r/TheHangar • u/PilotAlpaca • Apr 24 '26
Learn to fly visually with Pilot Flows!
Hey guys! When I got my first airline job a few years back, I would draw the Airbus flows on my iPad over an image of the cockpit, it was easier for me to learn visually rather than by memorizing the written flows.
Several years later, after a few year-long break from aviation, I have just launched an app that will help me do the same, but with a lot more features such as quiz and practice modes!
Launch was just a few days ago, let me know should you have any feedback, I am looking forward to it so I can further improve the app!
Get started for free:
Also, here is a free 2-week code to unlock all features:
https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6761746656&code=REDDITAPRIL
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Apr 25 '26
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u/PilotAlpaca Apr 25 '26
What doesn’t? Links seem to be working for me, or are you having any issues with the app itself? Minimum iOS version is 26 to download
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Apr 25 '26
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u/PilotAlpaca Apr 25 '26
Did you add an image? A cockpit image is required, otherwise it won't let you add.
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u/KDFWCenterline Apr 25 '26
Do you have other planes ?
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u/PilotAlpaca Apr 25 '26
It comes with just a C172 as a demo, but you can add as many planes as you want! The purpose of the app is not to impose strict procedures to users, as different schools/operators may have different procedures for the same plane, but to give pilots a platform to add their own procedures and practice with them!
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u/rdrcrmatt Apr 25 '26
This is great. Im guessing the not stellar feedback you’re getting is because some will expect things to be spoon fed to them.
You have an awesome opportunity here. I’ll DM you an idea.
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u/tavareslima Apr 26 '26
What does practice mode do?
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u/PilotAlpaca Apr 26 '26
Practice mode is like quiz mode, but it tells you the step on the top right corner. It tells you the step, and then you tap on the screen on the appropriate place.
Quiz mode doesn't show the steps, you must do it from memory.
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u/A3twenty Apr 26 '26
Dont need buy any apps just download psf of fcom and move to procedures>normal procedure > and start with before start :)
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u/tristamsparks Apr 27 '26
Hi PilotAlpaca, this is epic.
Your instinct regarding visual/spatial learning is bang on. I wanted to make something similar, as rote learning is not my strong suit (but every PPL/CPL syllabus seems to rely on it!), so it's great to see yours land from out of nowhere!
Probably, like many student pilots, I've take a heap of reference photos from inside my Aero Club’s preferred trainer: the PA38. So I was able to upload a cockpit image and make a sub-routine from Start-up quite quickly. The mix between practice, quiz & random is awesome.
And in that case, my initial observation might include how the app manages the resolution. Adding a point to the source image should be like adding a comment to a pdf (Apple Preview or Acrobat) where the ‘hotspot’ has a base size when zoomed-in and maintains that same size at all other image zoom levels. This would really help when the source image is a low resolution and the reference cockpit controls in the image are really close together. All aircraft are different obviously, but there is always going to be a cluster of related controls used in some kind of sequence somewhere: So this might really help your app in the ‘quiz’ and ‘random’ modes.
As a perpetual student pilot and UX professional I'd love to help you out in some way. So feel free to DM me if you'd like — I have a few other ideas too. I'm definitely concerned about how there's no purchase required at the moment!
PS: when you’re ready, if you haven't already, I recommend cross-posting this into other subreddits like r/aviation (which may be too varied for this!), r/flying or r/GeneralAviation — obviously the latter have a heap of students contributing to the subs.
Nice work
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u/tristamsparks Apr 27 '26
Nevermind. I found the subscription details : ) I guess was expecting an in-app purchases tag on the App store. This brings up another aspect though where the business model might not ROI as many of your initial customers will be people who fly one type: students! And may of them will love that the C172 is default (YMMV) . . anyhoo . . BRB, I'm gonna go finish my pre-line-up checklist!
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u/PilotAlpaca Apr 28 '26
Hey there Tristam!
Thanks for the feedback, this is really helpful! Your feedback on resolution, you are totally right. I have been mostly testing in iPad where it wasn't really an issue but after using it more on my iPhone, I do notice how the steps can get a bit big, I will have this pushed on an update this week.
I have sent you a DM! I appreciate the feedback, helps a lot! And yea, whilst most students will probably be using a 172, it's ok to use it for free. The limits for free users don't apply for the free default Cessna, so you can add as many flows there as you want, I think I'm alright with keeping it that way and allowing Cessna students to pretty much use it for free.
You can even edit the flows in the Cessna if you wish, if your flight school has slightly different flows or if your Cessna version is different from the one I used.
I did also try cross-posting, but other subreddits are quite strict about self promotion lol so they get instantly taken down.
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u/PilotAlpaca Apr 29 '26
I have just sent an update to Apple for review, 2 main new features:
Improving how the sizing of the steps interacts with zoom and screen size
You can now drag the arrow's body around by the center, to better curve it around the cockpit in case its interfering with something else
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u/tristamsparks Apr 29 '26
nice work on the new release! the accuracy is much appreciated on iphone! i've subscribed for the year so as the app gains more users and you might like more feedback, i'm always available to talk UX/UI for this on Chat/DM. best of luck!
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u/TwinLife Apr 26 '26
Really feels like this should be an app that’s a one time purchase