DroidEFB User Manual

A user manual for the definitive aviation planning and in-flight support app for Android™. Updated July 2020. DroidEFB Version 2.5.x

Please reference AC91-78 and AIM Chapter 1 for more information regarding removal of paper aeronautical charts from the cockpit and restrictions for use of hand-held devices for navigation. 

Android™ Gestures: (An Android tutorial)

This section is for the novice user and can be skipped if you are fluent with Android.  Otherwise, review the following items for a brief tutorial before getting started.

For more information, please refer to your device specific user manual.

Also see Google Support Tutorial

Subscribe and Install:

All subscriptions are associated with the email address associated with your Google Wallet account.  Retain the receipt page for the initial subscription order and set a reminder to periodically update payment information, as required.

Airport Database and Chart Subscription:

1. Google Play Payment Method – Access play.google.com/store/paymentmethods in a computer browser to verify payment information is up to date.  Credit card and password information is confidential to Google Wallet and is never provided to DroidEFB staff. Subscriptions are automatically recurring unless cancelled. Uninstalling the DroidEFB Application does not cancel the subscription.
2. Choose a Subscription Option – One data subscription is valid for a single user on multiple devices, such as a tablet and a phone. Manage your Google Play Subscriptions at the link below: play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions. Use the link below or visit www.droidefb.com/ to choose a subscription option (subscriptions may be cancelled at any time).

Option 1, standard:

A 30-day free trial is available per user, for evaluation prior to purchase. 

Option 2, standard:

A monthly subscription, renewed automatically, priced at $6.99/mo.

Option 3, standard:

An annual subscription, priced at $74.99/yr.

Option 4, premium:

A premium subscription, with Geo-referenced approach plates and taxi diagrams priced at $149.99/yr. 

*Subscription options and pricing are as of December, 2015.

Note:

Visit our website for special offers and promotional activity!

Upgrade your subscription at any time.  If you start a new subscription, remember to cancel the previous one via Google Wallet to prevent duplicate billing.  Need help or have questions about a refund for an unused portion of a purchase?  Contact support@droidefb.com if you ever have questions or need help managing your account. 

Whether purchasing through Google Play, in app or via our website, all users are autheticated via Google.

DroidEFB Application Installation:

Download – After choosing a standard or premium data option, download and install DroidEFB with your device.  If downloaded from our website, the required DroidEFB.apk can be found in your devices downloads folder.

Install – Touch the DroidEFB.apk to install DroidEFB.  Optionally, DroidEFB can be downloaded and installed from the Google Play Store.  The Play Store icon is located in device applications and will direct you to the Google Play Store, where you can search the keyword “DroidEFB” and choose the install option.

Open -Touch “Open” after installation or locate the DroidEFB launcher icon on your device.  After installation, the DroidEFB icons will be located in the device “Applications”.  Long press an icon to move it to your device home screen.  Touch the icon to launch the app, accept the EULA and navigate through the brief tutorial. 

• Authentication – Your subscription is authenticated using the Google email account associated with your device or devices.  If the Google account used for the subscription is different than the one on your device, add the account via your device settings.  This is required prior to downloading data for offline use, such as airport databases and charts.    

Use the same Google account as the ones used to purchase the “Airport Database and Chart Subscription.”  

If your Google account, password or subscription is ever changed, touch “Main Menu > Account Login” to select or add a different account.

• Choose Data to Download – Once authenticated, touch the “Main Menu > Preferences” and choose “States/Territories” as well as “Chart Types” to be downloaded for use offline.  The RouteMinder™ notification will appear if States/Territories are not downloaded for the planned route.
• Specify path to external storage – Specify the location to store downloaded chart data in “Menu > Preferences > Device Settings > Path to external storage.” 

(Restart application for settings to take effect).

• Data Download Sequence – After “States/Territories” and “Chart types” have been selected for download and path to external storage specified (SD card, if applicable), touch “Update Airports DB”.  This update happens quickly and must be completed prior to selecting “Update Charts”.  Updating charts can take a while, depending on Internet quality and amount of data being downloaded.

