Tablet/phone based charts

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Todd82

Line Up and Wait
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Todd
Very near (finally) taking the plunge into ownership. The plane is well equipped for my budget and mission but doesn't have a GPS. Rather than upgrade the panel, I was considering a tablet/phone based app and looking for advice from those of you with experience.

VFR only so won't need approach plates, etc. Mainly looking for charts to keep me out of airspace, give me frequencies, etc. I'm an Android man and don't really care for i$tuff so that's a consideration but if I have to buy an iPad I will.

So to my knowledge there's Foreflight which is equipped alot more than my mission needs and iPad only, Garmin which is a bit cheaper and Android but still rather IFR-centric, Avare which is "free" and Android but what am I missing with that?
 
Hard to go wrong with free on a device you own to learn what works and doesn't work for your particular mission. Then, with perspective, you can decide if you need to look further. I started with WingX as those I knew used it and could educate me. After a while, I dabbled with Garmin, but then settled on FF. I am sure others will have additional perspectives (this is the interwebs, after all :)).
 
eb87f said:
Avare. Your android device just needs to have gps built in. I've used it since 2013 and it has much more than I need (I'm also vfr only).
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You can also have Avare run off ADS-B GPS. If you go to GPS settings you have I/O module, internal, or all.
 
eb87f said:
Avare. Your android device just needs to have gps built in. I've used it since 2013 and it has much more than I need (I'm also vfr only).
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EdFred said:
You can also have Avare run off ADS-B GPS. If you go to GPS settings you have I/O module, internal, or all.
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Unlike an iPad, it's fairly rare for an Android device to not have GPS built in.
 
I have never owned an Apple product. Android tablet running GP.

You can get an Android tablet with GPS and it does not require a cell phone number assigned. In other words - no monthly cell phone charge.

Android tablets don't overheat as easily as iPads either. Kind of important if you don't carry paper charts for backup (which I still suggest to you do).

For VFR only, I have heard nothing but good things about Avare.
 
Come to the dark side.... iPad baby iPad! I love my iPad and FF- I use it in a Cessna 140 and have crisscrossed the country with it... I Bluetooth it to my headset and get audio traffic, I get my checklists read to me (so smooth - much more efficient).

it’ll be ok to come to the dark side. I won’t tell you once you have one that your next phone will be an I device and your laptop will be an Air ;)
 
Huckster79 said:
Come to the dark side.... iPad baby iPad! I love my iPad and FF- I use it in a Cessna 140 and have crisscrossed the country with it... I Bluetooth it to my headset and get audio traffic, I get my checklists read to me (so smooth - much more efficient).

it’ll be ok to come to the dark side. I won’t tell you once you have one that your next phone will be an I device and your laptop will be an Air ;)
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I'm gonna take a dump on the hangar floor at the pancake breakfast if you don't shut up about Apple. :D
 
I am an outlier. I use a little-known, simple app on my iPad, https://memory-map.com/ available for IOS, Android, and Windows. I have the IOS version for my iPad and the Windows version for my laptop. I am a VFR-only pilot.

The apps directly use the Geo-Tiffs and PDFs available from the FAA:
https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/

It is about as bare-bones as you can get. Marks, way-points, tracks, and routes, is about all it offers. It provides no weather and no pilot-specific services. No airport info, so you'll need to do your own homework or access these services some other way. I used the free version for years, then bought the perpetual license.
 
Huckster79 said:
I won’t tell you once you have one that your next phone will be an I device and your laptop will be an Air ;)
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Doubtful, my wife has an iPhone, etc and the times I've tried iStuff I still don't like it.
 
Avare folks...

Will it display ADSB traffic? This plane has a tail beacon but what else will I need for ADSB displayed?
 
ForeFlight is the VHS to the Beta, is the Garmin to the Collins, is the ATT to the whatever, ...... you get the idea. Love it or hate it (and there is a lot to love) it is the standard, and need Apple to work (love it or hate it - it does work).

