iFlyHotair - Hotairballoon app

Hotairballoon weight calc

$2.99

12.1for iPhone, iPod touch

Henri van Bommel

Developer

4.2 MB

Size

Oct 26, 2023

Update Date

Utilities

About iFlyHotair - Hotairballoon app

This app is build to make the hotair balloon load calculation as easy as possible for the pilot. The app contains a database of common hotairballoon components available on the market. In case you find missing components please let us know and we will add them to the app. This app is in the appstore for years now. This app works best when you have a WIFI or a mobile network available. It will work offline but it that case more manual setups are required that would be automatic otherwise. Weight calculation results can be emailed for later reference or auditing.

You can configure:
Persons on board
Cylinders
The envelope
Basket and burner
Meteo information
Temperature in celsius or fahrenheit
Weight in kg or pounds
Tank volume in liters, US-gallons or UK-gallons
Envelope volume in cubic meters or cubic feet
Altitude in meters or feet
Envelope volumes in m3 and ft3

METAR info can be retrieved automatically for an given airfield to:
Retrieve actual ground temperature
Determine actual field elevation *
Retrieve current QNH

All configuration data is kept locally on your iPhone.
Multiple balloon configurations can be stored.
Envelope volumes can be entered in cubic meters or in cubic feet x1000. The app determines automatically if cubic meters or cubic feet are used based on the entered value. For values greater than 1000, cubic meters are assumed, cubic feet (in thousands) for values less than 1000.

Note: When all automatic options are selected the following steps are taken to retrieve meteorological and field information:
Search for the nearest airport that provides a METAR report
Using the retrieved METAR get the QNH and temperature.
When your phone contains a barometer field elevation is determined
The retrieved values are then used to perform the load calculation

In some cases you may not want all options selected. If you are for example preparing your flight at noon you may want to enter the ground temperature manually because it will differ when you are flying in the evening.

This app was made by balloon pilots for balloon pilots. In case you are missing any cylinder, basket or burner types in the configuration list please supply information details of those to us and we will update the app. For questions or Recommendations please contact info@hotballoon.nl

The load calculation results can be send to any place, so they can be used for later reference, when your device has Email capabilities.

What's New in the Latest Version 12.1

Last updated on Oct 26, 2023

Old Versions

App crash fix, updated airport database, QNH and Altimetersetting labels are now shown depending on provided airport METAR data.

Version History

12.1

Oct 26, 2023

App crash fix, updated airport database, QNH and Altimetersetting labels are now shown depending on provided airport METAR data.

11.7

Jul 12, 2022

Added new Schroeder baskets and updated existing basket weights.

11.6

Apr 26, 2022

Bug fix for reported app crashes on iPhone 12.

11.5

Apr 11, 2022

Minor fix: Enable "Auto retrieve field elevation switch" also after "Auto retrieve QNH" is enabled on Env settings screen.

11.4

Apr 10, 2022

Change "Max all up weight" to "Allowed all up weight" on results screen. This to better describe its purpose. The value either indicates the maximum calculated or the manufacturer max all up weight. The lower value is always used. When flying at low temperatures (like at 7 degrees celsius or less) this can make a difference because in that case the manufacturer defined value may become smaller than the calculated theoretical value. The theoretical value, based on the defined max allowed envelope temperature (also called cruise temperature), does not take material limits in account but the manufacturer one does. Some other changes related to load calculation corner cases for manual supplied data where also implemented in this release.

11.3

Apr 9, 2022

New Feature: MLM, Minimum Landings Mass. The minimum landing weight is determined by assuming all tanks are empty at landing time, the worst case scenario. When MLM is set to zero minimum landing mass is not checked. You will find the value for the balloon specific landing mass value in the balloon flight manual. When limits are exceeded this is indicated by "max all up weight (MLM!)" and a red colored label of the all up weight value on the right side of the screen. When all is good the all up weight value is colored green. Note: Minimum Landing Mass is typically about 50% of MTOM (Maximum Take Off Mass). Also updated the airport database for METAR rertrieval.

11.2

Apr 6, 2022

The MTOM, Maximum TakeOff Mass specified by the balloon manufacturer, now can also be set. When the value is exceeded this will be indicated on the results screen by a red colored "Max all up weight" value. When takeoff mass is not exceeded the value is colored green. When is value is set to "0" no MTOM checking is done. The MTOM value can be found in the balloon specific flight manual. The in-app help is also updated to describe this new feature.

11.1

Apr 5, 2022

The email report has been extended to contain cylinder weight and propane volume for each cylinder and totals for all cylinders on board. Fixed a problem where basket and burner was not correctly saved and restored. Also fixed a bug where a keyboard comma was not correctly handled. It is now force to a decimal dot where applicable. The METAR local time on the results screen is now shown correctly when daylight saving time (summertime) is active. Note: this is a brand new rewritten version of this app. In case you discover any problems please report them, we appreciate it.

11.0

Mar 24, 2022

This app has been completely rewritten in Swift to make it future proof.

10.5

Feb 14, 2022

Bug fix, Cylinder Settings screen broke on ios15.0 and later, part2. Now Cylinder Cell data updates correctly when moving slider or when selecting another cylinder.

10.4

Feb 6, 2022

Bug fix, cylinder settings screen broke on ios15.0 and later. Moving the fill percentage of the first cylinder also moved fill percentage of the second second for example. Also moving cylinder type had other weird side effects. This is now fixed.

10.3

Jan 16, 2022

Updated airports database, no functional changes

10.2

Oct 9, 2021

Add support for two Thunder & Colt baskets and the Thunder & Colt Magnum Double Burner. Note: If you miss any components please report (send email to info@vanbml.nl) and we will add them.

V10.1

Oct 7, 2021

Improved screen layout to support iOS15 and Xcode 13

Oct 6, 2021

Fixed Takeoff weight value used for load calculation and shown on results screen. Default basket weight was used instead of selected value. This has now been corrected.

9.7

Oct 2, 2021

fix layout issues

9.6

Oct 1, 2021

Updated airports database for METAR retrieval.

9.5

May 3, 2021

Updated airports database for METAR retrieval.

9.4

Dec 21, 2020

Updated Airport ICAO database. Rebuild with Xcode 12.3 for IOS 14.3.

9.3

Nov 12, 2020

Improved screen scrolling when cylinders or passengers are added. Also refresh results screen after airport is changed on environment screen.

9.2

Nov 11, 2020

Added Burners, Baskets and Cylinders for Brazilian "RUBIC Balloons" and for some unnamed manufacturers called "Other". The related data has been provided by the balloon company named "Rubic Balões" located in Brazil.

9.1

Oct 23, 2020

Screen refresh improvements after config changes. Updated airport database. Fixed some new Xcode 12.1 warnings.

9.0

Oct 22, 2020

Critcal bugfix to prevent app crash on IOS 14 and later

8.5

May 29, 2020

Updated airport list for METAR retrieval

8.3

Sep 3, 2019

Updated airport database for METAR retrieval