Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/307497
38 Vol.3 No.5 / May 2014 LIGHT PL ANE WORLD NO TECHNOLOGY IN HUMAN history has achieved a faster adoption rate than the mobile phone. There are 4.5 billion individual sub- scribers on the planet (mobiThinking.com), and we have as many mobile devices as humans. Smartphones account for 80 percent of all mobile phone sales in the United States. About 40 percent of U.S. smartphones run on the Apple iOS system while Android phones dominate worldwide due largely to the lower cost. With GPS receivers becoming commonplace in smartphones, more pilots are using them as a backup navigation device. Apple iPhone users have a head start in GPS fl ying apps, and they report the highest level of customer satisfaction. ForeFlight is currently number one and popular with busy, working pilots. There is no Android version. Next in subscribers is WingX Pro7, popular for light-sport aircraft pilots building fl at-panel avionics around the iPad. An incomplete Android version was of ered, but it is not supported. In third place and catching up fast is Garmin Pilot, available for both iOS and Android devices. It would be foolish to fl y into unfamiliar terrain with a smartphone as the only navigation aid. Smartphone apps update frequently, and what worked yesterday might quit working today. The phone technology and the features of the apps evolve rapidly. The only way to know which features will work for you is to take a 30-day free trial. All four of the reviewed Android apps of er some form of ADS-B (automatic dependent surveil- lance–broadcast) service that provides in-fl ight weather, TFRs (temporary fl ight restrictions), and traf c advisories through the addition of a receiver that costs around $500 and up. AVARE – FREE ANDROID APP Avare is a totally free moving-map GPS app with FAA charts and airport directory and approach plates with more than 50,000 installs on the Google Play store. FAA NEXRAD graphics, MET- ARs, TAFs (terminal area forecasts), and TFRs are available. It was introduced in 2012 as a free open-source app with no subscription fees and no ads. A group of volunteers continues to add features such as ADS-B capability and connectivity to an external GPS source. The ADS-B function works through an XGPS170 receiver ($495). Questions from users are answered on the Avare forum . The moving map screen includes six customizable navigation data blocks at the top in large white lettering. A double tap on any of the data blocks opens the options screen. You can draw or write on the chart to record notes. There is no separate NAV data screen. A course deviation guide bar can be displayed on the map main screen, and course deviation data is available in the top data block. A long press anywhere on the chart opens a window with distance and bearing from the current location and the option to set it as the destination. To use the amazing "Fly There" function, open Google Maps with an Internet connection while Avare is running and search for any location or any point where you drop a red marker. Activate the share option and choose the Avare icon among the list of apps. The location will be instantly set as the active destination, saved under the "Find" menu, and Avare opens ready to navigate. The app does not brief or fi le Flying With Your Smartphone Top aviation GPS apps for Android phones BY DAN GRUNLOH Avare map screen with track line, course line, and NAV data. Photography courtesy of Dan Grunloh E A A E X P _ M a y 1 4 . i n d d 3 8 EAAEXP_May14.indd 38 5 / 5 / 1 4 3 : 2 0 P M 5/5/14 3:20 PM