Category: Planning tools

IRR students often ask “Can I use SkyDemon to navigate on an IMC training flight or test?”

The official and legally correct answer is “No”. SkyDemon is a VFR tool. Only certified,

installed GNSS navigators, such as an IFD550, GTN650 or GNS430 can be used to fly IFR and instrument approaches. Furthermore, the license conditions of SkyDemon expressly forbid its use as a primary means of IFR navigation.

In real-life flying, though, it is prudent to use anything which makes the task easier, provided it is not inherently unsafe or misleading. Many IFR pilots run SkyDemon in the cockpit as an adjunct to their formal navigation aids.

In what ways can you use SkyDemon to support your IFR planning and flying?

1. For route planning, use it to generate the data for an IFR PLOG (including VOR radials and DME distances from turning points)
2. For situational awareness, whilst navigating cross country
3. To display traffic detected from an external source such as SkyEcho
4. To store and call up instrument approach plates in flight
5. For situational awareness whilst flying an approach

There are a few set-up steps to be undertaken on your planning computer and in-flight device:

• Mapping: in Airfield, enable show Radio Navaids and Airways Reporting Points (these are the 2-syllable, 5-letter names in the database of GNSS navigators)
• Setup – Planning: enable ‘Show IFR features’ (otherwise Instrument plates will not appear when you look at aerodrome information)
• Setup – Planning: set the MSA calculation to IFR (1000 feet above, 5nm either side of track)
• Setup – Navigation – Moving Map – set the display to Heading up. In-flight, pressing on the Little North arrow (bottom right) allow you to Select Track up – which is the default SOP for GNSS navigators.

For route planning, we can do all the normal stuff to generate a PLOG, check NOTAMs etc. Flying IFR, we may route via Airways reporting points and the SkyDemon PLOG delivers everything you need to know. If we are using VOR radials and distances to achieve a desired route and avoid Controlled Airspace, we might construct these with SkyDemon to get really accurate Track, Heading and Distance. It’s a bit of a faff; I find it easier to draw the lines on a paper chart and measure the radials and DME distance. It’s your choice.

We can use Instrument Approach plates from SkyDemon in 2 ways:

• Simply use your inflight device to display the plates – they should have downloaded automatically to your device before flight if you have selected the airfield as ‘Land here’.
• As you get closer, the ‘Make Approach’ button will appear bottom left. you can select either Visual or Instrument approach for the desired runway. If you select Instrument approach, the relevant plate will be superimposed (georeferenced) onto your SkyDemon map. Unfortunately, the moving map goes back into North Up mode, as the georeferencing can’t cope with anything else.
• You could also GeoReference the approach plate onto the SkyDemon display from the Airfields Tab, where the Instrument approach plates are listed, by using the ‘Pin’ button.

The georeferenced display are helpful for situational awareness, but not to fly the approach accurately – you need the radio navaids for that! not accurate enough to fly the approach– they are not a substitute for ILS receiver or certified GNSS navigator onboard!

Give it a try – ideally with a safety pilot onboard. In any event, don’t allow operating SkyDemon to distract you from the task of flying the aeroplane.