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RIP NavMonster - FlightPrep Victim #5

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Due to the litigious environment that we live in today, NavMonster is no longer in operation. You just shouldn't be able to patent common sense and good programming skills, but sadly someone has. Best of luck to those that stay in the fight Want to own and operate your own flight planning web site? NavMonster is available for purchase. Inquiries are welcomed (www.navmonster.com) और अधिक...

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lieberma
Allen Lieberman 0
One of my favorite sites... HATE seeing this...
extremeflyer
extremeflyer 0
My favorite site also. We need to put FlightPrep out of business, it,s all about money for them. I have never used them and never will, but it looks like they are trying to push everybody out so they have the upper hand. It,s ashamed.
lawnchair
lawnchair 0
Fair is fair, why cheat? If they had the balls maybe they would have patent themselves. A cheat is a cheat no matter how you look at it...even if it's inconvienent
lieberma
Allen Lieberman 0
Not sure how accurate this is but if you use Golden Eagle for DUATS (not DUAT), that program is created by flight prep at least on my cursory check on the flight prep website.

May want to keep that in mind if you use this flight planning software.
kfdpiper
Bruce Rutter 0
I always thought it was a good site and i hate to see it go away as well.....
Chadr2220
Chad Ray 0
That was my favorite site and sad to see it go. I went to flightprep.com and their product is inerior to what Navmonster provided for free. What a shame!
NEpats1028
NEpats1028 0
Real sad to see this site close...hope somebody buys it and reopens it. Wheres AOPA when we need them?!?!
GalinHdz
GalinHdz 0
Count me as another pilot who will not use ANY FlightPrep product.
Lusher236
Frank Lusher 0
Thanks to Flight Prep and the courts a source of information has been taken away from GA, and information is safety. A great day for Greed(Flight Prep) and stupidity (courts)! I will not buy from Flight Prep.
321nkpa
jack nemensky 0
Count me in as one who will not go near FlightPrep. I will also try to findout who does use them and not go near their product either. Loved NavMonster! Quick and easy.
jlrpilot
Jim Rice 0
I think it amazing the number of individuals that are willing to punish a company for defending a legally awarded patent. The Wright brothers spent much of their life defending their patent. It is ok to "punish" the evil entities that defend their patents, I recommend that one that takes this path be consistent and withold their buisness from all companies that defend their patents. Of course that would mean you would be moving back to the stone age and certainly couldn't post a reply to this...... :)

kevy
Kevin Northway 0
Best Site Ever Hope It Returns Loved NavMonster
marshirl5
martin pohlman 0
Our choice whether or not tom purchase Flightcrap products. I do not need to purchase inferior product from internet faruds. The problem is people who run sites for altruistic reasons are forced out by the deep pocket moneymongers. When no one uses their productsFC will go away. Just don't buy from them and spread the word. The aviation family is close knit.
dncarac
Dennis Carachiolla 0
Copiers always say "no fair!" about innovators.
rmchambers
rmchambers 0
This is just sad. I guess what they say about no good deed goes unpunished. Count me in as one of
Flightpreps never to be customers.
gkautt
Glenn Kautt 0
Hey guys!

Let's get realistic. You live in a capitalistic society. That's where innovation and creativity are protected by a patent system, and are rewarded if the ides create useful or valuable products.

Every day, you use technology, tools, products and possibly even medicines that would not exist except for patent protection. NO ONE would develop new ideas if they were not so protected. Don't believe me? Please visit Russia, any theocratic Muslim nation, China or say, North Korea. Only those in power or the corrupt are rewarded, not the innovators.

Patents protect against thieves who steal ideas and products. Don't think it happens? Want to see a thief? Ask any of your friends (or look in the mirror) and ask: "Do you download music or programs from an unauthorized (aka "free") website?" I had to teach my children that was a crime!

If you can't stand people getting rewarded for their innovative efforts, go steal a plane...it's the same thing...or go ride a bicycle and get out of the cockpit!

