iPad flight planning app offered by Cessna

Posted by John McHaleWICHITA, Kan., 31 July 2011. Cessna Aircraft Co. officials announced a new iPad app on flight planning for Cessna Citation operators. The iPreFlight app for Apple iPads is available from the Aircraft Performance Group. The new iPad app features real-time graphical weather, METARs and winds aloft, routing, graphical weight and balance, a worldwide database, Runway Analysis Max Payload Estimator (MPE), flight planning, and other features. iPreFlight will also have takeoff and landing performance derived from Cessna's Citation Performance Calculator (CPCalc), part of the CESNAV package.This new capability will be phased in for all Citation models for which CPCalc is available. Older aircraft that do not have CPCalc can still use the application through tabular, AFM data. APG's central server will process all calculations and upload PDF releases for flight planning, performance, and weight and balance, which can be printed, emailed, and shared with other electronic devices."This development is the very latest improvement in meeting Citation customer requirements for technology advancements," says Kelly Reich, vice president of product support for Cessna's Customer Service organization. "We have been pleased to partner with Aircraft Performance Group (APG) to make this happen quickly for more than 6,000 Citation owners who can now use the application to make their daily flight planning."The iPad itself does not perform flight performance calculations, Cessna officials say. All calculations are completed on the vendor's server, which means Internet access will be required. The Internet service network can be either wifi or 3G. The app is available through the Apple Store and requires a yearly per-aircraft subscription from APG. APG is providing a six-month free subscription to existing CESNAV customers and those taking delivery of new Cessna Citations.For more information on iPreFlight contact APG at (303) 539-0410 ext. 1 to have their aircraft set up. More information also is available at www.flyapg.com.See also:iPad app for flight deck digital charting released by JeppeseniPad use spreads to the cockpits of commercial and business aircraft: The Avionics Intelligence ReportExecutive Jet Management gains FAA authorization to use Jeppesen iPad application