Product Support and Community Participation

We enjoy receiving questions, comments and feature requests from our users!

The best way to contact us is by E-mail at support@droidefb.com or you can visit our website: www.droidefb.com/.  We are typically able to respond to questions within 24 hours. 

If you like DroidEFB, please share your experience with others by visiting Google Play and giving us a 5-star review and leaving a comment.

Whether or not you think we deserve 5 stars, send us an email and tell us what we can do better.  You can help us achieve our goal of making DroidEFB as compelling and practical as possible by providing feedback!

To see what others are saying about DroidEFB, Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

DroidEFB Key

DroidEFB Key – Feature Description:
This detailed listing contains a description of the 33 items depicted on the “DroidEFB Key”, page 8. The key is shown with “Split Screen” enabled in Preferences. The top half of the key displays the “chart view” while the lower half displays the “details view”. Some items are suppressed without a GPS signal or data connection (Item 20).

Chart View – Right side:

Items 7-19 discuss the details pointed out on the right side of the DroidEFB key.

Flight Plan Tab –

Touch the Flight Plan tab to open or close it and view or edit waypoints.  Long press the tab to automatically display all planned waypoints on the selected chart.  Touch the “+” symbol to insert an airport, NAVAID, coordinate, victor airway, or intersection. Acceptable coordinate entry formats are as follows (use “:” or “.” to differentiate coordinate type, no spaces):

NOTE: Precise coordinates are used, the only rounding is in the displayed name.

• Degrees.Decimal minutes (DDD): 34.639333,-86.7815
• Degrees:Minutes:Seconds (DMS): 34:38:21,-86:46:53
• Degrees.Minutes.Decimal (DMM): 34.38.360,-86.46.890

Multiple waypoints can be loaded at a time by using spaces between the identifier and name i.e., KHSV RQZ V321 SYI KSYI.  Radial and distance format is FIX/RADIAL/DISTANCE.  Enter planned TAS for a flight while not airborne to calculate estimated time enroute.

Touch an airport, NAVAID, waypoint or coordinate in the flight plan to center it on the chart and view its info box (Item 12).  Long press an airport, NAVAID, waypoint or coordinate for additional options, such as choosing entry and exit points along a victor airway. 

The “Flight Plan Main Menu”, displayed with the Flight Plan tab open, displays the usual actions relative to the current flight plan: Clear, Invert, Save, Load, Delete.  Flight Plan information is automatically transferred to the Flight Pad (Item 1) and Flight Pad Briefing tab for viewing, editing and filing directly with Lockeed Martin Flight Services.  If the route is edited via Flight Pad, you will be given the option to transfer the updated route information to the Flight Plan tab.  The Flight Plan tab will highlight YELLOW when NOTAMs are available via ADS-B or if METAR information has been updated but not yet viewed.

Layers Tab – Touch the Layers tab to open or close it.  Long press to hide all layers for 5 minutes.  While open, options for NEXRAD, Winds, SIG/AIRMETS, METARs, PIREPS, Track Log/Crumbs 

(Visit www.droidefb.com for a Track Log Tutorial), Show Magnetic Rose, Display TFRs and XRX Traffic are available.  Tab layout varies by type of third party device being used.  If an Internet or data connection is not available, deselect data items to prevent connection notifications from appearing while in flight. 

Long press a layer displayed on the chart, such as AIR/SIGMET or TFR for an option to display more information.

Sensors Tab – Touch the Sensors tab to open or close it.  From here, the magnetic heading (Item 32) can be calibrated, the GPS source being used for position calculations can be changed and altimeter setting can be set (for devices with built-in altimeter).  Configure DroidEFB to use built-in altimeter and paired Bluetooth or Wi-Fi devices via the “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > Device Settings.”  DroidEFB looks for built-in and external devices only during initial startup.  Bluetooth devices must be turned on and paired prior to starting DroidEFB.  (Helper apps or mock locations not required)

The built-in altimeter, if enabled, automatically adjusts every 10 minutes when below 30KIAS.  Override the adjustment by changing the altimeter.  If overridden, the altimeter will start updating itself again after one hour.  To start auto adjusting sooner, select “Reset”.  The altimeter will display 29.92 initially and altitude will display in red. 