Get F Flight and a used I Pad mini from Gazelle. You can connect it to a Garmin or Non Garmin ADSB transponder to get weather and traffic. $400 for GPS Ipad, $100 for F Flight annual. Another $100 or so if you'd like a nice RAM mount or what not.

IF you want an out of the box idea: Get the Garmin Aera 760 for $1500. Preloaded with maps and what not, has GPS built in, and sunlight readable. Connects only to Garmin Transponders for weather and traffic.
 
Todd82 said:
Avare folks...

Will it display ADSB traffic? This plane has a tail beacon but what else will I need for ADSB displayed?
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If you have ADS-B (either installed or portable) in you can get traffic and weather on Avare.

NO subscription. HAs all the IFR charts, VFR charts, TACs, approach plates, etc...

$100 for a tablet, and that's your cost.
 
I currently use Foreflight on an Ipad Mini 4, mainly because I was recently doing a little more hardcore flying.

Prior to that when I was in your situation, I had a Samsung Android tablet running FltPlan Go's app. It worked pretty good for what I needed then. The only thing I've found between free vs Foreflight, the interface can be a little clunkier, and occasional but rare issues with reliability. Free apps just tend to be a little more glitchy. I guess you get what you pay for. Not to mention issues between app version, vs Android version, vs hardware specific firmware.

Now that I've stepped back from the professional flying world for now, I am sticking with Foreflight. I've just gotten so used to it, and have it setup with my profiles and information, I hate to give it up. $100 a year isn't so bad in the big scheme of things since I already have the equipment.
 
Todd82 said:
Doubtful, my wife has an iPhone, etc and the times I've tried iStuff I still don't like it.
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honestly I think it’s what any of us get used to first... then the other one seems clunky n weird... obviously they both work so it certainly is a matter of preference :)
 
Huckster79 said:
... I won’t tell you once you have one that your next phone will be an I device and your laptop will be an Air ;)
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the apple stuff isn't for everyone. It doesn't reflect badly on people who don't like the apple GUI or apple "culture" or "style", it is what it is.
 
FlightPln Go. Works like a champ. And best of all, its free. Works on Iphones no issues, if you have a tablet with GPS, it works fine and if you have a tablet without GPS, just get a Bad Elf gps attachment and it works great. Had i not needed ADSB out and bought a GNX375, i would have just used it for navigation. I still use it but more as a backup now.
 
Fltplan Go user here. Very happy with it. It's free and I use it VFR and IFR, getting traffic info from panel 430W or stratux.
 
Bob Noel said:
the apple stuff isn't for everyone. It doesn't reflect badly on people who don't like the apple GUI or apple "culture" or "style", it is what it is.
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oh I know, I’m an apple guy and my biz partners android guy- I was just givin him a little ****e :)
 
Joe_B1 said:
Avare, stratux, android tablet
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Another vote, this is my setup.

I do keep FLT PLN Go installed too as a backup.

Avare is the good trusty pickup.

FltPlnGo is the complicated BMW, has lots of features you'll likely never use for VFR.

One advantage to Flt Plan Go, you can use the flight planner on their website and then upload it to your android tablet.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
I use Avare with an Android tablet. I get traffic and weather via WiFi from Stratus 3i.
 
My first attempt with an EFB was with Avare. Because, it was free. For whatever reason, its user interface did not work with how I think. For the past 3 years, I have been using Iflygps (android version). It works for me, and, for me, the learning curve (for a long cross-country) was less than 3 days of familiarization. I recently tried a test run with ForeFlight and had difficulty adapting to it. I am sure that I would have had the same conversion difficulty if I had initially started with FF. I did not play with FF long enough to offer any comparisons of features. IFly does offer a 90-day trial period, if I remember correctly. Also, for $20 in addition to the standard subscription price, you can install it on up to 4 devices.
 
ForeFight = $$$ - Fltplan Go = FREE
Status - $$$ - Stratux = $

Edit:
I do like the iPad Air.
 
