Products Support News & Events Corporate Information 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GPS?
What Questions Should I Ask About GPS Systems?
What's the Difference Between DynaNav’s Visual Display Unit and a Light Bar?

Is it Possible to Shorten Turn Times Without Increasing G-Loading?
How Can DynaFlight Systems Help Me Apply More Acres per Hour?


What is GPS?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a worldwide radio navigation system of satellites and their ground stations. GPS uses these satellites as reference points to calculate geographical positions accurately to a matter of meters. In fact, with advanced forms of GPS, including systems like DynaFlight-AirAg, guidance to within a few inches is now available. These days, GPS is finding its way into aircraft, cars, boats, construction equipment, movie making gear, farm machinery, and even laptop computers. Some receivers are miniaturized, making them very economical and, therefore, accessible to almost everyone. More information

back to the top

What Questions Should I Ask About GPS Systems?

Most pilots think of ease of use, safety and dependability, along with cost, when choosing a GPS guidance system.

Ease of Use

1. I do a lot of irregularly shaped field areas. What restrictions does your system place on this?
    

2. How many hours of training will it take for me to learn the system?
    

3. If conditions change or I run out of daylight and have to leave the area before finishing, can the system will allow me or another pilot to return at any time to complete the job without over-spraying or having misses?
    

4. How many patterns am I restricted to and what do I do if I have a miss? Do I have to land and review the job?

Safety

A lot of pilots have told us the "G loading" on them and their aircraft is a safety concern. It is well known that moving your head to look from your flight view down into the cockpit during turns or “G loading” can induce vertigo as well as body stress. Plus, when the load is full at the beginning of a job, "G" forces in the form of wing loading also come into play and can lead to wing stalling at a critical point in the flight path.

1. Where is the job review or operations display unit mounted and how far from my line of vision is it? Under what conditions do I have to take my eyes off the windscreen to look at the display?
    

2. How do I know if I have a miss, how do I check the miss, and how do I set the system for redoing the missed area?
    

3. How can your system and its patterns help with safer turns on a full load?
    

4. I like to keep my hands on the flight controls and the "money stick." How often do I have to take my hands off and fiddle with knobs or buttons?
    

5. Can I safely see and review my application pattern in the guidance display while still flying, or is it safer to land to review it?

back to the top

Dependability

The dependability of the system and its repair or replacement time are key to system affordability. Few things are more frustrating — or costly to both the pilot and the company — than system problems.

1. What can break down on your system and how long will it take to fix?
    

2. Is there anything I can fix myself or must I uninstall the unit, package it up and send back for repair?
    

3. Do you have a loan service so that I can continue to earn my living while you’re fixing my system?
    

4. What is your warranty plan and how long does it last?

Obsolescence

A lot of pilots express concern that their GPS systems, even the more expensive ones, seem to require upgrading every two or three years, no matter how much they've cost in money or time.

1. How often would you recommend I upgrade my hardware?
    

2. How often would you recommend I upgrade the software and how much will it cost?
    

3. Can the system be upgraded without having to trade in my equipment?
    

4. Is there really such a thing as an upgrade or do I have to trade in the whole system to obtain new features and benefits?

back to the top

What's the Difference Between DynaNav’s Visual Display Unit and a Light Bar?

Using the DynaViz™ display is like driving down  the centre line of a road. It's intuitive and the pilot's eye is naturally drawn forward down the centre of the swath line, enabling pilots to fly a straighter course. What's more, the system continually updates itself, darkening the line already covered so the areas not yet covered are obvious to the pilot. The electroluminescent display is easily visible in any light and can be adjusted for night-time flying.

Nor is the DynaViz™ display just a flight guide. It is connected to the DynaFlight System, so information such as the swath width, spray, distance sprayed and overlap is displayed on screen when needed, not unlike in the glass cockpit of a commercial aircraft. Customer and job records can even be accessed without the pillot having to look away from the windshield and without the distraction of flashing lights.

With a light bar, the pilot has already gone off course when the lights flash, so the flight path is corrected after the fact, making it much harder to fly straight. And, of course, the light bar provides information only about the accuracy of the flight path. For further detail on a particular application, pilots have to look elsewhere.

Pilots have told us that they prefer the accuracy and ease of use of the DynaViz™ display unit to a traditional light bar. Applications are more accurate and straighter, making it possible to increase swath width, improve coverage and minimize over-application on the overlap. More efficient, economical and easy to use, the DynaViz™ display is hard to refuse.

back to the top

Is it Possible to Shorten Turn Times Without Increasing G-Loading?

Using the DynaFlight™ system, pilots can create their own pattern of swath lines to suit conditions at that time, and then fly those lines in whatever order they choose. Flying their own patterns enables pilots to minimize both turn times and the teardrop turns which generate so much G-loading.  By analyzing the data from real field applications, DynaNav has actually proven that race track turns are more efficient, safer and lead to the application of more acres per hour. And, of course, less G-loading means less stress on both pilot and aircraft, which means fewer down days due to health and maintenance issues.

How Can DynaFlight Systems™ Help Me Apply More Acres per Hour?

Applying More Acres per Hour, safely and accurately, is of prime importance to pilots. With a DynaFlight system a pilot:

1. Will be able to view or review the total job in a heads up display mounted on the dash. Clean-up can be done easily on the job. No worries about vertigo.
    
2. Instantly selects the best line that will avoid heavy wing loading and G forces. No pre-set patterns means you fly the best line for the job at that time.
    
3. Experiences shorter turn times with less 'G's. Shorter turn times translate to more acres per hour.
    
4. experiences fewer misses and go-arounds because not having a pre-set pattern, makes it easier to choose the best intercepting line.
    
5. Can instantly see if a line has been missed and can fill in when it’s convenient, without having to land.
    
6. Can keep his hands on the flight controls and money stick instead of fiddling with knobs. Time is spent flying, not fiddling.
    
7. Can enter an unlimited number of points for application areas. In forestry applications, there’s no need to parse and/or adjust the polygons into a pre-set number of points.
    
8. Can have all your customers records available on board the aircraft at all times. No worries about customer records being on the ground when you’re in the air.
    
9. Can have an unlimited number of fields and applications available for each customer. Download at YOUR convenience-not during prime flying time.
    
10. Can enter an unlimited number of unfinished fields for customers. No matter what the circumstances, you can ALWAYS finish those fields later.
     
11. Will be able to learn the operation of the system in about one hour on the ground. Shorter training times means more air production time.

When you’re ready to compare GPS aerial application systems, be sure to ask our competitors how their product can help you apply more acres per hour.

And if you’re ready to apply more acres per hour, please contact us: moreacres@dynanav.com

back to the top