"Aware" government sponsored GPS

[Al B]

Hi All,

 

Take a look at AWARE - POWERED BY AIRBOX IN ASSOCIATION WITH NATS !

 

"Freedom for GA to fly in the crowded UK airspace relies upon pilots exercising navigational skills and understanding the rules of the air to successfully execute flights around complex controlled airspace. In 2008 NATS recorded over 600 airspace infringements.""The Aware was conceived by NATS and Airbox to help pilots avoid unknowingly flying into controlled airspace. Airspace busts are an increasing problem worldwide and normally result either from the pilot not knowing where the aircraft is or from a lack of knowledge about changes to airspace restrictions. For more information about airspace busts and the consequences, click here

 

The Aware aims to solve both of these problems by offering a very low cost moving map with a definitive, but free, airspace warning database updated in accordance with the AIRAC cycle.

 

The Aware is very simple to use and needs just a single page of instructions."

 

"Apart from the intial cost of buying the unit, there is very little cost involved in keeping it up to date. All airspace warning updates are provided free of charge and are available every month in accordance with the AIRAC cycle. You can also choose to update the underlying charts if you wish, at a cost of £25 per chart or £60 per pack of three. If you choose not to upgrade the charts it will not affect the airspace warning, which is seperate."

It's $265 AUD!!!

 

I guess it'd make too much sense for CASA/Airservices to sponsor something like this.

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

They say that if it is too good to be true...

 

There's a lot of upselling going on here. Add GBP100 if you want to use navigation as well. And it sounds like you need to buy the up to date maps regularly if you want to keep using it for navigation, included are only the airspace warnings?

 

If you want just the airspace warnings, then yeah, GBP149 once-off an you are set. If you want a functional navigation GPS, it doesn't look like the total cost of ownership of this thing is much less than buying a vastly more functional Garmin Aera or AVI8OR.

 

And of course the cost of all GPS devices would come down if Air-dis-services Australia allowed free access to airspace data, rather than forcing us to buy it from one monopoly provider - Jepessen.

 

 

[facthunter]

Jepessen

 

The costs ARE high for updating the database from Jepessen but there is a vast amount of information that has to have a guarantee of reliability for primary Nav eg AIRLINE. No doubt there are costs involved. Perhaps a charge based on the number of people benefitting from the service, (using it) IF you use the data to get 500 people around you could pay more for it than 2 persons, (like OUR situation), might be more equitable. Perhaps that occurs already. I don't know. I don't update my database very often because of the cost. I cannot rely therefore or the GPS to keep me out of CTA, but it is not TSO'd and I wouldn't rely on it anyhow. The coastline and rivers don't move very much, but I would update frequently if the cost was reasonable. Nev

 

 

[metanoia]

That looks like a cool idea - and at a brilliant price :)