DFH65 said:
Avare is open source and free it is Android only. For VFR it does everything I need.
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I use Avare for IFR as well. It has everything I need.
 
Another vote for Avare. The interface does have an odd flavor, like some foreign software I've used... making me wonder if the original author isn't a native English speaker. But after awhile it makes sense. There's an active forum on google groups, too, where questions can be asked.

In one plane I couldn't get a reliable signal with my tablet's internal GPS, so I used a cheap generic bluetooth GPS receiver I bought on ebay for $15. In my current plane, it works fine without the external receiver.
 
Two free options are Avare and FltPlan Go. One of the simplest to use and update is DroidEFB. Both FltPlan Go and Droid EFB will work with a variety of ADS-B equipment, not just Garmin stuff. I use DroidEFB for my primary mapping and IFR chart source. FltPlan Go is my backup software. Most of these apps will run on pretty much any name brand Android tablet with at least 32Gb of storage. I keep a backup copy of DroidEFB on my phone. It is surprisingly usable even on a phone screen.
 
I have used Avare for 6 years and I really like it. It is extremely stable. I don't think it has ever shut down on me. It is a simple and well programed light app that does not take a lot of resources on your tablet. I also really like it for changes in routing. It is pretty simple. You just long press any point on the map and add it to the flight plan. You can rearrange the new way-point where you want it just by moving it up or down with arrows in the edit mode. You can also just grab the magenta line and move it to where you want (rubber-band) to edit your route. I think the editing is relatively easy. Of course I also use the Avidyne IFD 100 app paired with my IFD 440. I like Fltplan go a lot when it comes to flight planning though. Just touch on the Fltplan.com button and it takes you to the flight planning website. Then it downloads your navlogs and weather to your tablet. I also like that Fltplan go and Avare are totally free for all maps, charts, and plates. Avare is also great incorporating adsb weather and traffic. just touch anywhere and it brings up weather and winds aloft for that area. It also automatically switches to the airport diagram on roll out which is nice. When I arrive and shut down, upon exit, Avare emails my flight tracks to me. I like that a lot as well.
 
Have to say Avare looks good, been playing with it on a old android tablet and its not half bad. Will have to get a more recent android tablet and play with it and the SkyRadar unit
 
When I talked about Avare being a light app, on my phone the app takes up about 13 mb of space. I doubt that includes maps but in the U.S. I have all sectional, all ifr low, and several states plates. Fltplan go takes 735 mb. I have had fltplan go crash in flight, and I don't use it all the time. I do use Avare on every flight, and I don't think it has ever crashed in 6 years.
 
I use Garmin Pilot. Charts update automatically. I haven’t thought about them for years. My storage used is 3.27 gigs with the entire state of Alaska in charts plus worldwide terrain, smart taxi, obstacles, etc. Pretty minimal for modern smart devices.
 
Piper18O said:
When I talked about Avare being a light app, on my phone the app takes up about 13 mb of space. I doubt that includes maps but in the U.S. I have all sectional, all ifr low, and several states plates. Fltplan go takes 735 mb.
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I have VFR and IFR low for the places I fly. For that, Avare uses about 566MB of storage.
 
Hi.
Todd82 said:
Avare which is "free" and Android but what am I missing with that?
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Nothing that you really need as pilot.
In addition to what others mentioned you can get / download Avare from outside the GP which is a plus since I do not want to deal with the G bunch as much as I can.
At first it may look complicated / different but in part is due to it's simple approach to interface it is never more than 3 clicks away from the most complex option and in most cases, if you have done your preparation before the flight, it's a click away.
Open source you can easily make some changes to your liking if you want, but you will have to keep them updated yourself after next update.
Just read the built in Menu>Help first in the app, or look for it in the Forum below, first.
If you have a request / problem / suggestion... go to https://apps4av.net/site/, https://groups.google.com/g/apps4av-forum, https://github.com/apps4av/avare.
 
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