With a valid weather source available less than 60 minutes old, the altimeter will auto adjust within 15 seconds.  When altimeter data is between 60 and 75 minutes old, the altitude will display in yellow.  When the altimeter is more than 75 minutes old, altitude will display in red.  While airborne, the altimeter may be adjusted from one station to another, as the flight progresses or advised by ATC.  The current altimeter setting does not account for atmospheric irregularities such as being inside a pressurized aircraft, moving to areas of higher or lower pressure, effects of temperature or device calibration errors.  Virtual rotation vector sensor is the recommended setting when displaying magnetic heading.  If use rotation vector is not selected then physical accelerometer + physical magnetic field sensor is being used.  To determine the setting that is best, make sure the magnetic heading triangle (Item 32) is red.  Rotate the device and observe that the indication moves freely and is proportionate to change (i.e. 90 degrees).  If not, deselect “use rotation vector sensor” and try again.

User Waypoint

User waypoints can be created then saved, edited and synced across user devices.  Create a user waypoint by long pressing a location on the chart, an info box (Item 12) generated from the POI Search (Item 4) or GPS WPT.  Acceptable coordinate entry formats are as follows (use “:” or “.” to differentiate coordinate type, no spaces):

NOTE: Precise coordinates are used, the only rounding is in the displayed name.

• Degrees.Decimal minutes (DDD): 34.639333,-86.7815
• Degrees:Minutes:Seconds (DMS): 34:38:21,-86:46:53
• Degrees.Minutes.Decimal (DMM): 34.38.360,-86.46.890

Touch the “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > User Waypoints” to view and edit a waypoint.  Waypoints are synced each time DroidEFB is launched with an Internet connection present and the user logged in.

Info Box – Touch an airport to display the info box.  Touch the Info Box to expand the Details View (Item 24) or press the Back Button to close it. Touch “ID” to for Morse Code.

On IFR, low and high altitude enroute charts, touch NAVAIDs and intersections to view the Info Box, also.  The info box shows bearing and distance in the upper right corner (GPS required), airport elevation, coordinates and ICAO identifier.  With NAVAIDs, the frequency is listed.  With intersections, REP-PT is listed.  For airports, additional information includes the airport name, its town, the size and direction of the longest runway, the CTAF or tower frequency and the current METAR (Data connection required).  

Info Box Action Bar –

Direct-To – This icon is suppressed if GPS position (Items 20 and 30) is not known.  This icon displays by touching a location on the chart, a flight plan waypoint (Item 8) or if a POI (Item 4) has been selected.  Touching the Direct-To adds, inserts or appends the new waypoint into the flight plan tab (Item 8).

Runway Highlight – Touch this icon to select and highlight the intended runway for approach or departure or “Find” the runway.  Arrows along the extended runway centerline indicate traffic pattern direction.  If airspeed is less than 30 knots, the indication displays the appropriate takeoff direction.  If greater than 30 knots, the appropriate landing direction is depicted.  

Weather – Touch this icon or the weather tab (Item 16) to retrieve and display a complete weather summary in the Details View (Item 24).  Touch the toggle icon to change time display.

Choose imagery to display via “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > Imagery.”  This icon is suppressed if a data connection is not available.  Available weather comprises unexpanded text of local METAR history, TAF (if available), Local Radar and Radar Tops.

• Convective AIR/SIGMET with 1, 2 and 3 day outlook
• Satellite with Infrared Color, Visible, Infrared B/W, Water Vapor
• Icing AIR/SIGMET CIP (Current Icing Product) 
• Turbulence AIR/SIGMET with GTG (Graphical Turbulence Guidance)
• Freezing Levels
• Winds 
• METAR history
• Area Forecast
• NOTAMS
• Regional Terminal Flight Restrictions (TFR) Map.

