GenAv CoPilot

Fly tab

Record the flight

Start from a plan or from the Fly tab, planned or not. The app records the times, the take-offs and landings and the GPS track.

Situational awareness only. Not for primary navigation.

Recording

A flight, start to finish

Off-blocks when you start and on-blocks when you finish. In between, take-offs and landings are found from your GPS speed.

What it does

  • Start from a plan with Fly This Plan, or from the Fly tab, planned or not.
  • If a take-off or landing is missed you can mark it yourself, and correct the times afterwards.
  • The flight's Live Activity on the Lock Screen, and its status on your Apple Watch.
  • A notification if the GPS signal is lost.

How it works

03040100 kt En route Taxi Taxi Take-offover 40 kt for 5 s Landingunder 30 kt for 10 s Off-blocks you tap Start On-blocks you tap Finish
How take-offs and landings are found from the GPS ground speed. A take-off counts once the speed has stayed above 40 kt for 5 seconds, a landing once it has stayed below 30 kt for 10 seconds, each timed from the start of that run. It works for circuits and touch-and-goes. The speed axis is to scale; the time axis is not.

Step by step: a flight

The Start Flight screen: the note that the app is for situational awareness only, the aircraft G-TEST, a PA-28-161, the flight plan EGBJ to EGTK, and an optional pilot name.

Step 1 of 8

Start Flight

In the Fly tab, open Fly and tap Start Flight, or tap Fly This Plan in a plan. Choose the aircraft and the plan. The first time, read the note about mounting your device and turn on I Understand.

The in-flight screen at off-blocks on the EGBJ to EGTK plan: the map at Gloucestershire, block time 0:00 from 07:31 UTC, and the next waypoint, EGVL, 17.5 nautical miles away.

Step 2 of 8

Off-blocks

Tap Start Flight (Off-Blocks Now). The app asks to use your location while it records, and the block time starts.

The in-flight screen just after take-off: Airborne, with block time 0:01 and airborne time 0:00, off-blocks at 07:45 and take-off at 07:46 UTC, and the next waypoint, EGVL, 17.2 nautical miles away.

Step 3 of 8

Take-off

The take-off is detected from your GPS speed, and the airborne time starts.

The in-flight screen while airborne on the EGBJ to EGTK plan: a map of the route and track, block time 0:12 and airborne time 0:11, and the next waypoint, EGTK, 12.5 nautical miles away on a bearing of 097 degrees true, with an ETE of 7 minutes and an ETA of 07:51 UTC against a planned 07:49.

Step 4 of 8

En route

The next waypoint's distance, bearing, ETE and ETA, and the planned heading from your PLOG.

The full-screen moving map in Track Up, with the aircraft on the planned route past EGVL. Readouts at the top show ground speed 100 knots, track 096 degrees magnetic, GPS altitude, and EGTK 11.4 nautical miles ahead.

Step 5 of 8

Moving map

Track Up or North Up, full screen.

The in-flight screen after landing at EGTK: Landed, with block time 0:20 and airborne time 0:19, off-blocks at 07:45 and take-off at 07:46 UTC, route complete, and the legs with their planned and actual times.

Step 6 of 8

Landed

The landing is detected from GPS speed too, and each leg shows its time against the plan.

The flight after Finish (On-Blocks): On-Blocks, with block time 0:20 and airborne time 0:19, route complete, and each leg's actual time against the plan.

Step 7 of 8

On-blocks

Tap Finish (On-Blocks) when you stop.

The recorded flight from EGBJ to EGTK: buttons to add it to the logbook or correct its times, its UTC times from off-blocks to on-blocks, and its totals: block time 0:21, airborne time 0:19, 31.8 nautical miles flown, and one day landing.

Step 8 of 8

The record

The recorded flight keeps its times, take-offs, landings and GPS track. Add it to your logbook, or correct its times.

The in-flight screen on iPad on the EGBJ to EGTK plan: a map of the route near Gloucestershire, Airborne with a block time of 0:02 and an airborne time of 0:01, and the next waypoint, EGVL, 15.6 nautical miles away on a bearing of 095 degrees true, with an ETE of 9 minutes and an ETA of 06:44 UTC.The moving map full screen on iPad, in Track Up over Cheltenham: ground speed 100 knots, track 095 degrees magnetic, GPS altitude 2,493 feet, GPS Good, and EGVL 15.3 nautical miles ahead with an ETE of 9 minutes.
A flight and the moving map, on iPad.

With a plan

Following the plan

With a flight plan, the app follows your legs. Without one, it shows your track, the timers and the nearest airports.

What it does

  • Waypoint passages, each waypoint's ETA, and the next waypoint's distance, bearing and ETE, with the planned heading from the PLOG.
  • Tap Waypoint to mark a passage yourself.
  • An estimate of the fuel remaining, from the plan's fuel on board and its average burn.

