Comparison of OzRunways vs. AvPlan EFB on iPad

[dsam]

I have been a happy OzRunways user for a couple years now and know it very well. As an RA-Aus pilot I've found it brilliant for my needs whenever I fly, and particularly for the longer cross country trips (esp. exporting a GPX flight plan to my Dynon autopilot via USB).

 

However, I know a few GA IFR pilots that swear by AvPlan (but don't use OzRunways). I have quickly browsed the AvPlan interface, but find it less intuitive, so I never made much effort to learn it in-depth, as I have with OzRunways.

 

Question: should I make the effort to learn AvPlan & consider using this software instead? Are there significant advantages with AvPlan, or is it simply better suited to IFR or GA?

 

It seemed in the early development years that they incrementally leapfrogged one-another on features, but I suspect they have stabilised this with roughly equivalent capability in recent months.

 

I don't want to inflame passionate users of one or the other into blind advocacy posts here. Instead, I was just hoping for a couple responses from "power users" who are very familiar with both apps. If there are good reasons to change to AvPlan, I would make the effort to learn that interface too. Otherwise I will happily stick with the OzRunways app that I know so well.

 

Dave

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Used Ozrunways now going on three years,two long trips Townsville- Temora, and many shorter ones within Qld.

 

You can trust Ozrunways, it's always there with you and the WX overlay is magic. A very satisfied Ozrunways user.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Funny you should mention this. At Inglewood this Partnavia turned up late yesterday the very official pilot got out and we started chatting. Turns out he is Laurence Springborg's (for those down south who don't know he is the opposition leader of the LNP here in Qld) charter pilot and he was taking him to Roma for some function then off to Brisbane so he could play in the children's sandpit with the rest of the kiddies in our Qld parliment. "The Borg" lives at Yalarbon some 40 min drive from Inglewood you pass through it on the way to Goondiwindi.

 

Anyway I digress....We were talking many things about flying and IFR and the such ( while waiting for the Borg to show up for his flight) and especially about the winds this weekend and he brings out his Ipad and here he is using Avplan for all of his stuff...wind calcs etc. Told me expected flight times to Roma and Brisbane and he (the pilot and the Partnavia ) would be returning back home sometime after midnight. I asked him if he ever used Ozrunways as most of us do and he commented he had seen it but he liked the Avplan as it was much more complex and fitted better into what he did.

 

He was a pretty cool dude this pilot. Told me he was a Agpilot out at Goondi and had 3 turbine airtractors and this was his hobby doing the charters for the Borg mainly also others as well at times. You never know who you will meet at a very regional airfield. Just another highlight of my weekend at the Inglewood Flyin

 

Mark

 

 

[dsam]

The recent versions of OzRunways supply good winds aloft info too, so perhaps it is more in the IFR capabilities??

 

Or perhaps it is just a "Holden vs Ford" sort of advocacy??

 

 

[Neil_S]

Hi Dave,

 

As you say - this is rather a Ford vs Holden thing. I have used AVPlan for a few years now and have been very satisfied with it. Also found the support people very friendly and helpful.

 

If I were you I would look at both, and assess for your specific needs rather than do a (IMHO) rather futile box ticking exercise. Over time they will leapfrog each other with features.

 

Rgds

 

Neil

 

 

[Ferris]

Hi Dave, I started out using AvPlan and really liked it as a program. For a while I ran both programs side by side for comparison (a Ford & Holden in the garage together). At that time AvPlan probably had more features, but OzRunways soon caught up. The difference between the two brands is marketing. OzRunways appear to do that better than AvPlan and now we have a Microsoft vs Apple situation. At the end of the day I changed over to OzRunways purely because there was nobody else locally running AvPlan, that I could bounce problems off. By switching to OzRunways we could easily compare notes. Cheers Ferris

 

 

[nickduncs84]

I'm a bit of a tech nerd ie I often get stuff I don't really need just to try it out. As such, I have switched between OzR and AvPlan for the past 2 years. To be honest with you, I always end up back with OzR. I just find it easier to use in general and I find the weather planning a lot more useful in OzR than AvPlan. I'll probably keep subscribing to AvPlan and re evaluate every now and again, especially when I do my instrument rating, but for now I think OzR is a better platform. I have also found that AvPlan has been buggier than OzR has been. The last time I tried to use it I gave up because whenever I left the app and tried to get back into it, it would crash. I guess the biggest thing for me is that with OzR I have never needed to look at the instructions. For people who are familiar with technology, they will be able to work out 95% of the features just by playing with it a few times...

