Chad is the editor of AINalerts, AIN's daily business aviation newsletter, and is also the news editor at AIN Media Group.&nbsp;He has been writing about aviation, with an emphasis on business aviation, since 1994. Chad started his writing career at The Avion,&nbsp;the&nbsp;student newspaper at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, serving as editor-in-chief before graduating with a bachelor's in aeronautical science. After a stint as managing editor at Professional Pilot&nbsp;magazine, he joined&nbsp;AIN in late 1998. Chad holds a commercial pilot certificated with instrument and multi-engine ratings, and he also is a CFI/CFII. He lives and works from his home in Venice, Florida.

Online Editor

Chad Trautvetter

Aircraft Performance Group (APG, Booth W123) earlier this month released its Temporary Obstacle Tool, a feature for its iPreFlight iOS app and web-based solutions. The new tool allows iPreFlight users to enter temporary obstacles, such as those specified in notams, at known locations so they can be included in runway analysis performance calculations.

 


According to APG, it can be difficult for pilots and other flight personnel (such as dispatchers) to determine if obstacles cited in active notams lie within the departure corridor for obstacle-clearance calculations. In the company’s app, these temporary obstacles can be entered in several different formats in relation to the runway, including “distance out and offset;” “bearing and distance;” and “latitude/longitude.”

 


Once obstacles have been entered in iPreFlight, the user can view an airport map with satellite imagery and pin locators showing where the obstacles are. The tool also determines whether the obstacle is within the horizontal obstacle-clearance area for a given runway. If it is, the obstacle is added to the runtime airport database for limit-weight calculations.

 


“This is a very useful feature in iPreFlight and our selected web products for determining the relevancy of obstacles due to notams,” said APG CEO Mike Caflisch. “iPreFlight is used by thousands of pilots and dispatchers around the world and provides the capability to perform runway analysis and weight-and-balance calculations on an iPad without internet connectivity.”

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