Essential Flight Technology is founded on the idea that technology should provide simple, easy to use solutions. Our founders envisioned a solution for simple Electronic Flight Bags.

What started as a simple discussion on technology in the cockpit evolved into the easiest to use electronic replacement for charts. Essential Flight Technology’s goal is to provide technology that simplifies the cockpit and empowers the pilot to make better decisions.

It's almost a cliché to say we used all the other products and thought there had to be a better way, but that's really what happened. However, in our mind the better way wasn't more and more features and complexity. The better way wasn't to build a G-1000 on a Tablet PC. The better way was to build a simpler product that covers all the basics and provides everything a pilot needs, without the overhead of a lot of things a pilot doesn't need. This would result in a smaller, simpler, better performing app that's easy to use and simplifies the cockpit rather than complicating things and becoming a vacuum for fingertips and eyeballs.

To create the innovative Chartflier solution, we designed an app to be strictly a replacement for chart materials, while bringing core features a pilot needs, such as the ability to lookup airports and waypoints, create a route that is drawn on the charts, and provide expected moving map functionality for those making use of an optional GPS. Chartflier brings the pilot everything he or she needs, no more, no less. Chartflier achieves our goal of truly simplifying the cockpit, as technology should do.

We also believed that the product should be sold as a simple, honest annual subscription as well, at a fair price anyone can afford. Keeping Chartflier simple allows us to sell it at a great price since there aren't a lot of unnecessary features to maintain.

In keeping with the concept of ease of use, we decided to integrate with ADS-B and skip XM which incurs additional subscription costs and another item to keep up with. ADS-B provides free in-flight weather, with no subscription to maintain, and goes beyond XM with traffic support too if you have an ADS-B transceiver (ADS-B out.) ADS-B weather provides everything you need, including NEXRAD and FAA FIS-B products such as METARs, TAFs, Winds and Temps aloft, PIREPs, NOTAMS, and more. We display NEXRAD and other weather indications right on the charts so as to keep these things simple and easy to use as well.

Chartflier provides a single, lightweight EFB device that replaces all required navigation materials for Part 91 General Aviation flying.

We harnessed the power of the Windows operating system and the competitive nature of commodity computer Tablet and Slate PC equipment to provide a cost effective solution that runs on all Windows operating systems, specifically XP and up. Our application is so lightweight that it can run on hardware you already own from Netbooks to state-of-the-art Tablets and the new Slate computers. If you are currently using an EFB or Tablet PC that is slow and cumbersome to use, Chartflier will breathe new life into your old PC at a very affordable price.

Our founders have been in technology a long time and have come to realize its use must be tempered. Too often software products in all walks of life are overly complex and as a result actually make tasks harder and more complicated, not simpler. The cockpit is not the place for an overwritten program that's cumbersome to use and distracts the pilot's attention away from flying the airplane. Some pilots want all the gimmicks, and there are existing products that fit that bill, but we think a lot of pilots just want a straightforward product, one that "just works" and does what they need without the unnecessary clutter and fuss. This pilot may be the more experienced one who just wants the necessary information presented in an intuitive manner, so he or she can fly the airplane the competent way they always have. The newer or beginning pilot certainly doesn't need any more distractions and will definitely enjoy the easy-to-use yet complete solution that Chartflier provides.

We're happy to bring Chartflier to the GA community and hope you will find it to be that great product you have been looking for, that truly makes charts easy to use and allows you to focus on flying and having fun doing it.

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Our founders bring varying degrees of experience and flying backgrounds to the market. Both are seasoned pilots for sure, instrument rated, both owning their own aircraft. Our president owns a modern Mooney loaded with technology. Our chief technology officer owns a classic Cessna 195 that's been in his family for almost five decades. Chartflier was proven in both of these environments - the fast, high-flying Mooney and the classic Cessna.

Influencing friends to Chartflier range from ex-Navy fighter pilots and major airline captains who seemed to really dislike the over-the-top solutions that were on the market before, to just good old average Joes who fly strictly for fun but still wanted a great solution for their charting needs.