Best Aviation Apps?

Keith Ward

Keith Ward

Pre-Flight
Joined
Jan 8, 2019
Messages
74
Location
Westminster, MD
Display Name
Display name:
Druvanius
When I was flying before, smartphones didn't exist. Thus, neither did smartphone apps.

Now that I'm flying again, I'd love to know what apps are your favorites (beyond ForeFlight, of course.) What ones do you get the most value of? Which ones do you use most often?

Thanks for your input!
 
Avare for flight planning and navigation and Avia weather, both for Android and both free.
 
  • WeatherSpork (pricey, but one of the most comprehensive aviation weather apps out there)
  • Dark Sky
  • Deep Weather
  • Flight aware
  • Cloud ahoy
  • MyFlightBook
  • ASA's FAR/aim app
  • StationWX
  • Sporty's E6B app
  • AviationWeatherPro
  • Nav Trainer
  • Windy
 
I absolutely love Avare, I send them a few bucks each year even though it's free.
 
If you are looking for a courtesy car, please visit my site, it lists over 1,900 of them nationwide. It is a website but can be used just like an app if you bookmark it on your phone. It's free and not prone to crashes or permissions. www.airportcourtesycars.com
 
For current observations:
I like Avia also.
A couple of local weather station apps
You can text the number (714) 352 4346, then enter the airport code (KJFK for example) and it will send you the current METAR. I keep that number as a contact in my phone.

Forecasts:
Aviationweather.gov - not quite as good on the cellphone as the computer, but it will do, for winds aloft, prog charts, etc.
USAirnet - limited to a couple days, but that's about as reliable as most forecasts anyway.
StormRadar or MyRadar
A couple of local weather station apps, and Accuweather, Wunderground, etc.
WindAlert
WindFinder
1800wxbrief.com - both shortcut and speed-dial
Haven't tried Weatherspork yet...but considering..

For fun:
Flightaware
TradeAPlane app
Controller.com app
PilotsOfAmerica shortcut ;)
YouTube with some of the channels from pilots here on PoA
Avare - I don't use it for flight planning as I have FlyQ and FltPlanGo, but I use it when I fly commercial for tracking our location, speed, alt. etc..helps pass the time.
Audible books - aviation related of course
LiveATC (as you know)
Morse Trainer
Morse Code Quiz

Also, @dtuuri has a website AVClicks.com that is nice if you are interested in IFR
 
iFly GPS Nice because it's feature complete across Android, Apple and Windows.
http://xavion.com/ Unique engine-out glide advisor, along with weather/traffic and AHRS
 
Last edited:
I just use Garmin Pilot. I can use that one app for almost everything instead of having multiple apps.
 
Garmin Pilot
Windy
Gyronimo (if your plane type is supported)
 
Keith Ward said:
When I was flying before, smartphones didn't exist. Thus, neither did smartphone apps.

Now that I'm flying again, I'd love to know what apps are your favorites
Click to expand...

Flight planning: ForeFlight
Weather: ForeFlight
Charts: ForeFlight
Logbook: ForeFlight
Checklists: ForeFlight
Weight & Balance: ForeFlight
Aircraft/avionics manual reader: ForeFlight

What ones do you get the most value of?
Click to expand...

ForeFlight

Which ones do you use most often?
Click to expand...

(beyond ForeFlight, of course.)
Click to expand...

Uhhh... Oh. :rofl:

OK seriously, here's what else I have:

SkewTLogPro: Doesn't work right now thanks to government shutdown, and not particularly useful until you get your instrument rating IMO
GTN Trainer for playing around with my airplane's GPS while not in my airplane.
TXi Trainer for playing with the avionics I'd really like to have in my airplane.
ARPort: An augmented reality type app that lets you point your phone's camera out the window, have airports marked, and get airport info. Similar functionality (minus the camera part) has been added to ForeFlight's synthetic vision though.
Lightspeed FlightLink for controlling my Zulu PFX headset
LiveATC
@jesse's E6B Pro app, though it's no longer supported so I don't know why I have it (doesn't even work any more :( )
FlashPass, which greatly simplifies filing of eAPIS for international flights
Bahamas & Caribbean Pilot's Guide
SocialFlight
N-Numbers for looking up aircraft registrations when I see them on ADS-B or hear them on the radio and want to know what the type/owner is.
Flyover Country - Haven't used this yet, but it sounds like it could be really cool for pax. It's supposed to tell you about various things you're flying over.

Weather apps that aren't necessarily aviation-related: AccuWeather, Windy, Storm Radar

Aviation games: Pocket Planes, Unmatched Air Traffic Control, Air Wings, Airport City, AirMadness. X-Plane is sadly no longer supported on iOS. :(

Flight/aircraft tracking: FlightAware, Plane Finder AR, FlightRadar24

Stuff I don't really use: CloudAhoy, mainly due to the subscription fees but it's a really cool app if you're doing flight training. Spin-a-Wind, because I'm pretty good at doing that stuff in my head, though it could be very helpful for a student.

Stuff I should probably delete because ForeFlight does it now: A few logbook apps, a few checklist apps, WnB Pro
 
@flyingcheesehead ... with Nate no longer here, posts like you just did no longer have the same entertainment value.
 
I love LiveATC...i didn’t want to pay the 3 or 4 dollars, but it’s been very worth it...I listen to it on the way to the airport (I fly out of a class Charlie) and can hear winds, landing and departing runway, how busy the area is, and occasionally, altimeter. Great for just before a flight...and cool too when I’d rather be flying but weather has me stuck on the ground!
 
Keith Ward said:
@flyingcheesehead - Just FYI that a Mooney is my dream plane. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to afford one someday...
Click to expand...

They're great airplanes. Very efficient, and enough speed to get you places. They're very stoutly built, being steel-tube-and-metal as opposed to tube-and-fabric or semimonocoque aluminum. I find it to be very comfortable, and the controls are solid. It's an excellent traveling machine!
 
Jamie Kirk said:
I just use Garmin Pilot. I can use that one app for almost everything instead of having multiple apps.
Click to expand...

Sinistar said:
Garmin Pilot
Windy
Gyronimo (if your plane type is supported)
Click to expand...

I'll use Garmin pilot since I don't have an ipad yet. Android tablets are much cheaper, I'll get Foreflight on my iPhone.
 
AirplanepilotJJ said:
I'll use Garmin pilot since I don't have an ipad yet. Android tablets are much cheaper, I'll get Foreflight on my iPhone.
Click to expand...
You can use Garmin Pilot on both with the same subscription.
 
Salty said:
You can use Garmin Pilot on both with the same subscription.
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Ravioli said:
Same is true for landing. Usually on base and final your hand should be right there to make SMALL adjustments as needed.

Are you flying with a quadrant or the push-pull style? With quadrant you can comfortably rest your right hand with thumb on one side and (usually) 4 fingers on the other. You'll feel the lever move, if it does so on it's own. With push/pulls I rest my right pointer finger on the throttle shaft. In neither case do I actually grip or hold the knob. I think my CFI referred to this as "covering" the throttle.

(not doing this in some fashion should result in a swift wack on the wrist with the plotter :))
Click to expand...
Oh, I see. I wounder why Foreflight won't do the same?
 
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