 

 

[frank marriott]

The tracking function now available on OzRunways is a great addition (when in radio coverage)

 

Apart from the couple of minutes delay it does give warning of (OzRunways only) traffic in an area to which you are heading. GPS position altitude and speed displayed on your map.

 

Plus the ability for a 3rd person carrying your SAR to check your actual position (without another app).

 

I don't understand the "unidentified" and stupid call signs some are using, defeats the purpose really. I guess it an Internet thing by those who are frightened to be identified?

 

I have no knowledge of avplan - for all I know it may be there also.

 

 

[K-man]

I run AvPlan and my wife runs OzRunways. Both do a great job as far as I can see.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Hi Dave,As you say - this is rather a Ford vs Holden thing. I have used AVPlan for a few years now and have been very satisfied with it. Also found the support people very friendly and helpful.

If I were you I would look at both, and assess for your specific needs rather than do a (IMHO) rather futile box ticking exercise. Over time they will leapfrog each other with features.

 

Rgds

 

Neil

In the lead-up to the Sydney 2000 Games we saw a wonderful series of TV promos of the Olympic spirit. The voice of Tom Hanks said something like: we don't hate our competitor; we respect him. He enobles us and drives us to be our best.

 

 

[ben87r]

I use OzRunways both VFR & IFR, had a play for a while with Avplan but never bothered with a subscription, only, because I couldn't be bothered changing and having to learn something new, seemed like a fairly good product but so is OzRunways

 

 

[dsam]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. Seems like there is no compelling reason to learn another user interface. I agree about OzRunways being more intuitive, and I have always found the developers helpful and promptly responsive with any questions I've put to them. Looks like "the grass isn't necessarily greener" on the other side. All users seem to benefit from the competition between the developers of both apps.

 

Happy & safe flying everyone.

 

Dave

 

 

[BPN]

I have used oz r since they started. Have done over ten return trips from north west way to ybhi and ymia, as well as many other trips. Always found it reliable ,never been let down . I really like the fact that there is continuos improvement. Have not used Av plan so cannot make a comparison, however if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

 

[Birdseye]

I use OzRunways both VFR & IFR, had a play for a while with Avplan but never bothered with a subscription, only, because I couldn't be bothered changing and having to learn something new, seemed like a fairly good product but so is OzRunways

Concur with that. I am a bit of a software tragic and enjoy checking out programs just for the sake of it. I have tried both and liked the features of both; it came down to the one I happened to use first. I'm not telling which!

 

 

[driftamark]

hi all..which 1 is the ford and which 1 is the holden??????

 

 

[ben87r]

OzRunways HAS to be the Holden!!! Its never broken down on me yet!

 

 

[Russ]

it's only a matter of when................FORD......holden recovery vehicles.

 

 

[Birdseye]

hi all..which 1 is the ford and which 1 is the holden??????

Neither, its BMW vs Audi. Neither are overweight and bloated shopping trolleys!

 

 

[Doug Evans]

My money's with the ford every time

 

Holden have too many recalls

 

 

[Pearo]

FWIW, I am pretty sure a commercial guy told me a few years back that avplan could submit a flight plan to naips, whereas at the time ozrunways couldn't. Maybe avplan was first cab of the rank and the reason more commercial pilots use it now.

 

 

[mkennard]

Did I read correctly that OzRunways and Avplan show other traffic from the software? It would be good if they could come up with a standard so they can see each others traffic for better situational awareness.

 

 

[Jaba-who]

Not exactly. Both ( I think- well I know avplan does). have ADSB in capacity but you have to purchase the transducer module that plugs into it.

 

But then it only works to show ADSB equipped aircraft. Since that's pretty much only RPT I suspect at present it won't be much use to the average recreationalilot.

 

Maybe moreso on the future when more people are equipped with ADSB out.

 

 

[Birdseye]

Ozrunways will only show other Ozrunway users with active cell phone connections.

 

 

[mkennard]

Ozrunways will only show other Ozrunway users with active cell phone connections.

Which is why it would be good to create a standard so you can see Avplan users as well.

 

 

[Robbo]

Time to open the worm can again...

 

I wish I could create a poll, so who is using what?