I passed my private check ride a few weeks ago and I'm looking for a flying app to use with my note 8.0. I am trying to chose between Garmin Pilot, iFly GPS and FlightPro but I haven't been been to find any recent comparisons, any recommendations?
Android: Garmin Pilot v. I fly v. FlightPro
- Thread starter John24
- Start date
Hank S
En-Route
Check out Avare, it works well on my Galaxy Tab. It's pronounced "Av-air," and there are tutorials on YouTube.
airdale
Pattern Altitude
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2007
- Messages
- 1,840
- Display Name
Display name:
airdale
I sampled several of the apps and had Garmin Pilot for a year. I dropped GP in favor of iFly.
From my surveys in 2013 GP was the best of the bunch but compared to the iThings version the Android version was quite weak on features. Compared to Foreflight, no comparison at all. But I felt confident that Garmin would be working to bring the Android version up to the GP iThings standard. Over the spring 2013 to the spring 2014 period that did not happen. The only upgrades had the objective of selling GDL-39s.
I discovered iFly this spring and found it to be a breath of fresh air. It is not yet as mature as GP but aspects are already superior. More importantly, in contrast to Garmin's lack of development and stony silence on plans, the iFLy development is very active and the team enthusiastically and frequently communicates with users via their forums. The fact that they do not try to lock the user into buying a particular piece of ADS-B hardware is also a strong plus. Though price was not a matter of great concern, the iFly price is also possibly the lowest in the market.
I believe that there has been an improved release of GP since I dropped it, but I am very happy with my change and look forward to seeing iFly improve its functionality and gain market share. Maybe there's a bit of rooting for David against Goliath here, but it really is quite a good app already. In particular, check out the flexibility in selection, size, and placement of the on-screen "instruments." Also check the taxi diagrams, which include aerial photographs, and the pricing for this feature (no extra charge).
From my surveys in 2013 GP was the best of the bunch but compared to the iThings version the Android version was quite weak on features. Compared to Foreflight, no comparison at all. But I felt confident that Garmin would be working to bring the Android version up to the GP iThings standard. Over the spring 2013 to the spring 2014 period that did not happen. The only upgrades had the objective of selling GDL-39s.
I discovered iFly this spring and found it to be a breath of fresh air. It is not yet as mature as GP but aspects are already superior. More importantly, in contrast to Garmin's lack of development and stony silence on plans, the iFLy development is very active and the team enthusiastically and frequently communicates with users via their forums. The fact that they do not try to lock the user into buying a particular piece of ADS-B hardware is also a strong plus. Though price was not a matter of great concern, the iFly price is also possibly the lowest in the market.
I believe that there has been an improved release of GP since I dropped it, but I am very happy with my change and look forward to seeing iFly improve its functionality and gain market share. Maybe there's a bit of rooting for David against Goliath here, but it really is quite a good app already. In particular, check out the flexibility in selection, size, and placement of the on-screen "instruments." Also check the taxi diagrams, which include aerial photographs, and the pricing for this feature (no extra charge).
Lindberg
Final Approach
I have Avare and Flight pro. The latter is "slicker," but i can't really say which I like better. They seem to do the same things, differently. The exception being georeferenced airport diagrams, which is included in Avare (free) but is extra in fligh pro. Since Avare is free, you might try it for a while and if you like, don't worry about anything else.
docmirror
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2007
- Messages
- 12,008
- Display Name
Display name:
Cowboy - yeehah!
I just completed my setup. I bought a cheap, really cheap offshore tablet, insuring that it was running Android 4.2.x with 8GB of mem. I use a cheap Dual GPS X150 for location. Download both Avare flight nav software, and a helper app called Bluetooth GPS to get the external GPS to drive the tablet via the NMEA interface.
Configure the Bluetooth GPS for "use insecure" device. Configure the table for "Allow mock locations" under settings > Developer options. Configure the Dual GPS for the non-iPad interface, which is the small switch to the left toward the mini-USB.
Start the Bluetooth service on the tablet. Turn on the GPS, allow it to pair with the tablet, may require you to search again from the bluetooth panel in settings. Select the "XGPS150" and pair it, no pairing entry is required. Wait until the tablet shows paired. Start the Avare app, and download whatever charts, and A-F/D, etc you will need.
Select the 'map' button at the bottom and start navigating. You can watch several of the videos of the Avare utilities from their website or youtube. Seems to work fine so far, I haven't given it a serious test yet, just around the local area so far.
Configure the Bluetooth GPS for "use insecure" device. Configure the table for "Allow mock locations" under settings > Developer options. Configure the Dual GPS for the non-iPad interface, which is the small switch to the left toward the mini-USB.
Start the Bluetooth service on the tablet. Turn on the GPS, allow it to pair with the tablet, may require you to search again from the bluetooth panel in settings. Select the "XGPS150" and pair it, no pairing entry is required. Wait until the tablet shows paired. Start the Avare app, and download whatever charts, and A-F/D, etc you will need.
Select the 'map' button at the bottom and start navigating. You can watch several of the videos of the Avare utilities from their website or youtube. Seems to work fine so far, I haven't given it a serious test yet, just around the local area so far.
Last edited:
Challenged
Pattern Altitude
Another vote for iFly here. I've actually been working with one of the developers over the last few days on their upcoming release, and it has some nice improvements. Everyone involved with iFly has really been great to deal with so far. I do use Avare as a backup and have supported their efforts in the past as well. Their primary developer is also super friendly and was very helpful in regards to some specific needs I had when I wanted to customize the app a bit.
chemgeek
En-Route
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
- Messages
- 2,957
- Display Name
Display name:
chemgeek
Been using FlightPro for a while. Very good user interface, simple to use and update. Avare is free (for now) and is similar, but with a different and slightly less polished user interface. I just started tinkering with it and it's interesting. Many good choices now.
midlifeflyer
Touchdown! Greaser!
