Comparison

Holding Pattern Trainer vs Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot

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

Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot

This tool simplifies complex IFR holding procedures for pilots. It instantly calculates correct entries, visualizes wind-corrected patterns, and tracks your real-time position within protected airspace. Enhance accuracy and situational awareness during holds.

Highlights
  • Instant hold entry calculation
  • Wind-corrected pattern visualization
  • Protected airspace awareness
  • Real-time position tracking
  • Wind correction and timing adjustments
  • Distraction-free interface
Features
Read full description

Take the guesswork out of IFR holding patterns. Instantly determine correct entries, apply wind correction, and see the actual wind-corrected pattern shape, so you always know exactly where you are inside protected airspace. Built for pilots who demand precision, this tool transforms complex IFR procedures into clear, visual, real-time decisions. Designed for student pilots, CFIs, and experienced aviators, this tool simplifies complex IFR procedures into intuitive, actionable guidance—improving accuracy, confidence, and situational awareness in every hold. Key Features: • Instant hold entry (Direct, Teardrop, Parallel) • Wind-corrected holding pattern shape visualization • Protected airspace awareness • Real-time position tracking in the hold • Wind correction + timing adjustments • Cockpit-ready, distraction-free interface Train smarter. Fly safer. Stay precisely within protected airspace.

Screenshots

Holding Pattern Trainer4 screens
Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot at 5.0 against Holding Pattern Trainer's 4.1. Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%). Holding Pattern Trainer's advantage is ratings volume (114 vs 1) and price ($4.99 vs $9.99). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99 and Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Holding Pattern Trainer has 114 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Holding Pattern Trainer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Holding Pattern Trainer versus Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHolding Pattern TrainerHolding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.1 (114 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings114 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#15 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFLEMINGER MEDIA LLCBRUCE GARY WILDER

Customer experience

Holding Pattern Trainer

All ratings114 ratings
Positive78.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral4.1%
Negative17.3%

Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Holding Pattern Trainer

No in-app purchases

None

Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Holding Pattern Trainer free?
Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot free?
Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Holding Pattern Trainer or Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot?
Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot is rated higher. Holding Pattern Trainer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 114 ratings, while Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Holding Pattern Trainer or Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot have ads?
Neither Holding Pattern Trainer nor Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Holding Pattern Trainer or Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot?
Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, and Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot every 6 months. Most recently, Holding Pattern Trainer was updated on November 6, 2026 and Holding Pattern Pro Otto Pilot on November 5, 2026.

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