Pilot My-Cast Coming To iPhone & iPod Touch

iPhone and iPod Touch users will soon be able to download Pilot My-Cast by Garmin, a cell phone application that provides aviation weather data, flight planning, and flight filing services to U.S. and Canadian based subscribers.

Pilot My-Cast is unique in that it receives aviation data directly from the National Weather Service, Environment Canada, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Because the data comes from these prominent sources, pilots can be confident the data is up-to-date and accurate.

The main feature of Pilot My-Cast is its robust aviation weather offerings which include NEXRAD Radar, METARs and TAFs displayed in text and graphic formats, panable weather maps, infrared and visible satellite loops, lightning data, winds aloft, and more. The newest feature includes a METAR and TAF bubble map that displays current and predicted weather in a pictorial format. To help pilots when planning their next flight, Pilot My-Cast also now includes standard terminal arrival routes (STARs), standard instrument departures (SIDs), and victor and jet airways.

Pilot My-Cast also has expanded its airport data to include airport diagrams in addition to the AOPA Airport Directory. The AOPA Airport Directory is one of the most comprehensive sources of airport information. It includes information such as pilot services, ground transportation, lodging, restaurants, and local attractions for over 5,300 public-use airports and more than 7,000 FBOs.

Pilot My-Cast makes it easy for subscribers to file a flight plan with a few taps, sending the information to the DUAT(s) providers. Garmin claims that using Pilot My-Cast to file a flight plan is often faster than traditional flight filing methods because the program stores the most recently filed plan so you’ll only need to alter information that has changed from the last time you filed.

Pilot My-Cast is already available for other popular phone models including BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices. It is available from all major wireless carriers in the U.S. as well as from Handmark and Handango.

The Pilot My-Cast application for the iPhone is expected to be available in September. The initial offering will include Pilot My-Cast features such as U.S. and Canadian weather briefings, flight filing, AOPA Airport Directory, and more.Pilot My-Cast will also continue to be available to BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices for $9.95 per month. The majority of these handsets support the new Pilot My-Cast features as well.