Whether Android or iOS, most of the decision is going to be personal preference based on the app's UI. Free or pay, they all have free trials, so take advantage of them. In my case, my primary EFB is on an iPad, but I use a 7" Android as backup. My choice for that was Avare, mostly because it was simple (an app you expect to use very rarely should be); free in that situation is also a benefit.
This is a duplicate of a post I made to answer a similar question on a different forum:
"Best" is very subjective. Once you get past the questions of stability (good you got a brand tablet) and the basic feature set, it's mostly about which bells and whistles, and most especially "user experience" seems more intuitive to you. All of the pay-for apps have 30-day free trials. You probably want to use it and check things out.
I think I've tried all of the available ones. My primary EFB is an iPad but I have a 7" Android tablet I use as my backup (I don't use paper in the cockpit except for an emergency sticky note pad). Here's some impressions:
Naviator. Despite being in the biz since the early days of the Android tablet, it apparently still requires one to select which sectional to use rather than be seamless. That would be a non-started in my book.
Pilot. In addition to the obvious advantage of being the 800 lb gorilla, Garmin also has been very consistent in the flow of its UI (whether one happens to like it or not). Look at pictures of the Garmin touchscreen full IFR GPS like the GNS650 and you will see the same type of visual system and its iPad and Android app.
Flite Pro (yucch - Avilution was a much better name). Another early Android app, this one has a very good following, for very good reasons.
Avare. It's free and open-source. Ilike the app overall. But it's still pretty new. It was originally going to be a simple VFR app but he user base has been clamoring for more IFR features. They're coming and at a surprising pace for unpaid part time developers. I wold not pick it as my primary EFB for IFR but I would feel comfortable with it VFR.
iFlyGPS. If I were starting out today, this one would be pretty high on my list. In addition to having a pre-tablet history, I really like the flow of the program and the fact that it is both Android and iOS capable.
Fltplan Go. Free and with a history. Fltplan.com is probably the most-used IFR flight planning website for corporate and non-dispatcher Part 135 ops and has a very strong following in out GA world as well. They came out with apps a while ago and they are available for both iOS and Android. To some degree, it's a logical extension of the web site but I still have some qualms about how well it works in flight.
AvNav. Free for now, but expect it to start charging at some point. I really like the IU. A lot. But it's still in the development stage and has growing pains. Another issue is that it showed up about a year or so ago, then disappeared, then reappeared. Whether that's an indication of a decision to back off until something usable was ready or a lack of true commitment I have no idea.
There are others but these seem to be the top contenders right now
If I were you, I'd try them all!
This is a duplicate of a post I made to answer a similar question on a different forum:
"Best" is very subjective. Once you get past the questions of stability (good you got a brand tablet) and the basic feature set, it's mostly about which bells and whistles, and most especially "user experience" seems more intuitive to you. All of the pay-for apps have 30-day free trials. You probably want to use it and check things out.
I think I've tried all of the available ones. My primary EFB is an iPad but I have a 7" Android tablet I use as my backup (I don't use paper in the cockpit except for an emergency sticky note pad). Here's some impressions:
Naviator. Despite being in the biz since the early days of the Android tablet, it apparently still requires one to select which sectional to use rather than be seamless. That would be a non-started in my book.
Pilot. In addition to the obvious advantage of being the 800 lb gorilla, Garmin also has been very consistent in the flow of its UI (whether one happens to like it or not). Look at pictures of the Garmin touchscreen full IFR GPS like the GNS650 and you will see the same type of visual system and its iPad and Android app.
Flite Pro (yucch - Avilution was a much better name). Another early Android app, this one has a very good following, for very good reasons.
Avare. It's free and open-source. Ilike the app overall. But it's still pretty new. It was originally going to be a simple VFR app but he user base has been clamoring for more IFR features. They're coming and at a surprising pace for unpaid part time developers. I wold not pick it as my primary EFB for IFR but I would feel comfortable with it VFR.
iFlyGPS. If I were starting out today, this one would be pretty high on my list. In addition to having a pre-tablet history, I really like the flow of the program and the fact that it is both Android and iOS capable.
Fltplan Go. Free and with a history. Fltplan.com is probably the most-used IFR flight planning website for corporate and non-dispatcher Part 135 ops and has a very strong following in out GA world as well. They came out with apps a while ago and they are available for both iOS and Android. To some degree, it's a logical extension of the web site but I still have some qualms about how well it works in flight.
AvNav. Free for now, but expect it to start charging at some point. I really like the IU. A lot. But it's still in the development stage and has growing pains. Another issue is that it showed up about a year or so ago, then disappeared, then reappeared. Whether that's an indication of a decision to back off until something usable was ready or a lack of true commitment I have no idea.
There are others but these seem to be the top contenders right now
If I were you, I'd try them all!
Mark, App was launched in December for trial - it was free then. We got good reviews but users said they wanted ADS-B, wanted to see it working on Phone etc. So we worked to complete those features. App has always been available to download - never disappeared. We did not it was prudent to charge for app that users did not think was complete.
We have now completed all the user requested enhancement - including Geo-referenced approach plate and runway diagrams, moved to Amazon CloudFront for faster downloads.
@ $4.99/month including geo-ref plates I believe its the lowest priced app, with most features and easiest to use (I am off-course biased !).
We are fully committed to the product and showing it at Oshkosh Booth Number of 4142 in Garmin Hangar D. We won't be doing this if we did not believe in the app.
Come see us at the Oshkosh ! Thanks,
-Sanjay