This list can be reduced by touching the “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > Imagery.”

Extended Runway Centerlines –Extended runway centerlines of destination airports are optionally displayed.  The reference markings are spaced 1NM apart and are 10NM long.  Touch the “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > General > Show Destination Runway Centerlines” to toggle this feature.  Use the Runway Highlight feature (Item 13) to overlay runway headings.

NEXRAD Layer – Next Generation Radar is displayed by touching the Layers tab (Item 9) > NEXRAD Base Reflectivity.  Data from all radar sites in the US are shown with color coding to represent strength of returned energy to the radar expressed in values of decibels (dBZ).  DroidEFB does not smooth or otherwise alter the raw image to avoid degrading accuracy.  An active Internet or 3^rd party data connection is required for continuous updating. 

Details View – Right Side:

Items 16-19 discuss the Details View (Item 24) as shown on the right side of the DroidEFB key.

Airport, FBO and Weather Tabs – 

Access the Details View (Item 24) by touching an airport InfoBox (Item 12) to view airport, FBO and weather details.  Fuel Price information is updated continuously, as the data is received from the FBO. 

Touch the weather tab to retrieve and display a complete weather summary, which can be condensed by touching the “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > Imagery.”  

Direct-To – This inserts airport into the Flight Plan and activates it as a current segment.  

Find Airport w/Finder – Touch “Find” to highlight the airports primary runway and view a graphical representation of your current position relative to the displayed airport.  Ground speed, altitude above destination, descent rate required (fpm) to destination, bearing, and range are all shown in the Details View (Item 24).

Show Airport on Chart – Touch to center airport on chart and display the info box (Item 12).  Touching an airport, intersection coordinates or NAVAID listed in the Flight Plan Tab (Item 8) has the same functionality.

Navigation Bar– Bottom:

At the bottom of the display are Android navigation tools (Items 20-23) that are always displayed.

Quick Settings – Touch this group to access additional options such as Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth and system settings or view and acknowledge device and application notifications.  

Multitasking –Touch this icon to see a list of applications running on the device, or to switch between them.  Choosing another application will allow DroidEFB to continue running in the background.

Home Button – Touch this icon to return to the Home screen.  If an application is currently in use, it will continue running in the background.

Back Button –Touch this icon to return to the screen prior to the current one or close an active dialog.  From the chart view, touching the Back button will prompt the user to quit DroidEFB.

Details View – Split Screen – Left side: 

Item 24 shows the Details View which appears after touching the Info Box (Item 12) as pointed out on the left side of the DroidEFB key. 

Details View – The details view displays: 

• Nearest airports (Item 2) (also see DroidEFB Airports, installed with DroidEFB)
• Airport, FBO and Weather details 
• Find 

Information may be displayed in full screen or split screen view using split screen control (Item 5).  Change split screen preferences by touching “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > General > Split Screen.”  Viewable items include AFDs, Airport Diagrams, Alternate/Radar Minimums, Departure/Arrival Procedures and approach plates (Geo-referenced approach plates and airport taxi diagrams available with premium subscription).

Geo-referenced approach plates and airport diagrams are indicated by a small aircraft in the lower right of the Charts and Procedures label.  Select an approach plate to highlight the runway in the chart view.  The last 8 (default) viewed items are displayed as Recent Documents in the Navigation Drawer (Item 1).

Navigation Status Panel – Middle:

Item 25 shows the active waypoint information pointed out on the middle of the DroidEFB key.

1. Active Waypoint Information – Display of Distance (DIS), Estimated Time Enroute (ETE) and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) is activated by entering waypoints into the Flight Plan (Item 8).  Select “Clear Flight Plan” from the Flight Plan tab menu to hide.  Displayed information is relative to the active leg and continuously updates while airborne if GPS is present.  

1. Notifications – Refer to your device notifications (Item 20) for GPS activity and status. 
2. Cross-Track Error – XTK Displays distance and position left or right of course line (Item 29).

Chart View – Left side:

Items 26-32 show the details pointed out on the left side of the DroidEFB key.

