Holding Pattern Trainer vs AeroAltitude
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. ----------------------------------
AeroAltitude
This app calculates pressure and density altitudes using GPS, barometer, and airport METAR data. It offers manual input options and displays airport information, including charts on larger screens. A watch app and customizable units enhance its usability for pilots.
- Pressure and density altitude calculation
- GPS and barometer integration
- METAR data display
- Airport database search
- Watch app support
- Customizable units
- Data sharing
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AeroAltitude calculates pressure altitude (PA) and density altitude (DA) either from user data inputs or automatically by using built-in GPS, built-in barometer*, and METAR** of airports. Overview of features: - PA/DA/QNH calculation for current position using GPS and barometer (enter temperature manually) - PA/DA calculation based on user inputs for altitude, QNH, and temperature - PA/DA calculation of any airports from the built-in airport database. Including METAR display and chart of DA (on 4'' screens and higher) - List of user defined airports showing PA/DA calculation - List of nearby airports showing PA/DA calculation - Includes watch app to display DA at current position, user, and nearby airports - User definable warning threshold factor - Sharing data via mail, message, etc. - All units are customizable - Pre iOS 14 today widget with PA/DA for maximum five nearby airports (not available in iOS 18 or later) AeroAltitude uses the freely available Aviation Digital Data Service from US NOAA to get METAR data and can not be guaranteed. Internet connection required
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AeroAltitude at 4.8 against Holding Pattern Trainer's 4.1. AeroAltitude also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and price ($2.29 vs $4.99). Holding Pattern Trainer's advantage is ratings volume (114 vs 5) and review sentiment (77% vs 60%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99 and AeroAltitude $2.29 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
AeroAltitude holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Holding Pattern Trainer has 114 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Holding Pattern Trainer's written reviews are positive against 60% of AeroAltitude's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, AeroAltitude every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Holding Pattern Trainer | AeroAltitude |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $2.29 — better |
| Rating | 4.1 (114 ratings) | 4.8 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.9% of reviews — better | 60.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 114 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #11 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FLEMINGER MEDIA LLC | Lakehorn AG |
Customer experience
Holding Pattern Trainer
AeroAltitude
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
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- 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
AeroAltitude
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Holding Pattern Trainer
No in-app purchases
AeroAltitude
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Holding Pattern Trainer free?
Is AeroAltitude free?
Which has better reviews, Holding Pattern Trainer or AeroAltitude?
Do Holding Pattern Trainer or AeroAltitude have ads?
Which is updated more often, Holding Pattern Trainer or AeroAltitude?
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