How it works

1 nm EGVL to EGTK from EGBJ 2.0 nm to EGVLETE 1 min 12 s at 100 kt Closest: 0.3 nminside the 1 nm circle Distance growingEGVL passed · next EGTK
How the next waypoint is followed. ETE is the distance over your ground speed. A waypoint counts as passed within 1 nm once the distance starts to grow, or when you tap Waypoint, and the next one takes over.

Moving map

The moving map

A moving map, Track Up or North Up, that expands to full screen.

What it does

  • Track Up or North Up.
  • A track vector for 2 minutes ahead, or another length you choose.
  • The planned route, your track and the nearest airports, on Apple Maps.

How it works

N ↑ North Up Track Up 2 min: 3.3 nm
Track Up turns the map so your track points up. The track vector shows where you'll be in 2 minutes at your ground speed: 3.3 nm at 100 kt. You can choose another vector length, or North Up.

GPS

The GPS card

Ground speed, track, GPS altitude and the quality of the fix, and what the app does when the signal goes.

What it does

  • When the signal is poor or lost, held and estimated values are marked on screen.
  • Estimates are never recorded, and aren't for navigation.
  • An external Bluetooth GPS receiver works with no set-up, and the card says when it is in use.
  • Tips for a better signal are in the app, under the GPS card, and on the support page.

How it works

Last fix Along the last track, at the last ground speed Estimated POSITION SPEED, TRACK GPS FIXESLiveFrom GPS FIRST 10 SLast fixHeld after 5 s 10 S TO 3 MINEstimatedHeld AFTER 3 MINNo GPSNone
When fixes stop, the last fix stays on screen and the ground speed and track are held once they're 5 seconds old. From 10 seconds the position is estimated along the last track at the last ground speed, for up to 3 minutes, then the card shows No GPS. Estimates are marked, never recorded, and aren't for navigation. The columns show the order, not a time scale.

Step by step: when the signal goes

The GPS card during a flight: ground speed 100 knots, track 095 degrees true, GPS altitude 2,493 feet, GPS Good with an accuracy of 5 metres, and the planned heading from the PLOG, 095 degrees magnetic.

Step 1 of 6

GPS Good

Ground speed, track and GPS altitude from the fixes, with their accuracy.

The GPS card on an unplanned flight: ground speed 88 knots and track 245 degrees true marked Derived, GPS altitude 2,493 feet, and GPS Good with an accuracy of 5 metres.

Step 2 of 6

Derived

When the receiver gives no speed or track, they are worked out from the fixes and marked Derived.

The GPS card 11 seconds after the last fix: ground speed and track held, marked Held 11 s, No GPS, and Estimated position, 11 s since last fix.

Step 3 of 6

Held

Once the fixes stop, speed and track are held and marked with how long ago they came from the GPS.

The GPS card a minute after the last fix: ground speed 98 knots and track 245 degrees marked Held 1 min, and Estimated position, 1 min since last fix.

Step 4 of 6

Estimated

From about 10 seconds, the position is estimated from the last fix, your ground speed and your track, for up to 3 minutes.

The in-flight screen after the GPS signal is lost. Banners say the signal is lost and the ETA paused, and that the position is estimated, 1 minute since the last fix, and not for navigation. The map marks the estimated position.

Step 5 of 6

Signal lost

Banners say the signal is lost, the ETA is paused and the position is estimated. The map marks it.

The GPS card with a paired receiver: ground speed 100 knots, track 275 degrees true, GPS altitude 2,493 feet, GPS Good and External GPS.

Step 6 of 6

External GPS

A paired receiver gives fixes with no set-up, and the card shows External GPS.

In the cockpit

Night lighting and the cockpit tools

Turn on night lighting and the app switches to a red palette on a black background.

What it does

  • Run your aircraft's checklists.
  • A notepad for sketches and notes in flight.
  • Night cockpit lighting: a red palette on a black background.
  • Keep the screen awake while you fly.

How it works

AirborneG-TEST0:11GPS GoodFinish (On-Blocks) Day AirborneG-TEST0:11GPS GoodFinish (On-Blocks)Night
Night lighting gives every colour in the app a red version on black. Status levels differ by brightness rather than hue, so status badges always carry an icon as well.
The in-flight screen in night lighting, in shades of red on black: the nearest airports, the GPS card with ground speed, track and GPS altitude, and the Mark Take-Off, Pause and Finish buttons.
The in-flight screen with night lighting.
Settings: cockpit lighting by day or night, reminders for the medical, SEP revalidation and 90-day night recency, keeping the screen awake in flight, an alert if the GPS is lost, and the currency regime, UK PPL and LAPL.
Settings: cockpit lighting, keeping the screen awake, the GPS lost alert and reminders.
NextToolsNine flight tools, each with a guide.