Any FltPlan Go Users that can Help?

[RoundTwo]

I’m just starting to use FltPlan Go and one thing has me stumped. I’ve downloaded everything in my general are and I noticed gray circles, or dots, on top of the airports. Tapping on any one of these dots brings up a shortcut to that airport. However, not all airports show the dot and don’t allow getting to the information via the shortcut link. I’ve included two screenshots showing the issue. 
Can anyone explain why some have it and others don’t?

R2

[Will.iam]

I would think the ones with the dot have automated weather and the ones without do not. 

[RoundTwo]

50 minutes ago, Will.iam said:

I would think the ones with the dot have automated weather and the ones without do not. 

I think you nailed it!

R2

[Andy95W]

12 hours ago, Will.iam said:

I would think the ones with the dot have automated weather and the ones without do not. 

This is correct for FltplanGo.

If you go to the METARs tab on the map, you can select ceilings and visibility and it will change the color of the dot from grey to green, blue, red, or purple that corresponds to VFR, MVFR, IFR, and low IFR.

[RoundTwo]

1 hour ago, Andy95W said:

This is correct for FltplanGo.

If you go to the METARs tab on the map, you can select ceilings and visibility and it will change the color of the dot from grey to green, blue, red, or purple that corresponds to VFR, MVFR, IFR, and low IFR.

Just this morning I began playing with the different options on the METARs tab and find it very easy and helpful. However, it would be nice to be able to get the shortcut link to every airport, not just the ones with AWOS.

[Andy95W]

I agree, and it’s probably my only real complaint about FltPlanGo.  The good news is that if the airport is your destination, you can touch on it and you’ll get the menu for runways, approaches, frequencies, etc.

[Will.iam]

Can anybody explain why fltplan go puts in random routes when you goto edit route on first startup? Why can’t it be like foreflight where it retains the last route you put in or blank? Is there a setting to change to keep it from doing this?

[Andy95W]

I think it’s like when Netflix gives you movie suggestions.

[EricJ]

1 hour ago, Will.iam said:

Can anybody explain why fltplan go puts in random routes when you goto edit route on first startup? Why can’t it be like foreflight where it retains the last route you put in or blank? Is there a setting to change to keep it from doing this?

Hmm...I'm an occassional Fltpln user, as I sometimes go back and forth between it and Avare (because they're both free!).   The last few times I used it it always woke up with the last flight plan that I had left on it.   I just checked it again and it still had my last plan in it.   I usually use Avare, and it just wakes up with no flight plan if you shut it down completely.

[PeteMc]

Anyone have any driving reason to use FltPlan over Avare (or vice versa)? 

 

[RoundTwo]

2 minutes ago, PeteMc said:

Anyone have any driving reason to use FltPlan over Avare (or vice versa)? 

 

I’d be interested in a comparison.

[EricJ]

3 hours ago, PeteMc said:

Anyone have any driving reason to use FltPlan over Avare (or vice versa)? 

I used to use FltPlan Go exclusively but the Android version has one annoyance that I couldn't get past, and that's that if you tap the "back" button twice it exits the program.   I kept having the tail of my seat belt tap me out of the program without my knowledge in turbulence or something and then the next time I went to look at it and needed it it was gone.   Derp.

So I tried Avare, which I like a lot, but it is open source and the development is somewhat...lets say less professional.  It does seem to be mostly competently developed, the application is fully-featured and works very well, but there have been some notable hiccups along the way.   One was big enough that I went back to using FltPlan Go again (I do go back and forth once in a while), but have since switch back to Avare.    Some things are easier/better in FltPlan Go, some are a bit better in Avare.   I find the situational awareness display better in Avare which is why I tend to use it more.    In Avare the traffic displays are less cluttered, the distance rings are thinner so don't intrude as much, and Avare also shows a heading and a track pointer from the aircraft, which I find very useful.  In most things other things they're both very good and similar, and many people prefer FltPlan Go for filing flight plans.   Creating plans, accessing data like weather, plates, airport info, etc., I find very comparable in both.   Avares user interface and menus seem more intuitive to me, but that's just me.

