fltplan go

D

DDDowney

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Feb 14, 2024
Messages
17
Display Name
Display name:
DDD
I am wanting a GPS for VFR I have down loaded and logged a bunch of times. I guess I thought this app had a moving map for flying? Should I try to find a hand held gps for what I need or are there things out there that you can have a gps map on an iphone or ipad. Sorry for this stupid question but it is confusing.
Thanks David
 
fltplango will do it. You need a device with gps. Can be external like a Stratux, or internal like Samsung tablet, iPad, etc.
Watch a video or two on fltplango. It's not the most intuitive program, but is capable.
 
Yep, as @Skyrys62 said, FltPlan Go! will give you a moving map with a location feed. You have one with an iPhone and have one if your iPad is the cellular version.

It's adequate, and free is not to be disregarded, but Go! is an app originally created as an adjunct to FltPlan.com, a website which was used for IFR flight planning years before the iPhone or iPad. So, other than the moving map, it's usefulness for VFR flight is limited. And and also mentioned, it's not the most user-friendly app out there. I use it as a backup, but then, I've been playing with this stuff for a while.

If you are just starting out, I'd sit down with a CFI and discuss alternatives.
 
FltPlan Go is the worst aviation app I have used. It's a steaming pile of bloat-ware with super slow response, drains the battery quickly, and crashes often. This is on several different Android devices. There are much better choices, including Droid EFB, Naviator, Avare, and others.

Now I see you mentioned iPhone / iPad. In that case the best app is ForeFlight.
 
Jepp fd pro and WSI but it'll cost much more than ForeFlight.
 
DDDowney said:
I am wanting a GPS for VFR I have down loaded and logged a bunch of times. I guess I thought this app had a moving map for flying? Should I try to find a hand held gps for what I need or are there things out there that you can have a gps map on an iphone or ipad. Sorry for this stupid question but it is confusing.
Thanks David
Click to expand...
It may be you are trying to use it with an iPad that doesn't have a GPS. The iPad must be cellular in order to have a GPS.

Then ask yourself why a $99 mini Android tablet has a GPS and $600 iPad Mini doesn't...?

I just went through that. I returned the WiFi only iPad Mini 6 to Costco and bought a refurb Mini5 with Cellular for Less than half.

I have always used Avare and Android stuff. But, my plane will talk to iPad's and not Android, so I am trying to learn the fltplan go app and iPad. Clunky yes, but I'm starting to figure it out. I'm liking it. Doing the flight plan on the web then downloading to iPad or Android phone is super easy. ADSB in and GPS location from either the plane or internal to iPad is working good.
 
Flyxaos said:
Then ask yourself why a $99 mini Android tablet has a GPS and $600 iPad Mini doesn't...?
Click to expand...

I think that was answered by P. T. Barnum.

Flyxaos said:
so I am trying to learn the fltplan go app and iPad. Clunky yes, but I'm starting to figure it out.
Click to expand...

If you haven’t, give iFly a try. They have a free trial so you can check it out. Much less clunky and I like the in-flight user interface.
 
The moving map feature of EFBs requires your tablet to be GPS-capable. Virtually all smartphones and most Android tablets have GPS built-in (the new Google Pixel tablet being a notable exception). The iPads may not have GPS on-board unless you have a cellular model.

I have FltPlanGo, iFlyEFB, and DroidEFB installed on my phone and two different Samsung Android tablets. All of these work fine. Here are my thoughts based on extensive experience using all of them in real VFR or IFR:

FltPlanGo works OK, but I find the interface quite clunky. It has Canadian map coverage, if that is important. The map always starts zoomed out to geosynchronous orbit. Very annoying. It's just one of its many quirks. But it's free. For now. (Didn't Garmin swallow them up?) One plus is that it seems really good at updating and displaying ADS-B data from my NGT-9000. Seems fine for VFR.