Chart Scribbles – Touch the scribbles icon for drawing or writing options on the displayed chart.

1. Airport Reporting Status and Winds – Standard color coded METAR symbols are used to depict flight category as well as cloud coverage:

LIFR – Magenta – Ceiling is below 500AGL and/or less than 1 mile visibility.

IFR – Red – Ceiling 500-1000AGL and/or 1-3 miles visibility.

MVFR – Blue – Ceiling 1000-3000AGL and/or 3-5 miles visibility.

VFR – Green – Ceiling is greater than 3000AGL and visibility greater than 5 miles.

Indeterminate – Gray

Wind direction and velocity barbs are shown in increments from surface to 53000 feet.  

Cloud Coverage		Winds
	CLR/SKC FEW SCT BKN OVC		Calm 5kts 10kts 50kts

METARs and winds require a data connection and can be turned on or off via the Layers tab (Item 9).  

Magnetic Rose – Display this by touching the Layers tab (Item 9) > Show Magnetic Rose.  If disabled, CDI (not shown) and magnetic heading (Item 32) layers are removed.  A CDI (Course Deviation Indicator) display is optionally shown as a green bar within the optional Magnetic Rose (Item 28).  The CDI uses standard Terminal, Enroute and Approach scaling.

Course Rhumb Line – This is the flight planned course or line on the chart to be taken by the aircraft.  While airborne, the active segment is shown in magenta color.  To activate a different segment than the one currently displayed, open the Flight Plan tab (item 8), long press the name of the waypoint at the destination end of the segment you wish to activate and a menu will pop up with the option to “Activate Leg.”  To display the course line as a semi-transparent rather than a solid line, touch the “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > General > Alternate Flight Path Display.”  

Current Position – An aircraft icon is displayed if GPS position is known.  The shape, size and opacity of this icon is configurable via the “Main Menu (item 6) > Preferences > General.”  Select “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > General > Track Prediction” to display distance + heading which shows where the aircraft will be in one minute, distance only or none.  Track is not shown until 10 Knots is exceeded.

A question mark “?” displays if GPS information is “old.”  If unable to calculate GPS heading and track, an “X” will be displayed instead of the airplane symbol.  Refer to your device notifications (Item 20) for GPS activity and status.

 

AIR/SIGMET, PIREP, Wind – AIR/SIGMETs and PIREPs are enabled for overlay via the Layers tab (Item 9) (Data connection required for continuous updates).  Long press a displayed layer, such as AIR/SIGMET or TFR for an option to display more information. 

 

The information callout is notification that a PIREP is available for that location.  Touch the callout box to view the details of the PIREP including time, flight level, aircraft type, sky cover, temperature, wind velocity, turbulence, icing and remarks.

Magnetic Heading – A magnetic heading indication is optionally displayed on the circumference of the compass rose.  The indication may be extremely unreliable unless a device with an accurate compass is used and there are no nearby electromagnetic interferences.  Below 30 Knots, the red triangle appears and is constantly synchronizing to GPS heading.  Above 30 Knots, the triangle turns blue and displays magnetic heading as calculated by the device.  If the display is inaccurate, it may be updated via the sensors tab (Item 10).  Touch the “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > Device Settings > Use the built in compass” to turn this option on or off.  

Track-Up/North-Up Toggle – Optionally, display the chart using track up or North up.  The North pointer always points to magnetic North, either in Track-Up or North-Up mode.  If using Track-Up, it is recommended to enable Hardware Acceleration via “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > Device Settings.”

Flight Pad:

1. The Flight Pad is located under “Navigation Drawer > Flight Pad.”  This semi-automated organization tool automatically imports Flight Plan waypoints into the Departure, Enroute, and Arrival tabs.  Airport diagrams, takeoff minimums, frequencies, arrival and approach procedures may be viewed directly from within Flight Pad.
2. The Flight Pad can be used to record weather or ATC information, as received during the Departure, Enroute or Arrival phase.  Simple E6B calculations are performed, such as headwind/tailwind and performance data.
3. Runway Finder is also available within Flight Pad and displays a representation of your aircraft in relation to the runway in use.

