Re: Copyright status of National Airspace Data

["D.F.S." <dfs@xmission.com>]

> 
> I'll definately chip in...
> 
> One thing that I haven't heard mentioned - is this data just "helpful" or is
> it valid for navigation and flight planning purposes?
It should be legal.

I don't know of any specific requirements for the info you as a pilot
are required to have aside from the general logical requirement it be current.

That being said, I would be very careful with the data.
It does contain errors.
Any software we may use to process or display it WILL contain bugs,
maybe they will be critical, maybe they won't, but there will be bugs.

I wouldn't stake my life on it all by itself, but it could be very handy.

Currently there is a debate raging on usenet as to how many airports in the
U.S. have NDB approaches ONLY and no other types and may not be flown with
an approache certified GPS as a substitute.

A perfect question for a database.

An incredible Pain in the butt with 25,000 approaches and 9,000 airports
to dig thru.

I was looking thru some approach charts the other day.
Many may not be flown without a local altimiter setting, some may not
be flown when the tower is closed.

This data and modifications to a freeware flight plan software could add this 
type of capability.

Maybe an external function call to validate a given candidate airport.
This function could be customized for unlimited types of checks.

One problem I often run into flying cross country on vacation is the
fact I just flew 500 miles in an afternoon into an airport and can't
get the last 10 miles to where I'm going because I have no car.

Maybe some extra features could go to a database or the web and
pick airports on the general route I'm planning that have rental
car offices. I have automatic access to the state, county, zip code, city
name, and a managers telephone number. 
All very handy for this type of thing.
Same goes for hotels.

> Related to that, I wonder if there is any way to generate the database that
> is used by lowrance airmap GPSs, as opposed to just entering waypoints. 
> 
That will depend on how the database format is documented.

The GPS I'm having installed has a rather open interface and it is
documented. This is one of the major selling points for me.
It is a Garmin unit.

I can download my own waypoints and flight plans.

As to access to the actual internal database I would not do that
with an IFR certified GPS.
It would probably not be legal or smart.

On the other hand, IF I could get the format for an older unsupported
GPS or Loran and was using it for VFR or only as a secondary reference,
I would consider it.

The main use to this group would probably be more for applications
running on a laptop for reference I'd bet.

My GPS also will spit out position and waypoint info in a well
documented format.

A handy feature built into some rcvrs would be frequency lists.
I'm at point X, What is ATIS?, Is there a VOR Test beacon here?
From this location, find every VOR I could possibly pick up and
list them out.
I can't reach flightwatch, find every possible frequency that
would let me do that?

There are a lot of secondary uses for this data, we could probably
build a list 10 times this long in a few days of musing.

Marc

-
Archives of linux-aviation: http://mail.nl.linux.org/lists/linux-aviation/
To unsubscribe: send the command "unsubscribe linux-aviation" in the body
of a mail message to <Majordomo@mail.nl.linux.org>.