iFly EFB still issues after updating to version 13.2.17

[DE_Pilot_Pete]

Greetings,

Even after updating the EFB (and iOS devices) to 13.2.17 the other day. I noticed two things.

1) There was a Presidential TFR recently for October 13-15 for KILG. I went flying today ( the 19th). The TFR persisted on the EFB. I reset the WiFi connection to the ADS-B (Freeflight systems). still persisted. Note - On the iOS App on my iPhone and iPad, the TFR is not there. Only on the EFB. Even after I flew an hour south, landed for an hour, and flew back, the TFR is still there on the EFB for KILG. On my old 740, the system would update within seconds after powering up and the Avionics (including ADS-B).

2) Also, even though the EFB is significantly more capable and powerful of a system than my prior 740, the flight refresh is very s-l-o-w. On the 740, it seemed to update every couple of seconds. EFB takes much longer. I'm just in an old C172, I can't believe the old girl is faster than the tablet.

I'm assuming this is still growing pains with te new platform/software. The app used to just die occasionally on earlier releases, that doesn't seem to happen any more.

Does anyone else see these issues? I'm really paranoid about the stuck TFR. I did not power the tablet up and start the iFly App before leaving home, but I don't think I should have to.

Pete

 

[Cobra]

Even after updating the EFB (and iOS devices) to 13.2.17 the other day. I noticed two things.

I'm sorry, I'm not sure I am following. You are talking about "the EFB" and a couple of "iOS devices" as two separate things, but there is a single "iFly EFB" app that runs on Android and iOS devices, so this is confusing to me.

When you talk about "the EFB" in your post, do you mean the new "iFly Aviation Tablet" Android device that is sold by Adventure Pilot (https://www.iflyefb.com/STORE/Product/ifly-efb-aviation-tablet)?

1) There was a Presidential TFR recently for October 13-15 for KILG. I went flying today ( the 19th). The TFR persisted on the EFB. I reset the WiFi connection to the ADS-B (Freeflight systems). still persisted. Note - On the iOS App on my iPhone and iPad, the TFR is not there. Only on the EFB. Even after I flew an hour south, landed for an hour, and flew back, the TFR is still there on the EFB for KILG. On my old 740, the system would update within seconds after powering up and the Avionics (including ADS-B).

It is hard to understand exactly what information each device was exposed to. iFly can update TFRs either from Internet or from ADS-B data. Ultimately, all your tablets/phones should have been showing you the same data, so there is a problem here, but there may be a clue toward finding the problem if you're more clear about what information source each device was exposed to, and when:

1. You mentioned the iFly AT was updated to 13.2.17 "the other day". Was this during the period when the TFR was active (such that it would have gotten that information then, and displayed it on the screen)?
2. Was the iFly EFB app launched on the iOS devices at the same time, or not?
3. Was the iFly EFB app ever launched on the iOS devices while connected to the Internet when the iFly AT was not? (Specifically, could the iOS devices have had a chance to update the TFR info from the Internet after 10/15 when the iFly AT did not?)
4. You mention your 740...did you ever have this device running, and did you specifically observe its behavior alongside of your other iOS and iFLy AT devices, or are you comparing its behavior as you recall it from the past?
5. Have you launched iFly EFB on the iFly AT while it was connected to the Internet "recently" (i.e., after 10/15 or since the flight when you observed the TFR discrepancy between the iAT and the iOS devices)? Has the TFR cleared after exposure to the Internet?

2) Also, even though the EFB is significantly more capable and powerful of a system than my prior 740, the flight refresh is very s-l-o-w. On the 740, it seemed to update every couple of seconds. EFB takes much longer. I'm just in an old C172, I can't believe the old girl is faster than the tablet.

What do you mean by "flight refresh" and "update", here? Are you talking about how fast your ownship updates on the map while are flying?
i.e., are you saying that the iFly Aviation Tablet is just generally sluggish in its performance for you? Is it sluggish only when running the iFly EFB app, or when using the tablet with other apps, too?

While the iFly Aviation Tablet is still somewhat new, there are already a fair number of people using it, and this is the first report I've heard of complaints about it being slow. It's a modern and capable Android tablet, and iFly EFB runs well on even low-end Android hardware, so this is abnormal.

Does anyone else see these issues? I'm really paranoid about the stuck TFR. I did not power the tablet up and start the iFly App before leaving home, but I don't think I should have to.

The reason I am poking on the questions about whether the iFly AT had the same opportunities to update via the Internet as the iOS devices is that there have been reports in the past about iFly EFB not reporting TFRs correctly, but the reports have been infrequent and with the transient nature of TFRs it's been hard to really nail down what's happening. The more specifics you can provide about "who knew what when" re: your different devices, the better chance AP might find the bug. I suspect the difference in behavior is not inherent to the difference between the iOS and iAT devices, but rather has something to do with the differences in when they had access to the TFR data via Internet updates. If iFly EFB is not updating TFR data properly via ADS-B data, for instance, then maybe updating your iOS devices from the Internet at a different time from your iAT device may explain why you saw the TFR on one but not the other.

Speaking of which, have you submitted a bug report?

 

[DE_Pilot_Pete]

I'm sorry I wasn't clear. When I mention the EFB yes I mean the Android tablet bought here in the iFly Store. I also have the subscription for the application on my iPhone and iPad.

In my plane, with ADS-B on and connected, the Android Tablet never updated the TFR over Wilmington. It was the 28 mile circle with the inner circle showing "red" and gave me repeated warning boxes of the times the TFR was active during Oct 13-15...

To cross-check this, I opened the iFly application on my iPhone and iPad and both those devices were clear / no TFR. (Also cross-checked with Foreflight, also clear.)

I don't recall the exact day now that I installed version 13.2.17. I check for new apps daily and the day it showed up on my iPhone App store I also installed it on my iPad and the Android Tablet via the Google App Store.

Yes, all the cross references across the devices were in my plane while running and avionics online (this was all on the ground of course during pre-checks... I did NOT power up the Android tablet at home / on the internet before heading to the airport. It had been powered off for a few days but I did charge it up at home. In past experiences with Foreflight and my former 740 device, it wasn't necessary. Whenever and wherever the 740 (as one example) powered up and there was a former TFR, it cleared within seconds after being updated from the network, whether WiFi at home or ADS-B in the plane.

As for the "refresh/update", I'm sorry, wasn't sure what that was called. When the airplane/my own ship moves along the map in the Android tablet device, whether it's just a straight line distance or making a turn to a different heading. The Android tablet doesn't seem to reflect the difference for several seconds longer than on the other devices. I don't expect it to be instantaneous, of course, but this Android tablet seems to take noticeably longer than the 740 did on the iOS devices. This isn't new with the Android tablet, since I've gotten it it's always seemed slower to reflect the change. It's not unusable, it just seems odd that this is a significantly higher-performance device than the WinCE based 740 was, I would think it would be "snappy".

Oh gosh. the past 3.5 years have been brutal for me here out of Wilmington, President Biden has visited A LOT...LOL. My hangar is smack in the middle of the TFR inner-ring. And the usual destination is KGED (Delaware Coastal/Georgetown, DE) where he has his beach house...LOL. There is bound to be another TFR here before the end of his term.

How would you advise I test?

I suppose I should submit Bug Reports. Thank you.