AOPA staff pilots share favorite apps

A member recently inquired what apps pilots on staff at AOPA use. Many of us have smartphones and tablets, so when I asked our pilots to name some of their favorite apps, they responded. This will be the first of several occasional columns that will answer that question. This week, five of AOPA’s pilots weigh in on LiveATC, AirWX, Aviation Weather, Quickweather by Avilution, and Flight Check. These are not endorsements of any app.

1. LiveATC ($2.99 in iTunes and Google Play)--Great Lakes Regional Manager Bryan Budds is a big fan of this iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch app. “Not only is it good to hear how a new airport I might be travelling to handles traffic flow, but it is also fun for an aviation nerd (myself) to listen to,” he said.
2. AirWx ($9.99 in iTunes, $6.99 in Google Play)-- AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Tom Horne praises this smartphone and tablet app because it has METARs, TAFs, winds aloft, and notams. It also has sectionals and IFR en route charts in addition to weather depiction, radar imagery, airmet charts, and a lot more.
3. Aviation Weather 1.6.2 (free in Google Play)--This is a very simple tool to access METAR and TAF data, along with notams, says Jim Moore, associate editor--Web. “While this is by no means a comprehensive weather information source, it’s certainly a quick and easy way to begin building a picture, or to update a more detailed brief with the latest information,” he said.
4. Quickweather by Avilution ($4.95 in Google Play)--James Oliphant, an account manager for AOPA Insurance Services–Aviation, says this is one of his favorite apps. “You put in the listing of your favorite airports and it will provide you with the current weather, the metar history, radar, notams, area forecast, and tons of information,” he said. “If you press on the airport, it links you to Airnav for information on the airport.”
5. FlightCheck (free in iTunes, but $4.99 for access to U.S. airport database)--This iPad app provides weight and balance, crosswind, and all other pertinent calculations, according to Dan Faoro, vice president in the office of AOPA’s president.

Please continue to pass along your Google Play and iTunes app recommendations to me here. The complete list of apps I’ve reviewed since October 2012 is in AOPA’s online archive.