DroidEFB is among the most intuitive and simplest Android EFBs to use. However, it has a strange mapping engine that slightly squashes maps in the N-S direction, making VOR roses not quite circular. This does not really affect its usefulness, it's just mildly annoying. Georeferenced plates are available for a little extra $$. Updates cannot be downloaded in advance, but only the day after they are issued. There is a W&B function and a basic flight planning tool that can account for winds aloft. The program comes with a Quick weather app that is very nice. The maintainers regularly update the app and are responsive to bug reports. For some reason, it is slow to download ADS-B data from my NGT-9000 via wifi. I've used this app for IFR a lot. Can be downloaded on unlimited number of devices. I've used this since it debuted.

iFlyEFB has a very nice, large UI that has a different logic than DroidEFB. It took me a while to acclimate. It runs on multiple platforms. The mapping engine is really nice, but for some reason the maintainers keep including long-expired WAC charts as the default map in the zoomed out view. A very cool feature is a glide-range ring around your plane during flight (if you put in performance data for your aircraft). Charts are geo-referenced. Updates can be downloaded when available, and can be automated. The program seems to be a little quicker extracting ADS-B data from my NGT-9000 over wifi. The flight planning tool has some nice features that accounts for altitude selection and winds aloft. There is a W&B tool as well, and a custom checklist feature. (Electronic checklists seem like gratuitous usage of technology to me. I just use a custom, laminated printed one.) I've used this app for IFR quite a bit, too. The maintainers are very responsive and continually updating the program.

I probably wouldn't use FltPlanGo for IFR. It's just too clunky for my preferences, and I found that it did not always offer all the approach charts for my home airport unless I dug deep into the menus. The first time this happened on a practice flight it threw me for a loop. Both DroidEFB and iFlyEFB are top-notch if you are in the Google ecosystem.
 
chemgeek said:
... DroidEFB is among the most intuitive and simplest Android EFBs to use.
Click to expand...
Yep, for Android it's one of the best, if not THE best. I've been a subscriber since it first came out called "Avilution". It also syncs all your routes and waypoints across all your devices automatically.

For me, the #2 next best app on Android is Naviator. Cleaner graphics than Droid EFB, but it doesn't handle PIREPs or winds, nor does it sync your routes and waypoints across devices.
 
MRC01 said:
Yep, for Android it's one of the best, if not THE best. I've been a subscriber since it first came out called "Avilution". It also syncs all your routes and waypoints across all your devices automatically.

For me, the #2 next best app on Android is Naviator. Cleaner graphics than Droid EFB, but it doesn't handle PIREPs or winds, nor does it sync your routes and waypoints across devices.
Click to expand...
I forgot one other feature of iFlyEFB: it can sync ALL your settings (including aircraft W&B and flight performance data, flight plans, menus and default display) across all devices.
 
chemgeek said:
I forgot one other feature of iFlyEFB: it can sync ALL your settings (including aircraft W&B and flight performance data, flight plans, menus and default display) across all devices.
Click to expand...
And you can cross platform...PC Android and iDevices.

I just started doing the flight planning on the tablet at home and then sharing with the 740b in the plane. If only Garmin would open up their walled garden.
 
I only used it a short while, but I thought that the iFly UI, despite not being very shiny and modern, was intuitive and easier to use than others.
 
EdFred said:
And you can cross platform...PC Android and iDevices.

I just started doing the flight planning on the tablet at home and then sharing with the 740b in the plane. If only Garmin would open up their walled garden.
Click to expand...

Same here. I have the iFly app on my iPad and use it for flight planning and briefing, sync it to the 740b in the plane, and bring the iPad along as backup.
 
MRC01 said:
For me, the #2 next best app on Android is Naviator. Cleaner graphics than Droid EFB, but it doesn't handle PIREPs or winds, nor does it sync your routes and waypoints across devices.
Click to expand...
I've used Naviator for years. It has the features that I need and little beyond them to get in the way. Unfortunately, it no longer seems to be available on the Google Play store. I needed to reinstall it earlier today and a Play store search came up empty. Going to the Naviator website and hitting the Download link went to a Page Not Found error. The developer also has not responded to several emails over the last couple of months. Chart updates have been normal, though.

I fear that he may be letting this app die quietly. I guess we'll know for sure when/if the chart updates stop.

BTW, I was able to reinstall it by copying over the .apk file from another device and reinstalling from there.
 
I've been using Avare (now called AvareX) for nearly a decade. It is free, written and maintained by volunteers, and it does everything I need. Some might say it is not for serious IFR use, but I have had no trouble whatsoever.
 
sarangan said:
Avare (now called AvareX)
Click to expand...
From what I gather, AvareX is new development that runs on Windows/Mac/Linux/Android/iPad, but the old Avare will continue in order to maintain compatibility with older hardware. For example, the newer AvareX requires 3GB RAM on Android.
 
