At your fingertips

Photography by Chris Rose

Other than fuel and oil, there are perhaps no two things more indispensable to aviation these days than AOPA Pilot and the iPad. And now, they are together in a new way thanks to the new AOPA Mags app.

App tips

• Once a page loads, the live link highlights go away. Click on the chain link to activate them again.
• The application works in both portrait and landscape. Turn it to see big, full-color spread photos.
• When the content streams, it takes another second or so to load each page. Download the magazine for a faster experience.
• Look for the open book with the arrow icon for extended content (below). When you’re zoomed in on a page, double tap to bring it back to regular size.
• Most advertisements are set up in such a way as to allow you to tap anywhere on the ad to be taken directly to the company’s website.
• Once you download the app, you will have access to all the magazines from the month you originally subscribed to digital.
• If you’re a digital subscriber to more than one AOPA magazine, click on My Library (in the upper left corner if you’re reading an issue, or lower left of the toolbar if you’re not) to switch between AOPA Pilot and Flight Training.

The application delivers both AOPA Pilot and Flight Training magazines in an iPad-optimized format. Digital-edition-only subscribers now have the option of reading their magazines on the iPad, personal computers, or any number of electronic devices, while digital-edition-add-on readers have the ultimate choice of print, digital, tablet, and so on.

Since the application is included as part of the $10 digital edition add-on or free digital switch, you can now have AOPA’s magazine content when and where you want it. Keep in mind that the app will only let you access magazines you have received as part of a digital subscription—you must have separate digital subscriptions for AOPA Pilot and Flight Training to read both on your iPad, but you’ll access both titles through the same app.

Once you’re a digital subscriber, using the application is easy. Here’s how:

1. Go to the app store on your iPad and search “AOPA Mags.” When you open the application it will ask you to log in with your AOPA membership number and digital edition password. Doing so will automatically give you digital access to all issues published during your digital subscription. (If you just signed up for the digital edition, you’ll see only the current issue.)
2. In the application, there are four tabs at the bottom—My Library, Catalog, RSS Feeds, and About.

3. Tap on the Enhanced Digital Edition (arrow) icon and video, animation, polls, and other unique features come to life.

   To access the desired issue, click on Catalog, find the issue by scrolling left and right, and tap on the issue’s cover. Two buttons will pop up—Read and Download. Clicking Read will allow you to view the issue right away, so long as you stay connected to a Wifi or 3G source, if so equipped. By clicking Download you can save the issue for offline viewing that will be available whenever you want it.
4. After an issue has downloaded, it will reside in My Library. Simply click on that after opening the application and you will see it ready to go.
5. Once an issue is loaded, interacting with each page is similar to the digital editions on a computer, except everything is now done by touch. Just slide your finger across the page to turn it, or pinch to zoom in or out. The links are live, as they are on the digital editions, and videos, slideshows, and more offer exciting additional content.
6. At any point you can browse the issue by tapping on the screen and selecting one of two icons on the bottom navigation bar. These allow you to quickly see each page and click to navigate directly to it.
7. Pressing “Text” will allow you to read the type only, which is a nice way to interact if you want to read the stories from beginning to end. From here you can press the plus or minus sign to increase or decrease the font size.
8. Finally, press the word bubble to share a page to Twitter or Facebook.

Having the content at your fingertips will mean a more enjoyable and engaging experience.

You’ll find the application incredibly easy to navigate. Having the content at your fingertips will mean a more enjoyable and engaging experience as you refer back to stories in order to glean more information, watch a video, or just share it with a friend. It’s the perfect accompaniment to your digital lifestyle.

Email the author at [email protected].

Pinch to open a larger version of the story and to access extra content such as interviews from AOPA Live.