Seattle Avionics Announce Breakthrough “Slingshot” Wireless Chart System
Seattle, WA, July 19, 2018 – Seattle Avionics today announces a breakthrough wireless data transfer system that saves pilots hours of chart updating time. With the new Seattle Avionics Slingshot system, ChartData downloaded to FlyQ EFB on an iPad or iPhone can be streamed directly via Wi-Fi to the BendixKing xVue Touch and AeroVue Touch MFDs without any additional downloads. In this way, a pilot downloads data once and uses it on two completely different systems, the iPad/iPhone EFB app, and the installed MFD or smart display.
“Virtually all pilots fly with an iPad, even those with in-panel avionics. But until now, they had to download essentially the same data separately to their iPad app and their avionics system, wasting valuable time,” said Steve Podradchik, Seattle Avionics CEO. “Now with our patent-pending Slingshot technology, pilots save hours because FlyQ wirelessly streams its ChartData directly to avionics systems. We are ecstatic to have BendixKing and their exciting new xVue Touch system as our flagship launch partner. We’re also working with other partners to extend Slingshot to other systems.”
Using Seattle Avionics’ Slingshot system, xVue Touch customers can skip downloading data to a PC, copying it to a USB stick, and copying it again to the xVue Touch. Rather, they just bring their iPads loaded with FlyQ into the cockpit, hit a button, and they are good to fly with both xVue Touch and FlyQ almost immediately.
Slingshot is in beta testing now and expected to be available to customers very soon. It can be seen during the AirVenture show in Oshkosh, WI next week at the BendixKing complex.
Seattle Avionics provides ChartData to several BendixKing products including the xVue Touch, AeroVue Touch, and the KSN 770. It also provides ChartData to more than 20 other major aviation companies worldwide including Northrup Grumman, Aspen, Dynon, GRT, AFS, and more.
Flying with Seattle Avionics 
how about creating a datastream that is compatible with Garmins
Garmin for better or worse is the leading instrument supplier
LikeLike
Entirely different issue as that requires Garmin to work with us. We’re working on talking with them about Flightstream integration but not Slingshot. Still, I have to disagree that Garmin is the only interesting company out there. In fact, if you look at the folks we already supply data to — BK/Honeywell, Dynon, AFS, GRT, Aspen, etc. plus a few more I can’t talk about yet, this covers a lot more planes.
LikeLike
Steve, Does the possible Flightstream integration include the Flightstream built into the GTX 345? I emailed and called Garmin requesting that it includes FlyQ along with Foreflight and Garmin Pilot, that it already works with. Garmin did not respond to the email and the call didn’t appear to produce anything, so I understand what you mean by “working on talking with them”.
LikeLike
Flightstream would mean the 345, yes.
LikeLike
What about my aspen updates.
Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLike
What about them? Do you mean does Slingshot support Aspen? If so, at the moment, no. Aspen has to write some code to work with Slingshot. We’ve emailed them and described the process but no word yet (that was just yesterday) about when/if they’ll support it. I’d suggest calling or emailing them (ideally with the link to that video) and express a desire to have it.
Thanks, Steve
LikeLike
[…] personal note: We have a major new release coming out (the Slingshot wireless tech) and another completely unique feature also being worked on (can’t talk about that one yet). […]
LikeLike
Will it up date a Garmin 430 ?
LikeLike
Hi Art. Not at the moment. We do not supply data to Garmin. Our current ChartData partners are BendixKing, Dynon, AFS, GRT, Xavion, Naviator, AvMap, AvPlan, and Droid EFB. BendixKing is demonstrating Slingshot w/ their new xVue and AeroVue systems. We expect other ChartData partners to follow shortly but cannot guarantee this. I would talk to Garmin and encourage them to work with us.
LikeLike
Supporting Avidyne’s IFD’s?
LikeLike
I would love, love, love, love to say yes to that. We’ve been back and forth with them over data for years and they never quite agree that they have the time to do the work. I think they want to but they seem to think it’s incredibly hard although BendixKing and Aspen implemented our certified data in days. Not to mention Dynon, AFS, GRT and even ForeFlight and WingX back in the day. I might suggest calling/writing/emailing them with a particular emphasis on Slingshot since that gives them a huge advantage over Garmin.
LikeLike
Steve, Will Slingshot work through Foreflight to update Dynon, or is it only through FlyQ EFB?
LikeLike
Certainly not. This is a FlyQ EFB feature. Moreover, it CANNOT work w/ ForeFlight because Dynon uses our ChartData so FlyQ and Dynon share the same format. And we have a patent-pending on it. FlyQ EFB is less expensive, easier to use, and has all the same (and more) connectivity features to SkyView as ForeFlight does.
