How long have you been using an iOS or Android EFB?

How long have you been using an iOS or Android EFB?

  • Less than 1 year. I'm brand new to this.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1-2 years.

    Votes: 3 6.7%

  • 3-4 years.

    Votes: 2 4.4%

  • 5-6 years.

    Votes: 4 8.9%

  • 7-8 years.

    Votes: 5 11.1%

  • 9-10 years.

    Votes: 8 17.8%

  • 10-11 years.

    Votes: 8 17.8%

  • 12-13 years.

    Votes: 8 17.8%

  • 14-15 years.

    Votes: 5 11.1%

  • More than 15 years.

    Votes: 2 4.4%
  • Total voters
    45
midlifeflyer

midlifeflyer

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A discussion elsewhere made me curious about how long people have been using an iOS or Android EFB.
I'm leaving out some dedicated units like the Garmin handhelds, Anywhere Map, and pre iPhone software like CoPilot for the Palm Pilot. Foreflight Mobile was introduced for the iPhone back in 2008; as of 2025, that would be 17 years ago, so my breakdown reflects that.
 
Since the day I started flying xc for training, a bit over 5 years ago. I've owned three paper charts...one for initial training on reading charts, one for the PPL checkride, and a Low IFR chart for the instrument checkride.
 
I used a very early version of ForeFlight on an iPad about 15 years ago - in an Ercoupe that I owned for six years. I just recently (last June) bought another Ercoupe and I have Foreflight on an iPad Mini and my iPhone. Now I'm just waiting for the Coupe to get finished with an extensive Annual - so I can fly again and actually make use of Foreflight.
 
Is there an EFB for VFR only pilots that doesn’t cost an arm and two legs? Does FF have a VFR version?

I was an early user of FF but dropped it when we moved to Guam. And we used EFBs at my airline job but for the life of me I can’t remember what platform it was.
 
I got my FF Sub the day after my first solo.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Is there an EFB for VFR only pilots that doesn’t cost an arm and two legs? Does FF have a VFR version?

I was an early user of FF but dropped it when we moved to Guam. And we used EFBs at my airline job but for the life of me I can’t remember what platform it was.
Click to expand...
Good question. I guess it depends on your definition of "arm and two legs." The bottom Foreflight tier is $120, less than the cost of a single flight lesson in most places. FlyQ is $99. iFlyEFB, which will work on both platforms, (and Windows) is $95 and rock solid. And Avare, which has been free for Android users since about 2012, recently spun off the free AvareX which also operates on iOS and Windows, and has more than enough features and capability for VFR use.
 
I can’t tell from the web sight but does FF Basic Plus have geo- referenced VFR charts (sectionals)?
 
Great question. I had to think back to when I started using my iPhone as an EFB. Based on my kiddos age, it’s been longer than I thought.
 
Whatever year ForeFlight v1 came out. I believe they were, for the most part, first mover for iOS along with WingX.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
I can’t tell from the web sight but does FF Basic Plus have geo- referenced VFR charts (sectionals)?
Click to expand...
Georeferenced sectionals, yes. Georeferenced airport diagrams, no. That's been my main complaint about Foreflight. Even VFR pilots go into complex airports. But it does include the Aeronautical Layer, which can be zoomed in to a level where the taxiways are displayed, which many will find sufficient. This is zoomed in on the maim map page without the airport diagram.

BTW, the airport diagram is one of the reasons I like FlyQ for VFR use. You probably remember them - the little brown Airport Guide diagrams? When they went belly-up, Seattle purchased the diagrams, georeferenced them, and incorporated them into FlyQ at all subscription levels.
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dans2992 said:
Whatever year ForeFlight v1 came out. I believe they were, for the most part, first mover for iOS along with WingX.
Click to expand...
Foreflight Mobile for the iPhone came out July 2008; the iPad came along in January 2010. Since I have never had an iPhone, I needed to wait for the iPad. (Actually, I was waiting for an Android tablet and got impatient :D).

And yes, once upon a time it was Foreflight and WingX.
 
At least 7 years probably longer. Started with Garmin Pilot on an Android device, then Garmin Pilot on iOS (Not the same but close). After a few years went to ForeFlight only on iOS (only choice there). Different features on all the products that I liked better than others, all in all they were ALL really good.

Least liked feature on ForeFlight is the need to PACK. Garmin Pilot never had the need to PACK.
 
Started with GarminPilot on an Android tablet back in 2012ish timeframe IIRC. Switched to an iPad with GarminPilot a couple of years later and haven’t looked back. I run a second copy of GarminPilot on my iPhone as a backup.
 
Last edited:
If FalconView, TACP-CASS, Black Diamond, or ATAK counts, then I’ve been using digital charts or an EFB since about 1998.
 
Last edited:
TCABM said:
If FalconView, TACP-CASS, Black Diamond, or ATAK counts, then I’ve been using digital charts or an EFB since about 1998.
Click to expand...
Falcon View! Started using that in 2002. Basically the military version of FF. We used a military EFB with Blue Force Tracker but had Falcon View strip maps as a backup.
 
Started with Motion tablet running a now long-gone Jepps PC program. Physical hard drives really will crash if taken about 18,000'. Ask me how I know. Then same on Samsung SSD based tablet, and thence to iPad upon launch and ever since. Mini my personal preference for FF. Not sure why there are other apps for IFR use.
 
Three iPads ago…and prior to that was a 3 digit customer # for Jeppview….and b4 that, the Jeppesen binders…
 
Thanks to @k9medic I’ve been using an iPad with FF at work since 2017. Started using an iPad mini with FF the following year for personal travel. Honestly, unless it’s XC, I don’t use anything on local flights.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Well, since none runs on an iOS or Android device, sorry. Now, if we want to talk about electronic logbooks…
Click to expand...

BD and ATAK ran on android. I think I first used Black Diamond at Atlantic Strike in 2011 and ATAK in 2015. FV and TACP-CASS which really just integrated two way data link with FV ran on some version of Windows.
 
The IPAD 1 was released April 2010, although the chart app companies predate that by a few years.
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