Detailed Aviation Weather And Airport Information Now Fits In Your Pocket

The little electronic device that seems to be becoming increasingly ubiquitous has just gotten a little more useful for pilots. Digital Cyclone, a subsidiary of Garmin, announced Wednesday that Pilot My-Cast by Garmin is available immediately for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Pilot My-Cast by Garmin is a premium aviation weather, flight planning and flight filing application exclusively for customers in the U.S. and Canada.

"We've designed the iPhone and iPod Touch version of Pilot My-Cast from the ground up," said Craig Burfeind, president of Digital Cyclone, a subsidiary of Garmin. "Our customers range from the student pilot who has taken their introductory flight to executives of general aviation companies. Pilots who use Pilot My-Cast, tell us they can't live without it. They appreciate that we tailor the information to their flight. They input their route, and then Pilot My-Cast overlays the flight path with the weather - no other aviation weather app gives pilots this much customization."

The iPhone and iPod Touch version of Pilot My-Cast is designed to take advantage of the devices' gesture-based user interface, and includes five intuitive menu tabs at the bottom of the page: routes, flight plan, weather, airport information and settings.

• Routes: Create a route to any airport, fix or VOR in the United States or Canada. The route, or flight path, may then be viewed on a map with a weather overlay so that pilots can immediately see if their desired flight path is near threatening weather. Pilot My-Cast is currently the only aviation application that overlays a route and weather information.
• Flight Plan: Create and file a flight plan with a few screen touches and send the information directly to the DUAT(s) providers. Pilot My-Cast  stores the most recently filed flight plan, so pilots only need to alter information that has changed from earlier flights.
• Weather: View current and predicted weather information including NEXRAD Radar, METARs and TAFs displayed in text and graphic formats, panable weather maps, infrared and visible satellite loops, lightning data, SIGMETs, AIRMETs, PIREPs, NOTAMs, winds aloft and more. 
• Airport Information: Access the AOPA Airport Directory, one of the most comprehensive sources of airport information that includes information for over 5,300 public-use airports and more than 7,000 FBOs, such as pilot services, ground transportation, lodging, restaurants and local attractions.
• Settings: Customize Pilot My-Cast with aircraft and pilot specific information. Also, link to flyGarmin.com and view information about other Garmin portable and panel mount products, such as if the portable device's databases are current.

Compared to other aviation weather cell phone applications, Pilot My-Cast is unique because it receives aviation data directly from the foremost providers, such as the National Weather Service, Environment Canada, and Federal Aviation Administration. Thanks to these direct relationships, customers who use Pilot My-Cast by Garmin will receive the same up-to-the-minute information that they would if using a desktop computer with Internet service.

Pilot my-Cast for the iPhone and iPod Touch are available in the app store for a monthly fee of $9.99, or an annual subscription of $99.99.

FMI: www.digitalcyclone.com/pilot