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Five more aviation apps you can't live without

This week I dip into my folder for five apps that AOPA members said, via Facebook and Twitter, they could not live without. They range from apps that help with pilot training to one for glider pilots to one that handles flight planning. These are not endorsements of any app.

  1. Nav Trainer Pro ($4.99 on iTunes and Google Play)—A member swears by this smartphone and tablet app, which serves as a tool for instrument and student pilots, along with flight instructors, that helps them practice and teach the use of aviation navigation equipment. It includes VOR, HSI, RMI, ADF, DME, and ILS simulation.
  2. MyRadar Pro ($1.99 on iTunes)—An “excellent” iPhone and iPad app that shows animated weather at your location. For $2.99, you can add a hurricane tracker.
  3. PocketFMS EasyVFR (free in iTunes and Google Play)—A member calls this smartphone and tablet app “the best navigation and flight planning program I've tried.” The app allows users to create detailed flight plans on a computer, save them to Web storage, and load them on any mobile device. It provides route planning, weather, and notams, and computes performance, weight and balance, and fuel consumption.
  4. XCSoar (free in Google Play)—This smartphone and tablet app for glider pilots does “an amazing job,” according to a member. It’s a tactical glide computer for glider pilots, paragliders, and hang gliders.
  5. Aviation W&B Calculator ($9.99 in iTunes)—Members swear by this iPhone app, which they say does your weight-and-balance calculations easily and quickly. The app currently has templates for 165 aircraft, ranging from the Beech Baron to the Stinson 108-1. Users also have the option to build their own aircraft templates.

I’m currently looking for your picks for student pilot and fuel apps, but will take any other apps you suggest. Please send them my way here. I appreciate all the Google Play and iTunes app recommendations—keep them coming! The complete list of apps I’ve reviewed since October 2012 is in AOPA’s online archive.

Topics: Apps, Gear, Navigation

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