If you are a pilot with an iPhone, you are probably aware that there are countless aviation related applications out there specifically meant for pilots. Hence, a recent post by John Ewing on Aviation Mentor that reviews seven great aviation related iPhone applications is a must read.
The applications he reviews are actually part of a suite of reasonably-priced iPhone apps from CFI Tools that are each meant to do one task and to do that one task well. These applications include:
- The Crosswind Calculator: For US$1.99, the Crosswind Calculator will let you enter reported surface winds and the runway heading and then it shows you the crosswind and headwind component.
- Holds Pattern Calculator: For US$2.99, the Holds Pattern Calculator comes with two slider controls that will let you set your aircraft’s current heading and the holding course.
- VOR Viewer: For US$3.99, the VOR Viewer is a useful learning tool for student pilots to help them get their head around VOR navigation.
- Weight & Balance: For US$5.99, the Weight and Balance tool will help to ensure that you never fly over gross weight or outside the allowable CG range.
- Mvx Tracks: For US$7.99, the Mvx Tracks application will allow you to save ground tracks from your flights in order to analyze flight maneuvers - so long as your iPhone is not in airplane mode as the built-in GPS will be disabled.
- Takeoff & Landing Distance: For US$4.99, this application will provide you with takeoff and landing data for nine popular GA aircraft.
- Area Wx: For US$6.99, the AreaWX app will display a list of surface observations for airports within a specified radius of a particular airport.
As usual, John does a great job of doing a detailed review of all of the above iPhone applications – making his post a must read for any pilot with an iPhone.