4. Use Scribbles to write clearances, ATC instructions, or draw illustrations.

5. Select the back button to return to the chart view.  Waypoint edits are automatically transferred to the Flight Plan tab.  Plates are automatically imported to the Navigation Drawer.

Filing a Flight Plan:

1. Select the “BRIEF/FILE” tab to “CONFIGURE” and “REQUEST” a briefing or “FILE” a flight plan directly with Lockeed Martin Flight Services
2. Touch “Configure” from the Briefing tab to authenticate user information and set preferences.

3. Touch “Request” from the Briefing tab to file an FAA Flight Plan and/or Request Briefing.  .  “File” and “Brief” remain ghosted until all required information is entered for the flight plan.

SAR Patterns:

The Search and Rescue (SAR) feature is activated by touching “Main Menu > Preferences > General > Enable SAR Patterns.”  Search patterns are easily incorporated into a flight plan using three basic search patterns.  

Parallel track search pattern:

Sector search pattern:

Expanding square search pattern:

Parameters for each search pattern may be adjusted as necessary for effectiveness.

To create a search and rescue flight plan:

1. Long press a waypoint in the Flight Plan tab.  Waypoints are entered into the Flight Plan by touching the “+” or long press a location on the chart and “append” or “insert” a user waypoint into the Flight Plan tab.
2. Touch “Search/Rescue…” option.
3. Verify the starting point is correct, which is also the anchor point for the SAR pattern.  Adjust parameters for size and direction of the route.  Default values appear initially for each pattern type.

4. Be sure to fill in all required fields the select “Add SAR.”

To activate a different segment than the one currently displayed, open the Flight Plan tab, long press the name of the waypoint at the destination end of the segment you wish to activate and a menu will pop up with the option to “Activate Leg.” 

Draw on Charts and Plates:

The drawing feature allows Geo-referenced drawings of traffic patterns, approaches, holds etc. to be overlaid onto any chart or procedure in a selection of colors.  All drawings are saved unless “Clear drawing” is touched, which removes all drawings from that chart or procedure.  

1. Touch the Scribbles icon displayed in the lower left of the chart view to begin.

2. Drawing tools will appear at the top of the screen and includes color selection, undo last segment, clear all drawings and done.
3. When drawing is complete, touch “Done” to return to normal application operation.

Pinch to Zoom/Measure:

Pinch zoom is also a function.  While performing the pinch to zoom motion, bearing and distance are displayed between the two touched points on the screen.  Configure distance to display, nautical or statute miles, by touching “Main Menu (Item 6) > Preferences > General > Use statute miles.” 

Path to External Storage:

We recommend saving and running the DroidEFB application from internal memory and specifying a path to external storage where chart and procedure data are downloaded and stored for offline use.  

Some devices with SD can’t use SD.  If a device manufacturer has elected to have external storage be on-board flash and also has an SD card, you will need to contact that manufacturer to determine whether or not you can use the SD card (not guaranteed) and what the rules are for using it. 

Access “Main Menu > Preferences > Device Settings > Path to external storage” to specify the file path. 

Restart the application after specifying a new file path for changes to take effect.

Once complete, navigate to the home screen > applications > files > device storage >android > data and delete the com.droidefb.web or com.droidefb.play folders not being used. 

Google Search Settings:

Tap on the Google search bar from the Home Screen then choose “Menu > Settings” to configure your device to search the DroidEFB database from the Google search bar.  Results may vary by device.

Obstacle data:

Obstacles taller than 200’ AGL are displayed on the chart with speeds above 30 Knots.  Red indicates obstacle within 200 feet of current position, yellow indicates obstacles within 1000 feet and gray indicates obstacles more than 1000 feet to 3000 feet below current position.

Special Use Airspace – Legend Information:

Long press within the depicted boundaries of a Restricted (R) Area, Prohibited (P) Area, Military Operations Area (MOA), Alert Area (A), Warning Area (W) or National Security Area for an option to display its details.  Revisions to this information are published annually and no updates are published between editions.  Flight Service maintains the most up to date information regarding SUA.

