EFB bashing whiners

[Rich]

While going through various learning scenarios with the GNS/FS/FF interface I ran into a snag that is probably difficult to predict. I successfully loading a FF-resident Prineville -> Victoria, BC flight I used last year. All good. I added first the DISCO3 arrival into FF and loaded the flight plan into the 530. All good. Then I added the RNAV Z RWY 27 approach. NOT good. The 530 would no accept it. I tried the ILS RWY 27. That was all good.

So then I went back to the enroute+arrival in both (FF -> 530). Then entered the RNAV Z RWY 27 approach into the 530 flight plan and copied from the 530 to FF. That worked fine!!! It does exhibit the expected behavior of replacing all the airways in FF with the underlying/defining waypoints. But the arrival and approach still displayed by name in the FF flight plan and it's all operational.

I've got an inquiry into FF, but I suspect occasional mismatches between the two units' databases causes this behavior and I'll need to be ready for it. It's conceivable that the fact it's a Canadian facility might play a role. The nav data in the GNS units comes from Jeppesen and I think the FF Canadian data might come from Nav Canada.

[Rich]

An additional curiosity. After setting the RNAV approach into the 530 and successfully loading back into FF, I tried loading that exact FP I just loaded from 530 -> FF from FF -> 530, and it failed to load.

The FF crew can not replicate these problems, but in their GNS unit they have Garmin nav data. So they plan to load Jepp nav data into the GNS and retry. Meanwhile I'll be trying some more local FP's I'm more likely to use in the near future.

This isn't a big deal given the workaround, though it's not expected behavior. The FS is still a great little trinket.

[Rich]

I was watching "The Last Samurai" yesterday, in which the leader of the Samurai has said they refuse to lower themselves to use firearms.Into my head popped a picture of an off screen rant by Ken Watanabe saying "With a sword you never run out of ammunition!"