For the record, I use fltplngo almost every single time I fly on my iPhone as a backup and while it’s not perfect, it is completely adequate for many things. I have a company supplied iPad with Foreflight on it that we use for aerial photography and I’m cheap so I don’t like to buy a second subscription of FF just for my phone and FltPlanGo does everything I need it to.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0437.jpeg
    IMG_0437.jpeg
    1.7 MB · Views: 5
bkspero said:
I fear that he may be letting this app die quietly. I guess we'll know for sure when/if the chart updates stop.
Click to expand...
Navigator is free for CFIs. I was never a fan but I would install it periodically to check on improvements. I sent my CFI-free request in last month. Still waiting for a reply.
 
RyanShort1 said:
... I’m cheap so I don’t like to buy a second subscription of FF just for my phone and FltPlanGo does everything I need it to.
Click to expand...

While I can't speak to how feasible it is for an employer supplied situation, the Foreflight license is good for multiple devices.

Fltpln Go includes georeferenced approach plates, something the folks at Boeing are charging extra for on top of the base FF subscription.
 
asicer said:
From what I gather, AvareX is new development that runs on Windows/Mac/Linux/Android/iPad, but the old Avare will continue in order to maintain compatibility with older hardware. For example, the newer AvareX requires 3GB RAM on Android.
Click to expand...
Do you have an AvareX link? I like checking those things out.

Edit: Found it.
 
Last edited:
midlifeflyer said:
I didn’t look for the iOS version, so I can’t help.
Click to expand...
Ahh. I’m a long time Android Avare user. I like it a lot, it’s worked well for me VFR and IFR. My Android tablet needs replacing and, for reasons, I will be switching to an iPad mini. A perfect solution would be an iPad version of Avare.

My iPhone is loaded with flightplan go.
 
Matthew said:
I found the github site with the download instructions for ios: download load it from the app store. But I can’t find it there.
Click to expand...
Might not be out yet. I think it just hit the Linux and Windows app stores only a few days ago.
 
To the OP,
If you decide to explore other paid options, an honorable mention would be FlyQ.
While I don't put it on the same level as ForeFlight, it's a pretty robust program, easy to use, and more affordable.
With Black Friday pricing, you should be able to get a lifetime subscription for about $299.00 (VFR+IFR). Hard to beat if they still offer that, and it works for you.
They do seem to keep improving it, and it's definitely better than it was in the past.
Runs only on iOS.
 
sarangan said:
I've been using Avare (now called AvareX) for nearly a decade. It is free, written and maintained by volunteers, and it does everything I need. Some might say it is not for serious IFR use, but I have had no trouble whatsoever.
Click to expand...
I tried Avare years ago. If you want free, it does work. I just didn't like the interface, would rather pay for an interface that I like more. But it's good to know it's there, in case I need to fall back to it.

bkspero said:
I've used Naviator for years. It has the features that I need and little beyond them to get in the way. Unfortunately, it no longer seems to be available on the Google Play store. ...
Click to expand...
As an Android developer myself, I can say that over the past year Google has been making it increasingly difficult to keep apps in the store. New requirements for data policies, minimum versions, etc. I can understand why developers would let old apps die rather than keep them current.
 
Thanks for all the help and suggestions. There is so much to consider with all the different ones out there. I did get the fltplan go app to just check it out. It is hard to know where to go as it all is new to me. I have talked to the help people a few times. They were super helpful and hung with my lack of understanding. So I'm going to check more into this and others mentioned during this post. Thanks again for the education. Until my next question happens!

David
 
I just downloaded the AvareX iPhone version from the iPhone App store. Doesn’t look like it’s been up there very long.

I’m pretty familiar with the Android version so I’m going through the iPhone version right now. I haven’t gotten very far. I’m in the process of getting my Stratux out of mothballs to see if I can get GPS and ADSB through that.
 
I reflashed my Stratux with the latest s/w.

Now my iPhone is running AvareX with ADSB wx and traffic, plus an external GPS.

So far, this is a pretty cool. I need to play with it some more, the flight plan menu seems a little different compared to the Android version. And there are a few other details that aren't there.

But so far, this looks like a pretty good (free) alternative to FF or GP on an i-Thing.
 
Thanks to all who replied to this. Lots of great info. I have flown using fltplan go two times. I have the garmin glo and use my iphone. It works really well no lockups or anything like that. I do find my iphone a bit small and might look into a mini ipad. I am unfamiliar with others apps but once I learn't to get around it fltplan go it does well for me. I have called support a couple times and they were really helpful, and I'm sure they could tell that I really needed to be helped.

David
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top