SIG/AIRMETs Layer:

The SIG/AIRMET “Layers” dropdown allows plotting of particular hazards such as icing, convection, turbulence, IFR, mountain obscuration and volcanic ash.  All items may be shown at once or selected individually to reduce clutter and improve device performance.  Like TFRs, long press a displayed icon or region to view raw AIRMET or SIGMET data.

SIGMET:

A SIGMET (Significant Meteorology Information) advises of weather potentially hazardous to all aircraft other than convective activity.  SIGMETs are issued for:

1. Icing –
2. Turbulence –
3. Convection –
4. Volcanic Ash –

AIRMET:

An AIRMET (Airman’s Meteorological Information) advises of weather potentially hazardous to all aircraft but that does not meet SIGMET criteria.  AIRMETs are issued for:

1. Icing –
2. Turbulence –
3. Mountain Obscuration –
4. IFR –

Updating Charts and Airport Databases: 

The first time you use DroidEFB, it will be necessary to select the chart types, states and territories you wish to download data for.  “Update Airports DB” must be selected prior to “Update Charts”.  This updates a textual database for the entire country, regardless of states or territories selected.  “Update Charts” checks the Airports DB for imagery, charts and procedures needing downloaded based on States/Territories and Chart Types selected under Preferences.  Each time DroidEFB is launched, a “Data Expires” dialog appears momentarily indicating when either Charts or DBs are no longer current.

If you experience trouble updating data, verify the quality of your Internet connection and Account Login credentials.  You may also try using our alternate download server, selectable via the “Menu > Preferences > General > Alternate Download Server.”  Changing Internet connections during download, such as Wi-Fi to mobile, or pressing the back button will halt the update.

1. States/Territories Selection – To select states and territories, touch the “Menu > Preferences > States/Territories.”  Choosing all states requires upward of 8GB storage and 30 minutes or more of download time, depending on device and Internet speed.

2. Chart Types Selection – To select chart types, touch the “Menu > Preferences > Chart Types.”

3. Downloading Data – The next step is a two-step process and is only required once every 28 days (Thursdays), when prompted to do so. 

Terminal Procedures, Sectional Charts and TAC with legend may be downloaded digitally from http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/.

Cool Extra Stuff: 

The following pages contain instructions for connecting and interacting with optional third party devices.  As DroidEFB. implements and tests these devices, the manual will be updated to reflect advances of functionality.  Helper apps are not needed nor should “Allow mock locations” be selected on ALL Android devices.

Zaon XRX Traffic Awareness Integration:

DroidEFB  and the Zaon XRX Portable Collision Avoidance System (PCAS) integrate to provide high-quality, low cost traffic information.  Direction, range and relative altitude of threats are displayed on the chart, in relation to the aircrafts current position.  

1. Obtain a PCAS XRX and connect it to the XRX BlueLink Bluetooth module available from www.zaon.aero.
2. See “Placement Considerations” and “Compass Calibration” in your XRX Owner’s Manual.
3. Use the “Com” menu on the PCAS XRX to choose “Profile 1” or “Anywhere Map” as the output method.
4. Use the “Alt” and “Range” menus on the PCAS XRX to set detection range to 6NM and ±2500 feet.
5. Touch the Layers tab > XRX Traffic on DroidEFB (GPS required).

Baron WxWorks Integration:

1. Obtain WxWork data receiver, Baron Mobile Link device and Wi-Fi antenna from www.baronservices.com/mobilelink
2. Obtain a XM WX Satellite Weather subscription.
3. Configure SSID by touching the “Menu > Preferences > Device Settings > Baron MobileLink SSID.”  The SSID must match the one the MobileLink device uses, which is “MobileLink” by default.
4. Establish a Wi-Fi connection with your Android device and Baron Mobile Link.

Acknowledgements

For questions or comments regarding the DroidEFB data, application or this manual, contact the DroidEFB Support Team at support@droidefb.com