Mini PIREP - AVARE and FltPlan Go

[AcroGimp]

Yesterday I flew up to Cable with a friend in his T-34B and took the opportunity to try the AVARE and FltPlanGo apps on my Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet.

FltPlan Go
I ran the FltPlan Go app on the trip up to Cable, just under an hour. I had downloaded all of the applicable charts and nav data prior to departure and set the app to use downloaded info. I used the tablet's built-in GPS for nav source.

Stability was excellent, no drop outs or freezes. Map quality was excellent, easily on par with GP. Ability to search for data was good even though I had not spent much time with the App on the ground, very intuitive. Nice thing is that the Go App will sync up with your FltPlan.com account for flightplans and routes, aircraft profiles, even checklists, weight and balance info, etc.

Most approach plates and airport diagrams are georeferenced (for free!!) and the airport diagrams pop-up automagically on landing as you decelerate.

The user interface on FltPlan Go is very slick, I enjoyed using it.

Disappointments - no compass ring, or distance time rings that I could figure out how to turn on as an overlay to the map - I have really grown to appreciate both on GP and other moving map apps. No CDI or similar I could find. Also, minimal flightplan data is available on the main app screen as far as I could find - would be nice to get a navlog type overlay - this could have been due to my lack of familiarity with the App features though.

All in all a very solid app, especially given that it is free.

AVARE
I ran the AVARE app on the trip back from Cable, also just under an hour. I had downloaded all of the applicable charts and nav data prior to departure and set the app to use downloaded info. I used the tablet's built-in GPS for nav source.

Stability was excellent, no drop outs or freezes. Map quality was poor to mediocre, well below that of GP or FltPlan Go. Not sure why that is but it is persistent across all maps.

Ability to search for data was good even though I had not spent much time with the App on the ground, like FltPlan Go, also very intuitive.

Most approach plates and airport diagrams are georeferenced (for free!!) and the airport diagrams pop-up automagically on landing as you decelerate, like FltPlan Go.

The AVARE user interface is basic but functional. AVARE supports dynamic distance / time rings but does not have a compass ring overlay I could easily find.

Disappointments, really just map quality. It offers a somewhat non-standard CDI that is difficult to use but that might just be my lack of experience with the app.

As a free App it is pretty amazing.

Both apps were far easier on the battery than GP has been, used about 20% across both flights, history is that GP would have eaten 40-60% of the battery for the same flights. Operating temp for the tablet never exceeded low 90's.

'Gimp

 

[chartbundle]

I worked for a bit on giving AVARE the options for better charts. But after digging through the code for a while I just kept running into too many things that would need to be rewritten for them to work, my tests did look really nice though.

 

[DFH65]

Been using Avare for a little bit for my day VFR, generally nice weather flying and for the price it is hard to beat. I have tried the Fltplan and use it for some features like weight and balance and such but find the Avare to be just a little easier to use for me. I agree that the rendering of the maps in Avare is not as good as Fltplan but certainly functional.

I am using it on my Samsung Galaxy S5 phone which is just big enough for this task. I have also used it on a Nexus 7. The plane I fly also has a 430 so either way I have redundancy.

I also like being able to locate things in Google maps and then sharing the location with Avare. It comes in handy when you are trying to navigate to a specific landmark.

 

[tinerj]

. I also like being able to locate things in Google maps and then sharing the location with Avare. It comes in handy when you are trying to navigate to a specific landmark.

Can you elaborate on how to do that? It would be something I'd find useful, but don't know how to do it.

Also, I don't understand the "Map quality was poor to mediocre" in a previous post. On both the Nexus 7 and Nexus 5, the map quality is sharp as a knife edge. I can blow it up to the most intricate detail.

 

[AcroGimp]

Can you elaborate on how to do that? It would be something I'd find useful, but don't know how to do it.

Also, I don't understand the "Map quality was poor to mediocre" in a previous post. On both the Nexus 7 and Nexus 5, the map quality is sharp as a knife edge. I can blow it up to the most intricate detail.

Speaking for myself, the maps on AVARE are pixelated and grainy compared to those on Garmin Pilot, FltPlan Go, Naviator, FlightPro (formerly Avilution Aviation Maps), literally all other EFB apps have better quality images across any of my devices.

'Gimp

 

[35B33]

Just got a Samsung Pro 8.4 and you got me to compare with my Nexus 7 '13. Did it both ways, GP on one and Avare on the other, then swapped. Both looked equally sharp to me.

BTW, Best Buy has had the Pro 8.4 for $200.

 

[chartbundle]

Downloaded Avare again yesterday on my TabPro, the downloaded TACs looked ok but I was still seeing the glitch when you scroll around sometimes it doesn't re-draw the screen properly and leaves a black bar along one side.

 

[AcroGimp]

Not the best way to try and show this but maybe you will see in the pics what I see in person:

FltPlan Go App

AVARE

Garmin Pilot

May not be as obvious in the pics but in person AVARE looks demonstrably worse than the other two.

YMMV.

'Gimp

 

[DFH65]

Can you elaborate on how to do that? It would be something I'd find useful, but don't know how to do it.

Also, I don't understand the "Map quality was poor to mediocre" in a previous post. On both the Nexus 7 and Nexus 5, the map quality is sharp as a knife edge. I can blow it up to the most intricate detail.

The way it worked in the past (seems not to be working for me right now) maybe a glitch.

Start Avare then go into Google maps and choose a destination. On my phone you touch the bottom of the screen and you are given the choice of save or share. Choose share then select the app you want to share it with. Select Avare and it should mark the spot on the map.

For me tonight it is not although it worked fine before also you need to make sure you have an actual address or intersection if it says near a location it wont work.

Let me know how it works for you. As far as maps go they are plenty sharp for where I usually have it set if I zoom in as far as I can it is not as sharp.