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."

FMI: www.runwayfinder.com