My new project, Airfields for iOS, has been rejected by the iTunes App Store.

Okay, I’m hounding for publicity. The actual reason for the rejection was a valid one: The app was storing about 9mb of data in an app storage area that, since the release of iOS 5.0.1, would be backed up to iTunes or iCloud. This is only allowed for backup of user data which cannot be recreated by the app itself. So, yes, I was in the wrong.

I made the required changes, and resubmitted. I hope that the app will be available in the next few days. However, if you’re impatient and would like to see some screen shots, please go to this link.

I had several requests to port Spin-a-Wind over to Android. After some learning, and finding a suitable spinning wheel widget (thanks Yuri), I was finally able to translate it over. Some notable differences to the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad version:
- Page tabs are at the top.
- Runway and Wind wheels are continuous.
- No clicking when wheels are moved.
- Radio buttons used instead of selector bar in settings page.

Otherwise, I don’t think that you will find any difference between the versions.

Spin-a-Wind for Android

Thanks to the thousand plus who have purchased Spin-a-Wind on iTunes.

This New York Post article quotes an interview by Sweden’s Expressen with Libya’s Justice Minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil.

In the interview, Abdel-Jalil says that Libyan leader, Moammar Khadafi personally ordered bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi to destroy the Boeing 747 Pan Am Flight 103 and kill all on board, and that he had written proof of this. 259 people on board the flight were killed along with 11 people on the ground.

As you may know, Scotland released the bomber, al-Megrahi on “compassionate” grounds, saying that he had only 3 months to live. That was August 2009, and Mr. al-Megrahi is still living a comfortable life in Libya. The interview said that getting al-Megrahi released had been a priority for Khadafi.

I was with TWA at the time and temporarily based in Frankfurt Germany when this event took place. I visited our operations center at the airport on that morning and remember a Pan Am Boeing 747 pushing back from the gate when I was there. So this issue is a personal one for me.

We all hope that justice will finally be meted out to the perpetrators, to all government officials who ordered the bombing, and to the bomber(s).

Pan Am Flight 103

Spin-a-Wind 2.0 is now available on iTunes. The update addressed a suggestion from a user in Germany who wanted a graphical representation of the runway and wind direction. Also, after talking with other airlines pilots, it seemed like a no-brainer to add another page with a temperature conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit. And, since I had some leftover screen real estate, I employed the somewhat complicated wind-chill formula used by the U.S. National Weather Service and Canada.
It works with all versions of the iPhone and iPod Touch, and probably the new iPad. It doesn’t need an internet connection to function. Visit The Spin-a-Wind Site.

Here are some screen shots:

Spin-a-Wind

Spin-a-Temp

World War II-era navigation system shut down
By Mike M. Ahlers, CNN
February 8, 2010 9:25 p.m. EST

Coast Guard Loran Station Attu in Alaska is one of five that will remain open until June.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
U.S. shut down 19 of 24 land-based Loran-C navigation stations on Monday
Administration says Loran no longer needed in era of Global Positioning System
Critics warn GPS is vulnerable to cyber-attacks, suggest keeping Loran as backup
Washington — Good night, Loran.
In a series of small ceremonies, the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday shut down Loran-C, a navigation and timing system that has guided mariners and aviators since World War II.

Read more at CNN.com

In th pages of the left column, you can find out about my cell phone apps at MechCheck and Spin-a-Wind. You can also see the email that I received concerning the end of the frappr map. If you wish to download an archive of the frappr map, click on it and follow instructions.
The podcast isn’t over yet, just on a long hiatus. Keep checking back here to keep up to date.

Len

To all of you who have listened to my podcasts, I thank you. I will start up again at some future date, but for now, the news is that the Pilotcast and the Fly With Me podcast are starting again.

Please give a listen to both of these very enjoyable podcasts.

MechCheck is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch on the iTunes App Store.

Well, it’s my first effort. Spin-a-Wind is now available on the iTunes app store. You can learn about it here.

I had the pleasure of flying with Joe Balzer several times. Many of you probably remember a news story about a Northwest Airlines crew that was convicted of flying under the influence of alcohol. Here is a link to his website, fllyingdrunk.com.

The book about his experiences will be released on July 15th, and is available for preorder on Amazon.com