Pilots Now Able To Flight Plan Via Cell Phone

This week, Garmin subsidiary Digital Cyclone, Inc. unveiled a new version of its Pilot My-Cast cell phone application, that enables pilots to file a flight plan using a mobile phone.

Pilot My-Cast is a subscription-based cell phone service that provides pilots with flight planning and weather information. The new feature is scheduled to launch in July.

"Pilot My-Cast is a wonderful flight planning tool because it offers pilots precise, personalized weather reports," said Gary Kelley, Garmin's vice president of marketing. "Now that you can also file a flight plan directly from Pilot My-Cast, pilots will be able to use the weather information they see on their phone to make informed route planning decisions before they file."

Garmin tells ANN the filing feature makes it possible to file a flight plan without talking to the flight service station. The first time a pilot uses the service, they are asked to input all required data for the FAA flight plan such as name, address, aircraft identification, aircraft type, departure point, cruising altitude, route of flight, fuel on board and estimated time enroute. A few keystrokes will automatically send the information to the DUATS provider.

After the first flight plan is filed, Pilot My-Cast remembers all the previous settings. This should make future flight filings simple because pilots only need to alter information that has changed for the new flight plan.  

Subscribers will also have access to current and predicted National Weather Service data for the current airport, destination airport or any terminal waypoint in the continental US Weather information includes NEXRAD, METARs and TAFs displayed in text and graphic formats, moving weather maps, satellite loops, lightning data, SIGMETs, AIRMETs, PIREPs, infrared imagery and winds aloft. The application's weather engine receives a direct data stream from the NWS.

Subscriptions are $9.95 per month.

FMI: www.digitalcyclone.com