One of my favorite podcasts is the Airplane Geeks . Aviation historian David Vanderhoof does a weekly profile of an aircraft and he uses a website called the Randomizer to choose them. So now, here are my five random picks for the week. These are not endorsements of any app.
- ARPort ($9.99)—This cool app uses augmented reality to help users “see” airports anywhere in the United States and its territories. Using the camera device on your iPhone or iPad, the app lets you see up to 20 airports within 20 nautical miles of where you are, where it will tell you the facility’s name, field elevation, and length of the longest runway. The app is also available at Google Play for Android users.
- FBO Fuel Prices ($3.99)—This iPhone app displays fuel prices around a given destination. It posts a graphic map with pins of the airport locations where you can see fuel prices at each airport in a given radius. It also allows you to contact each FBO individually. The app, created by GlobalAir.com, also has a link to its Airport Resource Center for airport information.
- Spin-a-Wind ($2.99)—Here’s a handy tool that allows users to calculate runway crosswinds. You pick a runway, wind direction, and speed, and instantly see headwind and crosswind components. It also gives users the capacity to calculate temperatures, density altitude, and airspeed. The app is available on the iPhone and Android platforms.
- Survival Pocket Ref by Double Dog Studios ($0.99)—You don’t want to think about survival skills in case of an accident, but this iPhone app helps you prepare for the worst. It offers 500 pages of information created by the U.S. Department of Defense, including first aid, building shelter, evasion tactics, and finding food and water.
- EAA Radio —CoDeveloper LLC developed this iPhone app to allow people to hear live content from the annual EAA AirVenture show. You also get access to 15 years’ worth of interviews and programming. Android users can access content here.
So there you have it. If you have any apps you think I should review in the upcoming months, please pass them along to me.
