oh this is just too cool....  Installed CFS software 4.1 thur night
after work..  yesterday after work I zipped over to the airport before it
got too dark...  wow, what fun...  new software for your plane makes it
new and exciting all over again...  climb out steep and see new chevrons
http://w1.direct2avionics.com/Self/Slide13.GIF (I'll keep you guessing
what's at the waaaay top of the display..  :-)

anyway, today I had more time to play around.  the biggest single
improvement is the audio...  I had moved my CFS audio to the switched
audio panel nav2 input so I could totally shut up all alarms.  (the SL30
has a front nav audio switch, so I could mix nav with com audio) but
now when I press the CFS mute button, bitching betty shuts right up
rather than muting after the voice cycle..  and if the condition calls
for another cycle, bitching betty just whispers in your ear...  very
cool!

The next thing that jumps out at you is on startup the totalizer asks if
you added any gas..

The GPSS steering of the a/p is noticeably more aggressive and over shoots
much less.

another huge one for me is OBS...  Once I know what runway is active, I
do Bugs, Push (to keep the a/p pointing at the airport) Obs, Twist rotor
to runway heading, Push.  This way I can drive right to the apt and see
the inbound runway heading on the mini map so I know what kinda
"overhead" to plan for..

also, if you take off at a busy airport, one can finally get to
Departure Procedures! just use direct on the ground for your dest, and
the DP menu will be in the plan.

Of course the main reason for this upgrade is to get rid of "scary"
mode.  When the screen goes into slow mode decompressing terrain data..
This has been dramatically improved, but I wanta do more testing before I
claim its "fixed".

versions obst: 7-22-03 nav: 7-10-03 code: 4.1A-2 take some time to
read http://w1.direct2avionics.com/Self/SelfPacedPresentation.pdf for
more features and screen shots...

these were the changes listed in the files I got from
kirk@direct2avionics.com


Problem Resolutions:

1) Added fuel totalizer disable setting to aircraft limits for those
installations lacking an approved fuel flow sensor.

2) Added miles per hour setting to aircraft limits to enable display of
aircraft speed in miles per hour where appropriate.

3) Revised background terrain array generation to eliminate temporary
screen freezes and watchdog resets.

4) Added OAT only failure mode.

5) Eliminated HFOM > 0.3 as a criteria for disabling terrain and TAWS
functions) Terrain and TAWS functions are now only inhibited when there
is a GPS LON or LOI.

Customer Requested Feature Additions/Changes:

1) Added support for L3 Skywatch TAS systems.

2) Added output of ?Type 1? and ?Type 2? GPS navigator data for tie in
to external systems and displays (supports Shadin ETM product).

3) Added RMI symbology on Map and HSI screens (requires interface to
appropriate sensors).

4) Added HSI symbology to PFD screen.

5) Added glideslope indication to HSI screen and PFD screen (requires
interface to appropriate sensors).

6) Modified voice warning system performance to vary volume based upon
severity of alert.

7) Modified voice warning system performance so that voice muting is
immediate upon press of mute button.

8) Added automatic fuel totalizer setting menu popup on CPU#0 and CPU#2
upon system ground start as a reminder to set fuel quantity.

9) Limit TAWS and traffic popup modes to CPU#0 and CPU#2 only.


10) Change start of flight timer from system power-up to start of Air
mode.

11) Changed Direct-To operation in ground mode to create a new flight
plan from the startup airport to the Direct-To waypoint instead of from
a ?Start? waypoint to the Direct-To waypoint.

12) Modified fuel totalizer setting menu to show current fuel flow and
fuel flow units.

13) Added full-time bank scale option.

14) Added obstruction warning function.

Other Changes:

1) Added support for Analog Interface Unit, including autopilot support
(requires interface to appropriate sensors).

2) Added RS-232 speed output for AHRS speed aiding.

3) Added autopilot analog and digital gain settings to aircraft limits
for fine tuning coupled autopilot performance.

4) Eliminated arc format from dedicated Traffic screen.

5) Revised normal waterline symbol.

6) Optimized OBS setting menu.

7) Changed to permanent display of speed worm and VSI worm.

8) Added unusual attitude recovery chevrons.

9) Inhibited altitude alerter function below 1500?AGL.

10) Auto-enabled PFD HSI symbology when NAV1 or NAV2 is selected as HSI
source (requires interface to appropriate sensors.

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