Holding Pattern Trainer vs Stratus Horizon Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Holding Pattern Trainer
Master IFR holding pattern entries on your mobile device to save time and money on instrument flight training. Practice at your convenience to make choosing the correct entry a breeze.
- Entry Trainer for holding pattern drills
- Holding calculator for scenario visualization
- Holding tutorial for quick learning
- Practice at your own pace
- Save on flight and ground lessons
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Save time and money on your instrument flight training by mastering IFR holding pattern entries at the comfort of your own mobile device. Make IFR flight training easier! Is the following scenario familiar? You receive a holding clearance from ATC, and only have a couple of minutes, sometimes only a few seconds, to choose the correct entry. By the time you've figured out what's going on, you've already passed the holding fix and don't know what to do next. If this sounds familiar, then you need not to worry. Confusion during holding entries happens to practically almost every new instrument student. Even instrument-rated pilots occasionally have the same problem — when they don't get enough practice. Holding Trainer solves this problem and as a result, cuts the time you have to spend on expensive flight and ground lessons. With Holding Trainer, you can practice on your own time and convenience, so that choosing the best holding entry in the air becomes a breeze. Features: -Entry Trainer - Drills you on choosing the best holding entry. Practice until choosing holding entries becomes second nature and impress your flight instructor with your skills. -Holding calculator. Solve and visualize any holding scenario by entering your current bearing to the fix and a outbound or inbound holding radial. -Holding tutorial - learn how to choose the best holding entry quickly and easily. Holding Trainer for iOS is a complete rewrite based on my popular Flash-based desktop Holding Trainer app available on pilotscafe.com. ***Don't get "stuck" next time you receive a holding pattern clearance!*** ---------------------------------- For only a fraction of the cost of one ground lesson with your flight instructor, you can practice this important instrument skill at your own pace and save hundreds of Dollars on figuring out holding entries in the air. This is a great tool for anyone training towards their instrument checkride, CFII, proficiency check, or simply trying to improve their holding patterns. ----------------------------------
Stratus Horizon Pro
This app provides a backup Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) for pilots, displaying pitch and bank information on a tablet. It also offers radio transcription and playback of air traffic control communications, converting audio to text for easy reference. Firmware updates for compatible devices are also available.
- Backup Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS)
- Responsive pitch and bank instrument display
- Automatic AHRS alignment
- Radio transcription and playback of ATC communications
- Visual assist for referencing audio clips
- Firmware updates for Stratus receivers
- Day, night, and heads-up display modes
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Backup Glass Cockpit on your iPad Stratus Horizon Pro displays a complete Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) for supplemental attitude information in your cockpit. Driven by a Stratus receiver, the AHRS feature will display a super responsive pitch and bank instrument on your iPad. It aligns itself automatically, so you can just turn it on and fly. This provides an excellent backup for emergency situations. Radio Transcription & Playback Plug in and play back. You’ll never have to say “say again” again when you use the radio playback feature. Plug in a Stratus Audio Cable to capture ATC communications for easy one-touch playback. Similar to how visual voicemail works, the ATC communications will be converted into text, providing a visual assist for referencing previous audio clips for playback. This enables pilots to receive a clearance, ATIS, or other important ATC communications without needing to write them down Stratus Audio Cable The Stratus Audio Cable (available to purchase for $49.99 from the Appareo web store) is needed to enable the radio transcription and playback feature. No cellular service or internet connection is required to operate the app. Stratus Device Management Download firmware updates for all models of Stratus portable ADS-B receivers, Stratus 1, 2, 1S, 2S, 2i, 3, 3i, and 4. Switch your Stratus 3 to "Open ADS-B Mode" to utilize its GDL-90 protocol that integrates Stratus with most flight apps. Stratus 4 defaults to GDL-90 mode. Enable notifications to get updates any time there is a firmware update to your portable device. Stratus Horizon Pro is a flight app that can be viewed in day mode, night mode, or via heads-up display. App Multitasking Stratus Horizon Pro supports app multitasking with split view and overlay view, so you can use radio transcription and playback alongside your favorite EFB. The EFB app must be able to support multitasking.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Stratus Horizon Pro at Free against Holding Pattern Trainer's $4.99. Stratus Horizon Pro also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). Holding Pattern Trainer's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 42%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads 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
Stratus Horizon Pro is free to download; Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99 up front. Stratus Horizon Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Holding Pattern Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Holding Pattern Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 114 and 36 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Holding Pattern Trainer's written reviews are positive against 42% of Stratus Horizon Pro's.
Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, Stratus Horizon Pro every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Holding Pattern Trainer | Stratus Horizon Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.1 (114 ratings) — better | 3.8 (36 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews — better | 41.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 114 — better | 36 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #15 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 281 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FLEMINGER MEDIA LLC | Appareo Systems, LLC |
Customer experience
Holding Pattern Trainer
Stratus Horizon Pro
Bugs and requests
Holding Pattern Trainer
Reported bugs
15 issues- Entries are wrong for turns
- Plan view is incorrect
- App drawing entries in wrong directions
- Slicing the fix completely wrong
- Bearing questions are wrong
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- App does not apply reciprocal track to 'pod'
- Giving wrong answers
- Visualizer is mirrored to map plan view (user confusion)
- Practice screen plan view incorrect
- App craps out and goes to a black screen
- Guide lines separating direct, parallel, and teardrop incorrectly in practice mode visualization
- Not updated for iOS 11
- App loads upside down
- Button sensitivity could be better
- Cannot change values on hold computer
Requested features
11 requests- Include more methods in tutorial
- Add teardrop heading to fly
- Allow practice with bearings on/off
- Show outbound teardrop/inbound parallel correction headings
- Work in portrait mode
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Add voice ATC instructions
- More variety in questions
- Larger text for older users
- More tips for newbies
- Ability to fly the hold like a nav trainer
- Use real-life ATC phrases in exercises
Stratus Horizon Pro
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Holding Pattern Trainer
No in-app purchases
Stratus Horizon Pro
- ATC Transcription - Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
- ATC Transcription - Yearly1 Month trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Holding Pattern Trainer free?
Is Stratus Horizon Pro free?
Which has better reviews, Holding Pattern Trainer or Stratus Horizon Pro?
Do Holding Pattern Trainer or Stratus Horizon Pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, Holding Pattern Trainer or Stratus Horizon Pro?
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