We’re excited to announce a significant update to Captain VFR with numerous enhancements based on user feedback and our continuous improvement efforts. This release focuses on making flight planning more intuitive, improving iOS device support, and adding powerful new visualization features.
🗺️ Enhanced Flight Planning Experience
Interactive Waypoint Management
One of the most requested features is now here! You can now insert waypoints directly on your flight path by clicking the green + icons that appear on route segments. This makes it incredibly easy to add waypoints exactly where you need them, with automatic altitude interpolation between existing waypoints.
Improved Map Focus Controls
- Single-click waypoint focus: Click any waypoint in your flight plan table to instantly center the map on that location
- Auto-fit flight plans: When loading a saved flight plan, the map automatically adjusts to show your entire route with optimal zoom
- Smart waypoint renaming: Drag and drop waypoints onto airports, navaids, or reporting points, and they’ll automatically adopt the correct name and identifier
✈️ Advanced Runway Features
Runway Visualization and Labels
Airports now display detailed runway visualizations at higher zoom levels, complete with designation labels (like “04L”, “22R”). This helps pilots quickly identify specific runways during flight planning and navigation.
Wind-Based Runway Recommendations
We’ve introduced an intelligent runway recommendation system that analyzes current METAR wind data to suggest the best runway for landing. The system calculates:
- Headwind and tailwind components
- Crosswind components with safety indicators
- Overall runway scoring to highlight the optimal choice with a green background and “BEST” badge
📱 iOS Platform Improvements
Device Rotation Fix
We’ve completely resolved the map overlay issue that occurred when rotating iOS devices. The map and all UI elements now properly reposition and remain visible after orientation changes.
iPad Compatibility
- Fixed the white screen issue on iPad startup
- Improved local network permissions handling
- Better Firebase initialization for devices without configuration files
Sensor Handling
Enhanced support for devices without barometer sensors (like iPads and simulators), with graceful fallback to simulated data instead of crashes.
🎯 User Interface Enhancements
Map Controls
- Added zoom in/out buttons in the bottom left corner for easier map navigation
- Optimized default toggle states - obstacles and hotspots are now disabled by default
- Fixed text overflow issues across multiple screens
Performance Optimizations
We’ve undertaken a major refactoring effort, extracting over 1,300 lines of code from our largest components into reusable, testable modules. This improves:
- App performance and responsiveness
- Code maintainability
- Future feature development speed
🔧 Bug Fixes and Stability
- Resolved Firebase analytics initialization errors
- Fixed RenderFlex overflow warnings
- Improved error handling throughout the application
- Enhanced startup performance and loading screen experience
Looking Forward
This release represents our commitment to continuous improvement based on your valuable feedback. We’re already working on the next set of features, including enhanced weather integration, more detailed flight planning tools, and expanded offline capabilities.
Thank you for being part of the Captain VFR community. Safe flying!
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