Other than preferences that somebody might have with the displays, which I do find different, to me the main difference is the development background.   FltPlan is professionally developed mostly for the charter/jet/turbine Part 135 world, so they have a lot of optimizations for that including how the app ties to their website for planning, logging, resource management, scheduling, data transfer, etc., and tend to keep up with updates mostly as it relates to that world, but is also still perfectly suitable for GA.   It does mean that they do have a revenue stream associated with those users for their premium services, which appear to be popular.   The GA version is free.   Avare is developed as an open-source project by enthusiasts and pilots and seems to be mostly change-driven by discussions on the user and developers forums.   It is still a solid, capable app from a user standpoint in my experience and has most of the same GA-relevant utility features as Fltplan, but it is a difference that sometimes affects updates, etc.

Both support free chart and plate updates for gov't charts and plates, airport diagrams, supplement info, etc.

I think they're both awesome apps, especially since they're both available free, and are both full-featured EFBs.   The differences probably come down to personal preference.   I keep both loaded and updated on the tablets I fly with just as "app diversity" if one gets fubared for some reason.    It's easy to try both and see which you might prefer, other than some learning curve on each.

 

[Will.iam]

1 hour ago, EricJ said:

I used to use FltPlan Go exclusively but the Android version has one annoyance that I couldn't get past, and that's that if you tap the "back" button twice it exits the program.   I kept having the tail of my seat belt tap me out of the program without my knowledge in turbulence or something and then the next time I went to look at it and needed it it was gone.   Derp.

So I tried Avare, which I like a lot, but it is open source and the development is somewhat...lets say less professional.  It does seem to be mostly competently developed, the application is fully-featured and works very well, but there have been some notable hiccups along the way.   One was big enough that I went back to using FltPlan Go again (I do go back and forth once in a while), but have since switch back to Avare.    Some things are easier/better in FltPlan Go, some are a bit better in Avare.   I find the situational awareness display better in Avare which is why I tend to use it more.    In Avare the traffic displays are less cluttered, the distance rings are thinner so don't intrude as much, and Avare also shows a heading and a track pointer from the aircraft, which I find very useful.  In most things other things they're both very good and similar, and many people prefer FltPlan Go for filing flight plans.   Creating plans, accessing data like weather, plates, airport info, etc., I find very comparable in both.   Avares user interface and menus seem more intuitive to me, but that's just me.

Other than preferences that somebody might have with the displays, which I do find different, to me the main difference is the development background.   FltPlan is professionally developed mostly for the charter/jet/turbine Part 135 world, so they have a lot of optimizations for that including how the app ties to their website for planning, logging, resource management, scheduling, data transfer, etc., and tend to keep up with updates mostly as it relates to that world, but is also still perfectly suitable for GA.   It does mean that they do have a revenue stream associated with those users for their premium services, which appear to be popular.   The GA version is free.   Avare is developed as an open-source project by enthusiasts and pilots and seems to be mostly change-driven by discussions on the user and developers forums.   It is still a solid, capable app from a user standpoint in my experience and has most of the same GA-relevant utility features as Fltplan, but it is a difference that sometimes affects updates, etc.

Both support free chart and plate updates for gov't charts and plates, airport diagrams, supplement info, etc.

I think they're both awesome apps, especially since they're both available free, and are both full-featured EFBs.   The differences probably come down to personal preference.   I keep both loaded and updated on the tablets I fly with just as "app diversity" if one gets fubared for some reason.    It's easy to try both and see which you might prefer, other than some learning curve on each.

 

Does avare have an ahrs asi display and/or connect to the garmin gtx 345 to pull in ads-b traffic and weather or do you have to use a third party like stratus for that? 

[Will.iam]

Is avare only an android app? Can’t find it in the ipad app store. 

[Will.iam]

Actually I’m looking with my iphone right now is it not avail on the iphone?

[EricJ]

16 minutes ago, Will.iam said:

Does avare have an ahrs asi display and/or connect to the garmin gtx 345 to pull in ads-b traffic and weather or do you have to use a third party like stratus for that? 

 

13 minutes ago, Will.iam said:

Is avare only an android app? Can’t find it in the ipad app store. 

Avare is Android-only, and to my understanding does not work with the Garmin GTX-345, evidently because Garmin requires a licensing agreement to do so.

You can get AHRS/ADI, etc., on Avare with a stratux with an AHRS (mine works).  It'll use the GPS input from a Stratux as well, and I think Fltpln will as well.

[Will.iam]

Bummer

[carusoam]

I used fltplan a decade ago before the mobile app.

It was the best thing for filing IFR flights.  Plan and file, and get a text message with your accepted route…

Soooo… saying they have plenty of experience.

Best regards,

-a-