Sky4sim virtual iPad (maps, frequencies, weather, pdf viewer and more)

(Moved this thread from the VR forum to the third party addon forum, as it is useful in both 2d and VR)

Sky4Sim is a very useful virtual tablet for MSFS, see below official website for full feature list and some youtube video reviews below.

Note I am not the developer of the app, but developer @Sb3uh has made some posts below

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It is amazing !!! I bought it last night and it’s even better than I thought. A must have for VR ! I love to use Navigraph for Airlines and this one is perfect for GA. Finally you can just fly and find frequencies without removing your headset plus you get METAR info and live weather. I don’t understand why no one is using this yet *it’s been out for a week). It is probably my top 1 utility right now. The install process may be a bit complicated for some people because you need to create an account for BING and AVWX to create 2 API KEYS but after that, it’s a breeze to use. Highly recommended. :+1: :+1:

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EDIT:
Not exactly a game changer, but a very useful, minimalist EFB. It works well in 2D, but VR use is problematic, since it must be launched with the Toolbar, which is broken as of SU7. However, I was able to get the CTRL + 0 method to work and fine with doing this until Asobo resolves the clicking problem.

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I agree that having this capability is a must for VR users. But there is already a well established set of panels available for purchase for a slightly lower price and in my opinion they’re better.

I bought the Sky4Sim panels and also have the other panels I mentioned from Rafael Santos. Comparing the two, I much prefer the Rafael Santos panels. First, the PDF viewer is much better. You just put some PDF’s in a folder and then you can see them in the game without having to open them all. I tried the PDF viewer in Sky4Sim and found it difficult because on every flight you have to open each PDF individually before they’re available for viewing. While in RS’s PDF panel all the PDFs are available immediately.

Plus he has a panel for Little Navmap which I constantly use. With the Little Navmap panel you can get much more detailed airport and frequency information. You can setup your flight plan ahead of your flight in little navmap and then view the flight plan in the panel. Plus there’s other panels that do things that aren’t available in Sky4Sim such as a descent calculator and scratchpad.

The advatage I noticed in the Sky4Sim panels is the keyboard that pops up when you need to type something. RS’s panels don’t have a keyboard so it’s more clunky when you need to enter data. But mostly you’re only entering 4-letter airport codes so it’s not too difficult.

So if I was to advise someone, I would advise they purchase RS’s panels instead. I’m not affiliated with either product. I just much prefer RS’s panels after using both of them side-by-side.

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Thanks @RebuffedBee9595 for pointing out our addon here. We really appreciate that community enjoys our work!

@Mayhem6633 Thanks for your feedback, we don’t know the product you are talking about, but we would like to clarify some point on Sky4Sim:

  • Once uploaded to the Pad, a PDF remain in the PAD until users delete it so user don’t have to open each PDF individually before each flight like you mention. The conversion system used by sky4sim allows the simulator to save performance regarding the usage of a regular PDF, hence why we chose that solution instead of directly reading PDF files. We consider that in the simulator every performance optimisation is important!

  • There is no less information about airport and frequency in sky4sim pad regarding Little Navmap, as both product source the same simulator data. If you didn’t find the information you wanted while using our product, contact me or our team and we will be happy to help and improve to the best of our ability.

While we understand and agree that sharing feedback is crucial, we hope to keep information on our product to be accurate, to not mislead the public.

Sebastien
Sky4Sim Developer

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Note I added a second youtube video link in the original post, it goes through the features better than the first.

I’ve now had a few flights with this and am very happy with it, it is a neat solution for VFR style flights without taking off the headset. Things I like:
-Map which allows you to show airports, navaids, points of interest, with tower ATIS and navaid frequencies displayed just by hovering mouse over. Also can filter out airports that don’t have ILS or night lighting.
-Can click into each airport for more details with photo, runway lengths etc
-Can make simple flight plans in the app on the map screen, by double clicking where you want each waypoint. You can then view the flight plan on a separate screen, which includes navaid frequencies if you chose a navaid as a waypoint, and bearings, estimated times etc.
-Sim weather and METAR viewer
-PDF viewer seems good, I like how it saves the page number and zoom level so as you flick between tabs on the Ipad you go straight back to where you were last reading. I may still use Ebag as well as I sometimes like to have a MASSIVE chart floating in the copilot seat for close inspection.

However I am not a user of littlenavmap and was actually not aware of the Rafael Santos app mentioned above, so cannot compare the two.

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I have FS Kneeboard. It’s pretty much the same functionality.

I love a new gadget or app I cant resist. Sky4Sim for me is the best of the lot for me.

