Prepware Private Pilot vs R44 Pad XS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Prepware Private Pilot
Prepare for your FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Exam with this comprehensive study and test tool. It offers flashcard-style review of questions, answers, and explanations, allowing you to study by subject or take realistic practice tests.
- Flashcard-style review
- Questions, answers, and explanations
- Study by subject
- Practice tests
- FAA Knowledge Exam preparation
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Comprehensive preparation, study and test tool for the FAA Knowledge Exam. Flashcard style review of questions, answers and explanations included for you to study by subject or with a true-to-form practice test.
R44 Pad XS
This flight computer app calculates weight & balance, performance, and navigation data for Robinson R44 helicopters. It features a user-friendly interface with sliders for quick adjustments and allows pilots to experiment with various scenarios.
- Weight & Balance calculations
- Performance data (ceilings, density altitude)
- Navigation calculations (E6B)
- Speed limit calculations
- Save and load helicopter setups
- Email weight & balance results
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Gyronimo Performance Pad for iPhone The flight computer revolution for Robinson R44 Raven and Raven II helicopters. ********* Important: This app is intended to run on iPhones only, as an addition to our iPad apps. It has LESS FEATURES than the iPad app. (it has NO LATERAL computations, no graphical MCP and Max Continuous Power computations and a simple version load manifest) For use on iPad with professional load manifest, exact lateral and MCP performance computations, please choose the Tim Tucker - iPad version. ********* A great new tool for students, instructors and professional pilots. Weight & Balance calculations have never been easier and faster. With the Gyronimo Performance Pad you can calculate weight & balance, performance and navigation data in just a few seconds! It is designed specifically for the Robinson R44 Raven and Raven II, and contains all necessary flight and performance data. The weight and balance calculations can also be used for the Robinson R44 Astro. Quickly change all important values using sliders! Compare Raven and Raven II OGE and IGE performance! Calculate and compare Manifold Pressure and Never Exceed Speed Limits. This enables students and flight instructors to experiment with the values and create "what if" scenarios in no time. The Performance Pad has four main pages 1. Weight and Balance Page Set person and baggage values in seconds using the convenient sliders. Select doors on/off with switch-buttons. The CG position is calculated and displayed simultaneously. Based on fuel flow and fuel available the flight time and fuel reserve are computed. Control all values via sliders and receive a warning if the fuel reserve is less than 20 minutes. 2. Performance Page Using the data from your Weight & Balance page the pad calculates: - Out of Ground Effect (OGE) ceiling - In Ground Effect (IGE) ceiling and converts the pressure altitude to feet MSL. The pad also calculates - Density Altitude - Maximum Continuous Power (MCP) - 5 minute take off power - Never Exceed Speed (V ne) using the internal data derived from the original helicopter operating handbook. You can also experiment with the all values and find the corresponding maximum helicopter weight for the particular environment. 3. Flight Time Page This page is a complete E6B flight computer with a new and revolutionary graphical user interface. Use the sliders to enter basic values like variation, deviation, wind velocity and direction and the pad will calculate - Calibrated and True Airspeed - True and Magnetic Course - Wind Correction Angle (WCA) - Compass Heading - Ground Speed - Flight Time for a specific distance 4. Helicopter Page Save and load helicopter setups and performance scenarios. Send weight & balance results to your email address. View important Airspeed Limits and access the Gyronimo Video Channel. Whether you are a professional pilot, student or flight instructor, we are sure that you will benefit from the possibilities of this revolutionary flight computer. Product Support We hope that the Performance Pad is intuitive to use, however if you have questions or reports please contact us anytime at: info@gyronimosystems.com and we will reply usually within the same day! Video Tutorials Check out our video channel on youtube and find a growing number of example calculations. DISCLAIMER: The Gyronimo R44 Performance Pad is a student, professional pilot and flight instructor assistance tool for plausibility checks and flight training only. All graphics and data provided in this application are used as examples. It is essential to refer to the similar graphs and data in the ORIGINAL POH for the helicopter you will be flying. The publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the computations and information contained herein. (c) 2012-2015 Gyronimo, LLC
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Prepware Private Pilot at 3.8 against R44 Pad XS's 2.3. Prepware Private Pilot also leads on price ($9.99 vs $14.99) and review sentiment (61% vs 43%). R44 Pad XS's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Prepware Private Pilot costs $9.99 and R44 Pad XS $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Prepware Private Pilot holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Prepware Private Pilot has 139 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Prepware Private Pilot's written reviews are positive against 43% of R44 Pad XS's.
Prepware Private Pilot ships an update every 4 months, R44 Pad XS every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Prepware Private Pilot | R44 Pad XS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 — better | $14.99 |
| Rating | 3.8 (139 ratings) — better | 2.3 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 60.8% of reviews — better | 42.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 139 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #11 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ASA | Gyronimo, LLC |
Customer experience
Prepware Private Pilot
R44 Pad XS
Bugs and requests
Prepware Private Pilot
Reported bugs
24 issues- Powered flight questions appearing for glider pilots
- Small screen makes chart plotting difficult
- Missing essential questions for the written exam
- Some answers are incorrect
- Macbook app not working properly
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- Dark mode has contrast issues, making text unreadable
- Status bar bug with black text on black background
- Right answers not highlighted after getting a question wrong
- Study portion allows pushing through without selecting the right option, leading to false 100% scores
- Questions cut off at the end
- Save and exit function does not save progress
- App resets to homepage after a short period or if not actively used
- Quiz shuffles questions, preventing picking up where left off
- Errors in questions referencing sectional charts
- Sections on charts not available when referenced
- New update degraded the app interface
- White lettering on light background makes questions unreadable
- Dark mode compatibility issues with white text on gray background
- Questions in rotorcraft sections refer to fixed-wing regulations
- Irrelevant gyrocopter and fixed-wing questions in rotorcraft section
- Dark theme not displaying correct/incorrect answers properly
- App not compatible with iPhone X screen
- No way to systematically study, questions are random
- Questions that reference a chart or diagram are cumbersome to view
Requested features
14 requests- Ability to save/create a bank of difficult questions
- Scramble answer choices for realism
- Improve UI for newer devices (iPhone X/Xs/Xr, iPad Pro)
- Add Apple Watch support
- Vary the length of test modules
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- Allow studying more than one section at a time
- Add better reference information in explanations (page/section numbers)
- Allow resizing of figures on iPhone
- Show explanation immediately after wrong answer
- Fix grading to allow for incorrect answers without immediate correction
- Make questions more compatible with dark mode
- Fix contrast issues in dark mode
- Add a feature to stop showing questions already known
- Allow review of only missed items
R44 Pad XS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Prepware Private Pilot
No in-app purchases
R44 Pad XS
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Prepware Private Pilot free?
Is R44 Pad XS free?
Which has better reviews, Prepware Private Pilot or R44 Pad XS?
Do Prepware Private Pilot or R44 Pad XS have ads?
Which is updated more often, Prepware Private Pilot or R44 Pad XS?
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