Hot Air vs SkyBound Dashboard

Hot Air is a complete balloon flight companion, built by balloon pilots for balloon pilots. From preflight planning to postflight review, it delivers live tracking, flight recording, waypoint navigation, wind profiling, and more — all designed specifically for the unique needs of hot air ballooning. Whether you’re a student pilot, a commercial operator, or flying for fun, Hot Air helps you stay organized, informed, and connected. Features include: • Live tracking on street or satellite maps • Wind profiling by altitude during climb and descent • Waypoint navigation with bearing, distance, and estimated time • Automatic flight recording with 3D export support • Custom map overlays (KML/KMZ) • Offline-capable with map caching • Real-time flight sharing with crew or friends • Detailed flight logs for crew, passengers, propane, and temperature • Flight summaries and totals for logs or checkrides • Interactive map history of takeoffs and landings • Export to HTML, KML, or GPX • Payload calculator for accurate weight and balance • Integrated weather data and forecasts • Improved UTM 4x4 waypoint format support Additional features: • Real-time heading projection • Built-in data backup and restore • Localized in English, French, Czech, and Slovak • Fully optimized for iPhone and iPad (portrait and landscape) Note: Continued use of GPS can reduce battery life. Use an external battery for longer flights.

SkyBound is the all-in-one platform for hot air balloon pilots and crew. Track flights in real time with precision GPS, coordinate with your crew, plan flights with integrated weather, and manage your ballooning business — all from one app. FLIGHT TRACKING Track every flight with live GPS including altitude, speed, heading, and vertical rate. Your crew sees your position in real time and gets navigation to your landing spot. Background tracking keeps working even when the app is minimized. Pair an external GPS or Balloon Live Sensor (BLS) for competition-grade position — or use your phone's GPS, which takes over automatically if a sensor drops. CREW COORDINATION Create teams with your pilots and crew. Everyone sees live positions on a shared map during flights. No more constant calls and texts — your crew knows exactly where you are and where you're headed. Talk to crew and spotters with push-to-talk voice, and let a spotter mark your map with a laser pointer to call out targets and hazards. CARPLAY CHASE Plug into Apple CarPlay and your crewed pilots load automatically — no need to unlock your phone. Follow each pilot's color-coded live track and drift projection on your car's display, with directions to the landing spot. WEATHER INTELLIGENCE Get flight-specific weather forecasts right at your launch coordinates. View wind speed and direction at multiple altitudes, hourly breakdowns, and sunrise/sunset times. Pick the forecast model that fits your flight — ECMWF, GFS, HRRR, NBM, or RAP. Check active TFRs and NOTAMs with an interactive map. SKYCAST WIND SIMULATOR Drop a takeoff, dial in a wind profile by altitude, and fly the app manually before you ever leave the ground. SkyCast uses the real flight HUD — gauges, target cards, drift cones — so you can see how altitude choices steer you across the map. Perfect for practicing competition tasks or briefing new crew. FLIGHT PLANNING Plan routes on an interactive map with zone overlays. Import KML and GPX files for competition targets, restricted areas, and custom boundaries. Set altitude floors and ceilings with color-coded rules. COMPETITION SUPPORT Snap a photo of your task sheet and let AI extract targets, coordinates, and scoring rules. Import task sheets directly from WatchMeFly. See task overlays on your flight map in real time. Share any target with another pilot — it lands in their pre-flight, in their own UTM zone. FLIGHT LOG Every flight is automatically logged with full GPS tracks, altitude profiles, duration, and distance. Replay any flight on the map. FOR COMMERCIAL PILOTS List your business in our nationwide pilot directory. Manage bookings, track your customer pipeline, send invoices with Stripe payments, and view revenue analytics. SUBSCRIPTIONS All features require an active subscription. Flight Plan — $9.99/month or $109.99/year (auto-renewable subscription) Includes: Flight tracking, weather briefings (ECMWF / GFS / HRRR / NBM / RAP), TFR/NOTAM alerts, flight logging, crew coordination, pilot-to-pilot connections, flight groups, pilot directory access, SkyBound AI Assistant, competition task sheet analysis, SkyCast wind simulator, lift calculator, and drift planning tools. Commercial Plan — $34.99/month or $379.99/year (auto-renewable subscription) Includes everything in Flight Plan, plus: Public pilot profile on skybounddashboard.com, online booking system, customer management, invoicing with Stripe payments, revenue analytics, and priority support. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.skybounddashboard.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.skybounddashboard.com/privacy