LikeLike
[…] Slingshot is getting a lot of media attention very quickly! […]
LikeLike
[…] still in Seattle working on Slingshot and a hush-hush secret project but the team claims to be working hard in OSH right now. When I […]
LikeLike
Hi Steve,
i do not like apple anything. I fly with an Android tablet sometimes, but like all tablets, in turbulence, it is not easy to use. I know several pilots who do not use foreflight or IPADs. I therefore think your statement may be incorrect.
Andy
LikeLike
Thanks Andy. But which statement? Easier to use than ForeFlight? Actually that’s not so much me as the vast majority of comments on I see on the App Store about FlyQ.
And, oddly, I know several tens of thousands of pilots who do not use ForeFlight either 😉
LikeLike
[…] xVue Touch (or several other devices shortly), you can even use our incredible (and patent-pending) Slingshot wireless feature to get the data almost instantly transferred from FlyQ […]
LikeLike
If I purchased this product will I be able to load database updates to an avmap Geo pilot 2 manually?
Thank you
LikeLike
Hi Steven. Nope, I’m afraid not. it’s meant for newer in-panel systems like the BendixKing xVue Touch (and other vendors are actively working on supporting it)
LikeLike
[…] the Augmented Reality in FlyQ InSight and the Slingshot wireless data transfer system, we’re applying for a patent on it. Unfortunately the patent isn’t done yet so […]
LikeLike
[…] Version 3.2 (7/26/18) + Slingshot: Patent-pending wireless ChartData for in-panel systems like BendixKing xVue Touch + Appareo Stratus 3 support + Fix for Send to Avidyne + Fix for iOS 9 screen layout + Misc. fixes […]
LikeLike
what about the KSN770? Is it a hardware or software issue as to why this GPS/Navigator/MFD never seems to get wireless connectivity or ADSB-In. Would be nice to use Slingshot with FlyQ to upload chart data and flight plans into the KSN770
LikeLike
The 770 has no wireless connectivity to anything, I’m afraid. The newer xVue Touch has WiFi baked in.
LikeLike
Ok, I thought it had to be a hardware problem. whoever designed that sure didn’t plan for the future, that’s to bad.
LikeLike
Well – all the folks we’ve worked with at BK are very smart, well-meaning, customer-centric people. We’ve worked with them for years. I think it’s more a matter of the 770 being in development for a very long time — started before WiFi connectivity was important. They are developing things really fast these days with their newer products like the xVue Touch and AeroVue Touch. In fact, I was answering an email from their engineering team regarding a question about Slingshot and the xVue a few minutes ago. BK also seems to treat their customers like kings — which is how it should be.
LikeLike
Makes sense. No offense intended. I have really wanted to buy their products vs Garmin, (and I am a SA customer btw). I guess it just comes down as to whether connectivity to an IPAD is important when it comes to a GPS navigator. I can see how this becomes less relevant when connected to a X–vuie or Aerovue Touch which have the wireless built in and will display ADSB In flight plans etc
LikeLike
Let me know when it will interface with the garmin 510. only foreflight and garmin pilot work with it as far as i know. Thanks Ray
LikeLike
Just to be clear, Ray .. we’d do it in a millisecond when Garmin allows us. With Apple devices, the device vendor (Garmin) must specifically add FlyQ to the list of devices they allow to see the Bluetooth data. We support dozens and dozens of systems and would love to support them if they would only allow us. That said — if you’re mainly interested in seeing ADS-B data from your Garmin appear on FlyQ — you can do that today by adding a $150 hardware add-on. See: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Flight-Log-Oct-2018–FlyQ-EFB-4-0–FlyQ—Garmin–iOS-12-1–Black-Friday.html?soid=1102176322542&aid=MQAt4jjladg
LikeLike
Any timeline for this to work with the KSN770. Looking at the schematics of the 770, they should be able to add wireless. even a wireless connection though a USB device?
LikeLike
My understanding is that there is no current plan to add WiFi to the KSN but you’d have to ask BK to be sure. I hope I’m wrong.
LikeLike
I have ask Shane @ BK the same question and received the same answer. Fascinating, as a wireless device through the USB port would work and really should be that hard.
LikeLike
should not be that hard…
LikeLike
I would almost guarantee you that if Seattle made one, many if not most KSN 770 would use it. However, not sure if there are 10s, 100s, or 1,000s of KSN 770 users?
LikeLike
I think the issue is hardware in that the USB connector used in the KSN was USB 1.0 and the data transfer speed would be a problem. May be wrong but that is also why updates via the USB stick take a while (and also because the KSN copies the data from the USB drive to internal storage; most other systems require the stick or card to remain in the device and read the data as required from the card or stick — no transfer to internal storage)
LikeLike
Curious, do you think the the KSN 770 users in the 10s or 100s?
LikeLike
I think it’s a very good unit and selling pretty well. I’d rather not try to make a specific guess but, based on the #s you suggested, I believe your estimates are much lower than actual sales.
LikeLike