Originally Posted by
Grumble
Flightprep has launched an all out assault on every free planning website, and done irreparable damage to themselves in the process. They sued the owner of runwayfinder for $3.2 million. They guy is a family man that runs a free website in his spare time. Apparently they've "patented" the idea of drawing a line on a chart. They've genuinely ****ed off a majority of the GA community. I'll never buy another ASA product again, and if I see them at Sun N Fun or Oshkosh I may throw my lemonade on them after I spit in it.
Well, there is a lot of things wrong with this post and I have to wonder why it is part of this particular thead. Suffice it to say that a patent has been granted and the patent holder has challenged those who they think infringe on its patent.
It is unfortuneate to see FlightPrep testing the waters on those (Runwayfinder) who are small and can ill afford it, but it is not surprising. It will be more intersting when it is tested with larger entities.
AOPA and Jeppesen have so far snubbed Flightprep stating that they do not believe they have infringed on their patent. I think we should all see how things play out. If Flightprep has not earned the right, it will play out in court. Until such time, I think those with cooler heads have to see how this plays out.
Kevin