Fri, Feb 10, 2012
RunwayFinder Announces Imminent Shut Down
The recent announcements by FAA's AeroNav for more funding to
"pay for" an already tax-payer funded program has scored its first
kill as one well-known and much-used web-based flight planning
resource has announced it can't survive the FAA money grab.
In an announcement posted to their website, RunwayFinder blames
the AeroNav Fee demand as sufficient reason to throw in the
towel.
RunwayFinder Statement
"RunwayFinder will be shutting down at the end of February. It's
been a great 7 years, but it's time to fold her up. While I
understand AeroNav's need to re-capture costs, the new chart fees
along with other licensing fees will put RunwayFinder firmly into
the red. If this were the only issue, I could try collecting
donations. However, the site needs continuous maintenance: the
airport data format is changing this year, the weather gathering
needs updates, and improvements are needed to keep up with the
latest browsers and mobile devices. I've had many people suggest
alternatives, but unfortunately there is no way to keep it going
(for reasons I can't disclose).
When I started RunwayFinder in 2005, viewing aeronautical charts
online was difficult. I was learning how to fly, and wanted to look
at charts from across the country to dream about where I could fly
some day. Being a software engineer, I wrote some code, collected a
bunch of data and charts, and RunwayFinder was born. It made a
little money along the way, all of which was plowed into legal
defense. Despite that, it's been a fun project and a great learning
experience. Thanks to all the pilots out there that used the site,
and especially those that helped out along the way."
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