Easy to set up with the onscreen instructions.
East to use - the quick navigation bars are great. (edge of the map)
The ability to plan and amend a route while flying and than be able to load in into MSFS is great.
Quick access to weather and airport data.
POIs for quick flights is super handy.

I think having everything in one panel is very nice and clean. I would say this offers something for everyone. If you like quick flying or using one of the career addons and you want to add a little bit more realism this is great for lining up your approach etc without being too in depth. But if you want to go in depth you can too. You can load up charts, checklist, maps, instructions, notes etc etc.

Great app. Great in VR too.

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Thank you for creating this add-on, I just purchased and will have a thorough play around with it.
Are there any expansion/updates planned at all? Also how open are you to Requests? Many Thanks

Some updates are currently planed. And in the future some new “Pad applications” will get released. The scratchpad is likely to be the most asked currently :slight_smile: But we already had some cool and uncommon propositions like a radio / mp3 player in the Pad.

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Oooohhhhh an MP3 player would be amazing, I currently use the trusty WinAmp with the SteamVR Overlay app (OVR Toolkit). But I’m gradually trying to solely use WMR and that’s where your app will fit in nicely. A bonus would be the ability to use that :+1:t4: Thanks

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Is there a Navigraph integration or planned to be? Loadsheet nd paperwork from simbrief would be a plus

I only fly VR and mostly the Hawk and navigating is far more fun just using the compass and stop watch than a GPS. This make this apps flight planner very useful. Simply click your way points on map and view the flight plan which shows the bearing, distance and time (after you input your target speed) and the rest is up to you and your gauges.

Navigraph would be a great addition. I also fly the H145 and its EFB has it integrated. Whilst Navigraph has an in-game app it’s much neater having it the EFB.

I cannot get the flight plan save function to work or am able to load a .pln into the tablet. There is really very little documented help I have been able to find in the Help tab guide document. Has any one else been able to save or load flight plans while inside the tablet? If so, can you share how you did it?

Update, issue resolved:
Just got an email from Sky4Sim that solved my issue, great customer support!
I did not point to the correct file folder in MSFS where the .pln files are stored. My mistake was thinking there would be a button to search for a .pln file on my computer. As it turns out, you need to move the .pln file to this default folder for it to show up on the tablet. Once there it opens fine. Here was their guidance in case others have the same issue.

Your Sky4Sim Pad.exe application needs to know where is located your MSFS (the location where you can save / load .fpl and .pln files from the world map in MSFS). You can know where is located your current MSFS direct from the MSFS world map by trying to load a flight plan in MSFS. (It will open a Browse window pointing to that location)

Once Sky4Sim Pad.exe point to your MSFS directory location, inside the pad, in the Fplan application, on the Open/Save tab you have a refresh icon that will list all PLN file located in your MSFS directore. Double clicking any of this will open the PLN associated. Which means you can open a PLN created with MSFS world map, but also from simbrief or any other tool able to build a FPL. And you will also be able to save a fpl to that folder

So :

  1.        Point the MSFS folder ins Sky4Sim Pad.exe -> Tab Documents
    
  2.        After creating the fplan on MSFS world map, save it with the name of your choice
    
  3.        Once in the cockpit, go into FPlan application -> Open/Save tab -> Refresh if needed -> Double click on your flight plan
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I’ve just been using Sky4Sim for the first time. A couple of issues I encountered:

When trying to move the pad by single hold clicking on the status bar, it froze the whole SIM until I released the mouse button.

When I tried clicking the usual minimize icon, I had a CTD (I’ve never had a CTD before).

This looks really great. Although, I use a Rift S. What kind of issues are people having?

Will this be coming to Simmarket?

I love this add on. I am currently adding all my checklists, manuals, and briefings via the document structure. Which is awesome! Prior to using this tool I had too panels open at once and it took away from the experience in VR. Now this tool really helps me simulate having an iPad in the cockpit with me.

Regarding future updates, I look forward to seeing what this developer comes up with.

Great stuff!

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Help! When I install Sky4Sim, it works, but it disables the Content Manager in FS2020 – all I get is a spinning circle…If I uninstall Sky4Sim, the Content manager works again.

Looks like I have a conflict between Sky4Sim and the Bijan Seasons add-ons. Sky4Sim loads OK alone without messing up the Content Manager. With several of the Seasons files for the Northern Hemisphere Fall/Winter and 3D Trees loaded, the Content Manager won’t load. I’ll try to isolate the Seasons problem file(s) when I get a moment…

That’s weird, I have seasons, 3d trees etc and no problem with sky4sim