A business owner who understands if ther's no patent, there's no product.
RayStratton
RayStratton 0
If the US PTO granted them a patent then there was something novel, and not obvious, in their solution. If others had the idea years earlier but not patent it then the USPTO says they did not follow through. The patent is there today and won't go away. So if they get $0.25 per use they will make money for their effort. Don't you think you pay every time you use a credit card? That 2% is in there somewhere.
cmsanchezpr
Carlos Sanchez 0
AOPA should NOT keep quiet on an atrocity like this. 1st: because they are supposed to represent us (flying community) especially against crafted threats like this. 2nd: because it is obvious that the patent is bogus with sole means of profit making for few and at the expense of us. You don’t need to be an impartial Patent Lawyer/Judge/Jury to understand that there were organizations before FlightPrep with better technology and for free. The Patent was initially denied, and FlightPrep had to fight to “get it to pass”. 3rd: AOPA’s own flight planning tool will eventually (may already) get haunted by FlightPrep. It is not public yet probably because of tactics, but AOPA’s silence could eventually reveal a deal with FlightPrep that will not be the right representation nor result to us. I really hope it is not this way, but rather that the Patent gets rightfully revoked and thus celebrate the beauty, progress, innovation and cost-effectiveness that competition brings. And, 4th: this is not what the USA is all about. It is about democracy and the right for many to have equal access to the better at the better price and not the worse at the worse price; especially, when the system is used for the profit of few and extortion of the most. It is my personal opinion that this is a small representation of what we as Americans have been living through for some years now (like “Emron”,… will not mention anymore because there are too many…). It is time to stop these crafted atrocities now somehow.
Buly
Buly 0
Here is something you can do:
http://boycottflightprep.com/
rootuser
Root User 0
I'm against software patents generally, unless they are regarding a very innovative solution like encryption, communication, algorithms, data analysis methods etc. I hate to see patents like this one where it's, client blah blah, server blah blah (insert data type here) and nothing new.
This patent is too broad and should be quashed.

Keep in mind Henry Ford had to fight the Selden patent for a "road motor" and he won.
bbarto99
Bill Barto 0
Well there are some who are going to try to fight this patent. Just because the the USPTO granted them a patent does NOT mean that it was truly "novel and non-obvious." Everyone else who has programmed their own Internet flight planner prior to December 2009 when the patent was announced has figured out how to program it without Flightprep's technology, and they were ALL obvious to "skilled practitioners in the art." If you research just a little, you will find that the USPTO does not have the time to thoroughly research all of these areas and they are really not programmers, so they don't realize how much really IS obvious.

And for those who claim others are "stealing" FlightPrep's ideas -- it's actually ludicrous, because there was nothing worthwhile in the patent to steal!

Hurray for RunwayFinder for starting the defense and hopefully this will be ironed out to everyone else's benefit.
Protoavis
Protoavis 0
PR nightmare, better change the name...
mddickens
mddickens 0
This patent appears to be a "business method" patent and they are on shaky ground in the courts right now because nothing tangible is invented nor is a process for changing the physical nature of anything. Basically it's just a way of doing something and patents like these have the effect of strangling innovation. I'm getting back into flying after a few years layoff and have been looking at the various flight planning alternatives. FlightPrep products will not be even considered in my product evaluation.
skyking69
steve brandt 0
I love navmonster! Bring it back!
dncarac
Dennis Carachiolla 0
If this is the fifth company to be successfully sued under this patent, don't you think experienced people in those companies have already tried to find real prior technology that renders the patent invalid? They obviously didn't find it. If you think YOU have real, documented, prior technology, there are mechanisms for private citizens to send those documents into the patent and trademark office. Even better, send it directly to NavMonster to cite in this case. Five companies having their existence on the line failed to do that. You have your chance.

Now why is everyone wanting to use NavMonster? Are they cheaper? Maybe the reason they're cheaper is because they didn't have to spend the time and money actually developing the technology. Instead, they simply copy it, and pass the savings along to you.

Either send your prior technology to the patent office or accept that NavMonster is a thief.
marshirl5
martin pohlman 0
Watch the movie The Social Network rhen get back to us. BTW, indidual choice about what to buy or not buy.
Klapaucius
Klapaucius 0
"If this is the fifth company to be successfully sued under this patent, don't you think experienced people in those companies have already tried to find real prior technology that renders the patent invalid?"
Now, that just mis-represent what is happening. NO company was sued successfully to date, but plenty of small time web sites were bullied to close down. It takes lots money and effort to fight the case in court and financially it is absolutely out of reach for the people maintaining their own site in spare time. This is no doubt what FlightPrep counts on - collect enough of scalps of defenseless people to look more formidable to big guys (Jeppessen, AOPA, ...) when FlightPrep actually goes after them.
mbaraz
Michael Baraz 0
I don't see any recent posts here but apparently NavMonster is back up. They cut a deal with FlightPrep and make NO mention of that on their web site. The deal is under a nondisclosure so FlightPrep has gagged them and that they are not able to acknowledge that there was a deal with them or even that there was a disruption. This is NOT about protecting the intellectual property of a brilliant idea. FlightPrep is abusive and I have contributed money and will continue to contribute to RunwayFinder's defense fund. I have signed the petition at www.BoycottFlightPrep.com and encourage all to get behind this.

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