Comparison

Holding Pattern Trainer vs FlightReady Flight Manager

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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. ----------------------------------

About

FlightReady Flight Manager

This app extends organizational flight operations management to mobile devices. It allows users to manage scheduled flights, access documents, and complete risk assessments. Requires an existing organizational account.

Highlights
  • Manage scheduled flights and assignments
  • Access training materials and documents
  • Complete flight safety risk assessments
  • Perform loading and performance calculations
  • View operational and training data
Read full description

Flight Manager is the mobile companion to FlightReady TOM (Training & Operations Manager) for organizations that manage training, flight operations, scheduling, dispatch, and safety with TOM. Users can view and manage scheduled flights and resource assignments, access managed documents and training materials, and complete flight safety risk assessments. Users must have a FlightReady account linked to their organization to use Flight Manager. Key capabilities include: ▸ Complete loading, performance, and risk assessment for scheduled and ad hoc flights ▸ View and manage organization-managed documents and training materials. Flight Manager is not a standalone consumer app. It is purpose-built for organizations using FlightReady TOM, extending training management, dispatch, safety, and compliance workflows to mobile devices while maintaining a single source of truth for operational and training data. If you experience any technical issues using this app, please review the common issues listed below before contacting support. If you need help, tap the Support button on the login view or main menu view. Username or password incorrect The information you entered does not match any account. Accounts are manager by your flight school. If you forgot your login information, please contact your flight school. Login Issues: Forgot Password If you forgot your password, enter your email address, then tap Reset Password. If an account is registered under that email, an email with a password reset link will be sent to that email address. You must enter the correct email address associated with your account, and your account must have been confirmed. If you have never used your account, you must confirm it before attempting to change the password.To confirm a new account, follow the instructions in the welcome email. If you do not have access to that e-mail, please contact your flight school. Login Issues: Forgot My Username The username is the email address associated with your account. To recover your username, please contact your flight school. Login Issues: Did not receive verification email A verification email is sent when you confirm a new account or request to reset your password. The purpose of this email is to ensure that you have access to a valid email account. This email is automatically sent to the same email address associated with your account, and may take a few minutes to arrive. If it does not arrive within a few minutes please check your spam or junk mail filters. Aircraft weight and balance not being accepted If the app does not accept the information you enter, then the information you entered is incorrect. Confirm that you are using the same starting empty weight and balance that is displayed in the app, then check your calculations.

Screenshots

Holding Pattern Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Holding Pattern Trainer at 77% against FlightReady Flight Manager's 0%. Holding Pattern Trainer also leads on chart position (#15 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). FlightReady Flight Manager's advantage is price (Free vs $4.99) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months). On ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

FlightReady Flight Manager is free to download; Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, FlightReady Flight Manager weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Holding Pattern Trainer versus FlightReady Flight Manager: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHolding Pattern TrainerFlightReady Flight Manager
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (114 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings114 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#15 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better18.1
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFLEMINGER MEDIA LLCAeroapps Technology

Customer experience

Holding Pattern Trainer

All ratings114 ratings
Positive78.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral4.4%
Negative18.7%

FlightReady Flight Manager

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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 more
  • 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 more
  • 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

FlightReady Flight Manager

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Holding Pattern Trainer

No in-app purchases

None

FlightReady Flight Manager

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Holding Pattern Trainer free?
Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FlightReady Flight Manager free?
FlightReady Flight Manager is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Holding Pattern Trainer or FlightReady Flight Manager have ads?
Neither Holding Pattern Trainer nor FlightReady Flight Manager shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Holding Pattern Trainer or FlightReady Flight Manager?
Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, and FlightReady Flight Manager weekly. Most recently, Holding Pattern Trainer was updated on September 22, 2026 and FlightReady Flight Manager on September 17, 2026.

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