Anyone switch foreflight <==> FlyQ?

I switched to flyQ from foreflight, mainly to save money. I bought the lifetime subscription to flyQ and it does all the flight planning and IFR stuff I need. The amount I saved by not using fore flight for a couple years has already paid for the lifetime subscription to flyQ. The only thing I miss from foreflight was the glide advisor and stability. FlyQ freezes up and force closes every few flights. Across multiple ipad minis and conditions. Not even pushing the devices hard, I make sure to only open flyQ after a restart and the iPad is hardly used at home and when used, it's to run YouTube or the browser.. As for features, I can see why jet pilots would prefer fore flight. I'm an android user and I'm at the end of a trial for iflygps and I like it so far. I think I'll give it a shot for a year.
Some personal flight experience background. I started on commercial training after private and instrument ratings and then took 10 years off in 2006. Returned in 2016 and it was an adjustment to use electronic EFBs. The weather briefing in flyQ resembles the briefings I was used to back in the day and still feels familiar.
 
sarangan said:
I am not disagreeing that FF has useful features, but people did fly without these features in years gone by. GPS and ADS-B are super useful. No argument there. But if you already have a 430/530 on your panel, there really isn't a compelling reason to use a tablet. For IFR, I have been trying to tell students to stop messing with their tablets and focus more on the panel. A human brain has only so many cpu cycles.
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I never flew in a GPS equipped plane until after I got my Private. It's important to know how to fly without the tablet, but if you have the brain bytes I think it only increases safety if you use it. Flying without a tablet is 100% legal and you get almost the same info as what you get in a Garmin GPS, but the real convenience is the briefing, updated charts, and your digital log book all in one place. Still, I'm not a CFI but if I was I probably wouldn't let the student use the tablet outside the brief until they've proved proficiency without it.
 
Therookguy said:
I never flew in a GPS equipped plane until after I got my Private. It's important to know how to fly without the tablet, but if you have the brain bytes I think it only increases safety if you use it. Flying without a tablet is 100% legal and you get almost the same info as what you get in a Garmin GPS, but the real convenience is the briefing, updated charts, and your digital log book all in one place. Still, I'm not a CFI but if I was I probably wouldn't let the student use the tablet outside the brief until they've proved proficiency without it.
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The best use of a tablet I have seen is for VFR navigation around a complex class B airspaces. In a sea of concrete with no discrenible landmark the GPS position give you the peace of mind knowing how far you are from the class B shelves.
 
Yes, if you're flying off a grass strip in Podunk, a GPS with a tablet may be too much. In my AO, we have numerous Restricted areas, pop-up TFRs, a number of non-G letter airspaces, and an ADIZ and a Prohibited area the violation of which will cause you to lose your ticket, or worse.
 
LesGawlik said:
Yes, if you're flying off a grass strip in Podunk, a GPS with a tablet may be too much. In my AO, we have numerous Restricted areas, pop-up TFRs, a number of non-G letter airspaces, and an ADIZ and a Prohibited area the violation of which will cause you to lose your ticket, or worse.
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Even flying off a grass strip in Podunk like me, in-flight weather graphics and traffic icons are a game changer for VFR cross country.
 
I use F Flight while on the ground to plan, but in the air I use my non overheating Android tablet with iFly GPS app. Much easier menus to pull up the things you need quickly while in the air.
 
WDD said:
I use F Flight while on the ground to plan, but in the air I use my non overheating Android tablet with iFly GPS app. Much easier menus to pull up the things you need quickly while in the air.
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I use the 740 because it fits in the panel, right next to the 430 and doesn't block the view of any instruments, nor do I have to look down at anything.
 
WDD said:
I use F Flight while on the ground to plan, but in the air I use my non overheating Android tablet with iFly GPS app. Much easier menus to pull up the things you need quickly while in the air.
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I use iFly with both an iPad mini and an Android phone. Neither has overheated, but iFly has frozen up in flight on both devices, once at a very bad time when I had just done a 180 on a night VFR due to weather and was trying to get a frequency for a divert airfield a few miles back while flying in the blackest hole I have ever found. I do like iFly user interface, but that freezing up thing might be a deal breaker. Will probably give it another year and see if it tries to kill me again.
 
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I have the same issue with flyQ. It locks up. Once it locked up right before hitting IMC, another time on a night flight over a long stretch of water. Both times, I was ahead of the plane so it wasn't an issue. But one day it could be. So I'm trying ifly for a year to see if I get better results.
 
Ed Haywood said:
I use iFly with both an iPad mini and an Android phone. Neither has overheated, but iFly has frozen up in flight on both devices, once at a very bad time when I had just done a 180 on a night VFR due to weather and was trying to get a frequency for a divert airfield a few miles back while flying in the blackest hole I have ever found. I do like iFly user interface, but that freezing up thing might be a deal breaker. Will probably give it another year and see if it tries to kill me again.
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No lockups, or errors in almost a year of use on the 740.
 
Somedudeintn said:
Boeing was the needle that broke the camels back in a sense. I did not love how FF kept coming out with new features in higher packages and kept trying to push people to upgrade. It felt like when they started out they were more GA friendly and were improving the base packages.

I just felt like they were moving more and more towards focusing on business and corporate clients and away from little guys like me. As a business decision it makes sense, that’s where the money is and likely why Boeing bought them.

The Boeing acquisition solidified in my mind a shift in the user base they are targeting and I just don’t see many upsides for the little guy.

At this point I may still go back to foreflight because I loved the UI and product. I’m trying explore other options in depth though.
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I’m not understanding you’re reason. Whether it’s a J3 Cub or a 747 all planes fly through the same air with the same weather, ATC, etc. Why does what you fly make a difference in your flight bag?
 
farangutan said:
I have the same issue with flyQ. It locks up. Once it locked up right before hitting IMC, another time on a night flight over a long stretch of water. Both times, I was ahead of the plane so it wasn't an issue. But one day it could be. So I'm trying ifly for a year to see if I get better results.
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I spent most of my career in the automation software, specifically MMI industry. Our tech support guys were always amused when someone said “it locked up.” To get help you need much more information than “it locked up.”
 
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MBDiagMan said:
I spent most of my career in the automation software, specifically MMI industry. Our tech support guys were always amused when someone said “it locked up.” To get help you need much more information than “it locked up.”
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Haha, It has to be useless to programmers to hear that. I should look up how to grab relevant data logged so when it happens again I could save and report it to the team that handles that. Certainly that would work better than complaining in some corner of the internet! Most of these companies have beta users and I'm sure that comes with some training on how to report bugs.
 
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