Comparison

Holding Pattern Trainer vs Airspace Studio

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

Airspace Studio

Features
Read full description

Introducing Airspace Studio: Unlock Your Aviation Expertise with Custom Content Creation for Pilots! Airspace is the innovative app designed exclusively for pilots, offering a dynamic platform to create and share custom aviation content packs tailored to your unique flying experiences. With Airspace, you have the power to go beyond traditional flight documentation. Our app enables you to create shape layers and georeference PDFs or imagery, providing you with advanced tools to enhance your aviation content. Key Features of Airspace: Training Materials: Develop comprehensive training resources by combining flight data, detailed briefings, checklists, and instructional notes, enhancing the learning experience for yourself or your students. Interactive Flight Logs: Create interactive and informative flight logs that incorporate key flight parameters and annotations, offering a comprehensive overview of your flight experiences. Shape Layers: Utilize shape layers to highlight specific areas of interest on maps or charts, providing visual cues and enhancing the clarity of your aviation content. Georeferencing: Georeference PDFs or imagery, allowing you to overlay critical information onto real-world maps or aerial images, further enriching your content with geographical context. Collaboration and Feedback: Share your content packs with fellow pilots, instructors, and industry professionals, fostering collaboration, seeking feedback, and gaining insights to enhance your flying proficiency. Offline Access: Access your content packs anytime, anywhere, even without an internet connection, ensuring you can review, share, and showcase your aviation experiences on the go. Airspace empowers you to take your aviation content creation to new heights by incorporating shape layers and georeferencing capabilities. Capture, communicate, and share your aviation expertise with precision and flair. Download Airspace today and unlock the full potential of your pilot journey! Airspace requires an active annual subscription to edit projects. Terms and Conditions: https://www.cartolake.com/about/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.cartolake.com/about/privacy

Screenshots

Holding Pattern Trainer4 screens
Airspace Studio2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Airspace Studio at Free against Holding Pattern Trainer's $4.99. Airspace Studio also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 months). Holding Pattern Trainer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#13 vs unranked). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Airspace Studio is free to download; Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99 up front. Airspace Studio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $49.00 per year. Holding Pattern Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, Airspace Studio every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Holding Pattern Trainer versus Airspace Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHolding Pattern TrainerAirspace Studio
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (114 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings114 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#13 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFLEMINGER MEDIA LLCCartoLake, LLC

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

Airspace Studio

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Holding Pattern Trainer

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Airspace Studio

Subscriptions3
  • Basic Yearly7 Days trial$49.001 Year
  • Standard Yearly7 Days trial$99.001 Year
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$199.001 Year

Questions

Is Holding Pattern Trainer free?
Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Airspace Studio free?
Airspace Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Holding Pattern Trainer or Airspace Studio have ads?
Neither Holding Pattern Trainer nor Airspace Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Holding Pattern Trainer or Airspace Studio?
Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, and Airspace Studio every 8 days. Most recently, Holding Pattern Trainer was updated on October 14, 2026 and Airspace Studio on September 30, 2026.

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