Best Aviation Apps for Android?

I didn't even say I use an iPhone, just sharing what I just read in the paper this morning over coffee.

Here's an excerpt from a classic novel/play by Bulgakov:

PROF. PREOBRAZHENSKY: If you care about your digestion, my advice is  —  don’t talk about bolshevism or medicine at table. And, god forbid  — never read soviet newspapers before dinner.

DR. BLUMENTHAL: Hmm… But there are no other newspapers.

PROF. PREOBRAZHENSKY: In that case don’t read any at all. Do you know I once made thirty tests in my clinic. And what do you think? The patients who never read newspapers felt excellent. Those whom I specially made read Pravda all lost weight. […] And not only did they lose weight. Their knee reflexes were retarded, they lost appetite and exhibited general depression.

The "do not read Soviet newspapers before dinner" applies to NYT just as much as it does to Pravda.
 
+1

For navigation, I use Adventure Pilot's iFly software, which is also available for iOS.

Quite impressed with iFly. Lots of useful features and they don't nickel and dime you like Garmin for geo-referencing or Safetaxi. But unfortunately I have all Garmin avionics which work well together but don't work with other apps/hardware.
 
Garmin pilot, flyq, takeoff, weatherbomb are just a few i like. I have tried most of the moving map apps such as avare and naviator but after using garmin the others just seem too clunky. Garmin is so intuitive, want to go to an airport? Just find it on the map, touch it and hit direct to or pull up all the airport info instantly. All the other apps seem to make this too complicated.

Hmm, odd, on Avare, you do the same, find the airport on the sectional, touch and hold over it, select 'destination' and it becomes active for A/FD, plates, etc. across the bottom. I don't see why anyone with an android phone wouldn't use this as a free backup GPS/sectional in your pocket. (if they don't already pay for something like GP)

Dumb phone users, you could even buy a cheap pre-pay android smart phone($30ish) not activate the phone, and use as wifi only for this purpose.
 
+1 for iFly. I run it on my Android tablet, my wife's Android phone and my iPhone.
Unless you want to use Foreflight, I don't see any advantage of iOS over Android from a pilot's perspective.
 
I knew there was a reason I liked you Oliver ..... I have an uGly as well and use my nexus7 for backup.
 
Agreed. Did you get the new 740 or do you have a 720?

Neither. Just the app(s). I like that they offer combo-licenses for iOS and Android. Our main device is the 2nd generation Nexus7, as back up (and for doodling around) we also have it installed on Martina's Android phone and my iPhone.

I was also looking at the iFly devices, but have to admit that I could not see much of an advantage over the Nexus7, other than the supposedly brighter display, which is in a high wing aircraft however not that much of a factor.

Am I missing something?
 
Well you mentioned an obvious advantage of the nearly 1300 nits of brightness in the 740. This is how I roll. My iFly is mounted in the airplane on the pilot side yoke and stays there. Power cords are neatly routed and stay in place out of the way. I have two 16GB SD cards. I update one at home on my laptop and exchange cards with the one in the iFly. The old one goes back in a holder for update before the next flight. The iFly has a remote that can be pretty handy for scrolling around, zooms and brightness control. My Nexus 7 2nd gen is on the co-pilot yoke as a back up or for the use of whoever is in that seat.

I like having it semi permanently mounted and always there. I am one of the beta testers for iFly so I get to suggest things and test some of the new things before they hit the rest of the users so that is kinda neat.

Working on getting it to where I can preplan a flight on the nexus or my phone and send it to the unit in the airplane.

I also have a Skyguard Vision Pro to light up the ADS-B puck and receive traffic and weather on all the iFly, Nexus and my phone. I shoulda taxied my Arrow up to the fly in and you could have seen it. You may just have to fly back down or me fly up some weekend.
 
[...] The iFly has a remote that can be pretty handy for scrolling around, zooms and brightness control. [...] I am one of the beta testers for iFly so I get to suggest things and test some of the new things before they hit the rest of the users so that is kinda neat. [...] I also have a Skyguard Vision Pro to light up the ADS-B puck and receive traffic and weather on all the iFly, Nexus and my phone. [...] You may just have to fly back down or me fly up some weekend.

Now, the remote is something I would really like, but of which I wasn't aware of that it is available. I just looked it up - seems basic, but apparently covers the main functions. To operate the tablet in turbulences can be a bit of a pain, a remote would certainly help.

As a beta tester, you might suggest an automatic logbook function, with departure and arrival airports, as well as flight time, as I always forget to write my flights down. I, and others, have asked for it in the forum, without success however. :wink2:

I would also like to have the ADS-B in / out capability, but am struggling with the decision whether I rather prefer a portable solution, for lower costs, which meets all of our needs for the next years or if we should rather bite the bullet and get a solution which meets the 2020 mandate right away.

To fly back down to Ohio would certainly be an enjoyable option and a nice day-trip. :yes: It might also help to get Martina's approval, once she sees your setup. Especially ADS-B traffic and weather information will be very much to her liking... :yes:
 
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