or as a map in two coordinates with the third one being colour-coded. My hypothesis is that if the colours represent your predicted AGL rather than terrain elevation, the resulting map may be even more intuitive than SV.
Ultranomad, not intuitive to me I am afraid. As the image shows you can get the SV and a top down view of the terrain. I am not aware of any certified avionics that attempts to estimate glide compensating for wind.
The Xavion app does this: “Most importantly, Xavion can learn the glide characteristics of your airplane, so that if you ever have an engine out emergency, it can run thousands of simulations in an instant and immediately guide you on the safest path to a nearby airport, using winds aloft to fine-tune the power-off guidance if you have an ADS-B receiver.” Not certified but taking winds aloft into account and offering SV to help you make a safe emergency landing.
I have the app, but why would I use it. Extra clutter from an additional iPad next the the PFD and MFD in the aircraft already and a handle above me I can pull if the engine stops …
Not sure if we have done this before – Foreflight Mobile
I wonder what the ongoing costs are. Obviously the database doesn’t need updating regularly but if the app shuts itself down after say 60 days (like many do) then you have no choice…
“Most importantly, Xavion can learn the glide characteristics of your airplane, so that if you ever have an engine out emergency, it can run thousands of simulations in an instant and immediately guide you on the safest path to a nearby airport, using winds aloft to fine-tune the power-off guidance if you have an ADS-B receiver”
This ADS-B option only works with the American style ADS-B system, not with the system used in Europe. Wind information can be entered manually though.
Peter,
Yet, PC flight sims have had this cracked close to 20 years ago. Why is it so hard on an Ipad or some other tablet with an equivalent CPU speed? Admittedly the graphics coprocessor in an Ipad is crap compared to a high end PC one. The hi-res database for X-Plane for the whole world is about 30GB (my son once had this).
Having worked in this field for a while, I can tell you that it is not that simple. There are extremely good databases around especcially for Microsoft FSX and Lockheed Martin Prepare 3D in the form of FS Global (Website for FS Global Products) which provide an extremely realistic view of the Terrain.
Here one example I could find on the quick:
Monte Rosa in FS Global Ultimate Europe
and in reality.
Or this, the Weisshorn Peak:
Matterhorn
and reality
For those who are interested, here is a complete review
The developer, Stefan Schäfer, is actually a member here I believe as he is also an active Pilot.
Yet, in order to get these products including 3D grids working properly, a “high end” PC is hardly enough, but it requires real top of the line Equipment such as in Terms of graphic boards and processing power as well as often enough expert tweaking. Packing something like that into an EFIS or worse a handheld sounds rather difficult to me from what I have experienced over the years.
Any panel mounted synthetic vision products which don’t need database updates?
AFAIK, all panel mount boxes which can display terminal charts will block the display something like 2 months after the database cycle has ended.
The Jeppesen PC products do the same but if you are desperate you can set the PC date back 
You can’t do that on avionics which get date+time from GPS.
What about SV products? Terrain hardly ever changes.
On handhelds e.g. my Garmin 496 the terrain database lasts for ever and you still get terrain warnings.
I am thinking particularly of the IFD550
The Avidyne boxes will NOT take down/block display of terminal charts when they go expired. All we do is put a subtle “Expired” watermark on them but they are still usable. Of course it becomes the task of the pilot to compare them against current charts to determine if they’ve changed at all in that case. If they have not changed, you are still even allowed to use the electronic ones.
We also do NOT take away synthetic vision when the databases expire. That means the IFD550 will continue to display 3D synthetic terrain.
Hope that helps.
Well … Terrain doesn’t change frequently but there are activities that do change it.
On the other hand I’m just thinking of my last flight in the Frankfurt area here in Germany. You have to go down to below 1500 MSL due to class C above and you will pass below the ILS GS into EDDF on your way from the North to EDFE (Egelsbach). Close to the MTR VOR you will pass a field of wind turbines that really leave no room between the 1500 ft upper limit and you. So you have to go around them and it is kind of scary in marginal weather as was yesterday. Terrain is not an issue there as it is flat but those obstacles are.
On the other hand one should not be flying in really bad weather VFR anyway. In an emergency that changes. I recall the audio recording of a guy in the US who had an issue with turbo hoses coming loose and had to perform a landing to a strip using SynVis. In such a case an accurate depiction of the surroundings is certainly welcomed.
Terrain doesn’t change but obstacles do.
