Hi all,
I've made few changes/improvements to the Shortfield Explorer that you may want to know about:

-Accessing from BCP.org: Zane has added links to the Shortfield Explorer on the home page and in the main menu - under tools.

-map markers: unpaved strips are bigger and paved strips are smaller. This allows you to quickly differentiate the dirty strips from the paved strips while you pan around the map. Airstrips that have contributed information (pireps, video, photos, etc.) are orange while the others are blue. The majority of the markers are blue and need more information, so please contribute what you can.

-tooltips: as you pan around the map you can move your mouse over a marker to see a tooltip pop-up that contains the airstrip name and the date it was last updated. Clicking on the marker will pop-up additional information.

-Full-screen Mode: This allows you to view the Explorer in full-screen mode. One caveat is that you won't be able to type in the search field (a security feature from Adobe), but it's good for panning around the map. This may not work if the code used to embed it into a web page isn't correct. I will likely change the way this works soon.

Hey, the information for Johnson Creek is pretty thin considering how many folks have been in there this summer. I know people are getting out there...quit holding out!
[airport]3u2[/airport]
I will continue to make improvements and release new versions every couple of weeks as needed. I appreciate any feedback you may have.

I encourage you to post airstrip specific information as you get it - it's pretty handy to have it in a single searchable location when you're getting ready to go flying. Currently, airport information can only be uploaded from the shortfield.com site, by registered users.

Examples or airport information you can contribute are:

-Description: this is a basic description of the airstrip and its facilities. This is information that doesn't change often (like a PIREP).

-Photos/Videos: Any photo or video that is related to the airstrip and helps others learn about the location (e.g. approach, departure, camp sites, nearby trails or fishing holes, hot springs, etc.).

-PIREP: this is for current and changing conditions (e.g. field conditions, forest fires, new rules, closures, accidents, drinking water, etc.).


Enjoy!

Dear Airstrip Database Manager,

SFx is looking awesome. It's starting to become my go-to tool for airport data.

Excellent. I appreciat guys like you and zane for providing us lot's of usefull information . Above and beyond to your fellow pilots. Thanks.

After talking to a Shortfield Explorer user today, I learned that they didn't know you can change the map view. At the top of the explorer there is a 'drop-down' box that says Terrain. You can change that to Satellite view, etc.

I like to pan around in Terrain view and then change to Satellite view to zoom-in to look at the airstrip.

When I have time, I'll put together a tutorial on how to use the application. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any questions or feature requests.

More changes coming soon...