Hi all,
I took the summer off from researching locations for the Locator database to simply enjoy the weather and attend a few air shows. Now that winter is coming (snow expected in Ottawa on Thursday… bummer), my attention has returned to the Locator. I have developed some new features. Those are described below.
First things first… For those of you that are not familiar with the Locator go to…
http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Locator.php
...You will find it is a searchable database of aviation museums and sites, with the main focus being on providing accurate maps for finding these locations. I won’t go into details here, but I think you will find it to be a very useful tool and I encourage you to check it out. For more information on using the Locator follow the How-To link below.
As indicated there are some new features. The latest are listed as follows…
- Coordinate searches now automatically increase the range if no sites are found with the original range. The range is increased until a site is found.
- Category searches now automatically increase the scope when no sites are found. The scope level is increased (from only current sites to include closed sites or from open & closed sites to include off topic sites) until level three is attained or at least one site is found.
- You can now include multiple types in the type category of a category search. To list all types in the one category separate each type with a “,”. For example to list all variants of the North American F-86 Sabre known to the Locator include the following in the type category, “F-86; Canadair Sabre; CAC Sabre”. Previously this could be done by simply using “Sabre” in the type category. So let’s pretend you are interested in listing all of the A-20 variants. In this case you would enter the following in the type category, “A-20; Boston; Havoc”.
- The Locator will now exactly remember your search parameters (categories, coordinates, etc) when you return to Locator after making a submission.
- Locator search results now an improved appearance, especially the map links. The map links are now icons of a partially opened road map with a status bar beside it. If the status bar is full and bright green it means there is a high probability the location given on the map is exact. A status bar at a slightly lower level and dark green indicates the location given is likely within eye sight of the intended site (airplane, museum, etc.). I consider either of the green status bar good and I would travel out of my way to find these sites if I were airplane hunting. A status bar only mid-way and dark red/brown indicates the location given is only in the area of the site and you may need to drive around a bit to find it. If you do find it, please report back to the locator exactly where it is. A low status bar of bright red indicates the intended site is some place in that city or town and it would likely take some effort to find it. The two red status bars will always be followed by a “Need Help” link. The idea is someone can contribute some info that will improve the locations and allow to the status bar to move up to a shade of green.
- The latest addition to the Locator is the location log. This provides you the ability to make a log entry on a particular location. The subject is to be limited to the site (how to find it, what is there, etc.) or the particular aircraft displayed there. The idea is to share your knowledge so that others may benefit and be able to find the aircraft themselves more easily. To make an entry in a location log, find the location in the Locator and click the megaphone icon for that location. If you see a blue notebook icon that means others have made log entries and you can click on the notebook to read those entries. Also if you wish to monitor a particular location log you can click the mailbox icon to be added to the email distribution. This last feature assumes you are logged in, so feel free to log in first at…
http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/UserLogin.php
If you are new to the Locator or becoming reacquainted you may wish to visit the How-To section at…
http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Locator_HowTo.php
…which should explain everything you need to know about the Locator. The problem is it was written by the guy that developed the Locator (me) which means it may not be easily understood by someone not familiar with the Locator. If you wish to suggest changes to the text or have questions I would very much like to hear from you…
http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/ContactForm.php
Also, you may be interested in what new Locator features I have in mind. To read about these go to…
http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Locator_Nex ... aturesNext
In the mean time I have resumed researching new locations for the database. I should be able to complete Illinois by next week, and then will get to Indiana.
I am looking forward to any comments you may have.
Regards,
Mike
_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.cahttp://www.facebook.com/AerialVisualsDo you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the
The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the
Airframes Database.
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icon beside the Submit and Reset buttons. If you see the icon (which means my website has been able to view your IP and has found lat & lons for it) then click on it and it should find locations near by you.