FlightPrep has been in the news lately about enforcing its Online Flight Planning Patent. Some of the news has been wrong, according to company officials, who sent an open letter to the aviation community to clarify information.
The letter states: Stenbock and Everson, Inc., or FlightPrep as people know it today, is a small company, founded by pilots and software engineers Roger Stenbock and Kyle Everson in 1997 to develop aircraft cabin solutions for the aviation industry. In 2001, we re-focused on developing technology to help pilots access the information they need to safely fly their aircraft. Over the last 13 years, FlightPrep has continually worked earnestly to serve the aviation industry by bringing the latest technology to pilots, developing flight planning and electronic flight bag applications.
We are humbled to have enjoyed a modest history of success, working with some of the major players in the industry.
- Partnering with CSC DUATS to develop the Golden Eagle flight planner. A free flight planning utility used by over 30,000 pilots.
- Working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop Flight Assist, an internal flight planning tool used inside the FAA.
- Developing the Flight Guide Viewer for Airguide Publications, Inc., a Windows-based application to view the popular Flight Guide publication.
- And a myriad of other partnerships, including WxWorx, Zaon Flight Systems, and more.
In addition, we also developed our own applications for pilots, including ChartCase Professional, ChartBook EFBs, iChart for the Apple iPad, and our Online Flight Planner. The Online Flight Planner was one of the first products we introduced to the aviation community on Aug. 1, 2001, and today we offer both a premium paid version and a free version to all pilots.
When we launched the Online Flight Planner, there was nothing like it in the aviation industry. We were very proud to develop this technology and make it available to the aviation community. At the time we realized that it is impossible for us, and for that matter, any business, to develop the proprietary technology to provide useful products and services, while at the same time giving it away and remain a viable business. Thus, we filled for a patent in 2001 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). As any inventor who has ever gone through this process knows, this is a very difficult and lengthy process without any guarantee of success. Fortunately, after a rigorous examination and considerable effort and expense, the USPTO issued a patent in 2009 for the process of generating travel plans on the Internet, what we all call online flight planning.
In addition to providing online flight planning, our goal in obtaining a patent for our Online Flight Planner was to promote the technology and make it available to others though mutually beneficial transactions. It is not our intent to create a monopoly, put others out of business, or prevent others from participating in the aviation community. Since the patent was issued, we have been working diligently to offer the online flight planning technology to as many vendors who want to use it as possible. A careful review of all available information, including legal documents, press releases, patent applications, published editorial, and customer comments, should lead any reasonable person to conclude we have done this fairly and in good faith.
We look forward to continuing to develop the latest technology for the aviation industry and working with all of our partners in making the aviation community better for all pilots.
For more information: FlightPrep.com
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FP’s approach is symptomatic of a poorly designed software ‘package’ that plagiarizes public information using an archaic, old method that was pretty much public domain and cramming it down the throats of small programmers who operated for the good of GA until they either give up control, ie, the small donations they may receive to support server costs, or shut down.
Now the work begins to program around their frames concept using third generation tools and algorithms.
Fortunately, their product is so buggy, and their product support so amateurish, that, barring a monopoly created by them shutting down every other online charting site, the market will punish them by the lack of demand.
But, I bet this debacle ‘costs’ them more customers than it wins.
This is just history repeating itself…
Patent war
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers#Patent_war
The Wright Bros. tried using the patent system in a similar way… with poor result.
– Rod
With the aviation community suffering it’s greatest financial crisis in history, what we DON’T need is a company like FlightPrep threatening legal action and forcing businesses like RunwayFinder.com and others to shut their doors as a result of a questionable patent.
Since AOPA Flight Planner (Jeppesen) appears to also be infringing on their patent, I assume they will be suing them as well.
They have lost my business forever.
Shame on FlightPrep for hurting the aviation industry.