Comparison

Holding Pattern Trainer vs FltPlan Go for iPhone

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

FltPlan Go for iPhone

This app serves as a mobile companion for flight planning services, syncing flight plans, navigation logs, and aircraft profiles for offline and in-flight use. It offers powerful routing, weather, and mapping features, including geo-referenced approach plates and airport diagrams.

Highlights
  • Sync flight plans and NavLogs for offline use
  • Interactive flight plan editing on map
  • Airport and FBO information with fuel prices
  • Geo-referenced approach plates and airport diagrams
  • Real-time weather (METARs, TAFs, PIREPs)
  • Moving maps with sectional and enroute charts
  • Weight & Balance and eLogbook integration
Features
Read full description

FltPlan Go is the essential companion to FltPlan.com. Because FltPlan Go is integrated with FltPlan.com, flight plans and NavLogs are automatically synced to your device along with Weight & Balance profiles, eLogbook profiles, and Checklists for offline and in-flight use. • Create and file your flight plan on FltPlan.com, and it will sync to FltPlan Go to allow you to responsively edit the flight plan on the map • NavLogs are automatically synced and downloaded for offline use • Create and file your flight plan on FltPlan Go to sync to FltPlan.com FltPlan Go delivers powerful routing, weather, mapping features, and comprehensive aviation information including: AIRPORTS: • Airport & FBO Information including current fuel prices • Geo-Referenced approach plates & airport diagrams (U.S & Canada) • Weather, including METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, & MOS • NOTAMs & Remarks MAPS: • Sync FltPlan.com flight plans and interactively edit on the map • File a flight plan from within FltPlan Go • Moving maps with sectionals, enroute charts, & more • Overlay approach plates & procedures on the map • Layers including SUAs, TFRs, State Outline, Airports, Fuel Prices, CAP Grid, Stadiums, and Customs • Display METARs, Winds, SIGMETs, and animated Weather on the map • Display MOS weather forecasts (up to 4 days out) on the map • Breadcrumbs with enhanced playback & option to open in Google Earth • Display Search & Rescue patterns • Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) • Create or import Custom Waypoints in KML or CSV format • Overlay in-flight ADS-B traffic & weather or XM Weather* NAVLOGS: • NavLogs automatically sync and download for offline use • Email or print NavLogs from within FltPlan Go ADDITIONAL FEATURES: • Weight & Balance - create computations with the option to email • eLogbook - create logbook entries to sync to our eLogbook program • Checklists - synced from FltPlan.com for your specific aircraft • Binders - create flight specific binders with documents or procedures, airports, NavLogs, weather briefs, & more • Weather - search airport or route weather • Tracking - view live tracking • PDCs • Cloud Tops • Aviation Calculators • Access to FltPlan.com EXTERNAL: AVIONICS • Garmin • Dynon SkyView • Advanced Flight Systems • Avidyne IFD Series • DAC International GDC64 ADS-B • Garmin • Stratus 3 • Dual XGPS 170/190 • Dynon D2 • FreeFlight • Pathfinder • iLevil SW • L-3 Lynx • SkyGuard • Stratux • FlightBox • pingBuddy • Clarity • Custom Unit GPS • Garmin GDL 51 & GLO • Dual XGPS 150 • Bad Elf APP-TO-APP • Garmin Pilot • Satcom Direct • Jeppesen Mobile FD 2.7 SIMULATORS • X-Plane Simulator • FSX & Prepar3D *Subscription/Unit Required *Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. FltPlan has grown into the largest flight planning company in North America. FltPlan covers the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Panama, and parts of Venezuela and Columbia. FltPlan’s 165,000-plus active, registered users file more than 55% of all N#-registered flight plans. FltPlan Go is a part of FltPlan's comprehensive system that includes free, web-based flight planning and filing and a full range of premium services. FltPlan has more than 18 years of general aviation experience, giving pilots access to the best support team in the business. 24/7 FltPlan Go support is available at Tech@FltPlan.com

Screenshots

Holding Pattern Trainer4 screens
FltPlan Go for iPhone1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FltPlan Go for iPhone at Free against Holding Pattern Trainer's $4.99. FltPlan Go for iPhone also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). Holding Pattern Trainer's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 61%) and chart position (#22 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, 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

FltPlan Go for iPhone 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Holding Pattern Trainer against 4.0 for FltPlan Go for iPhone. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 114 and 147 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Holding Pattern Trainer's written reviews are positive against 61% of FltPlan Go for iPhone's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, FltPlan Go for iPhone every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Holding Pattern Trainer versus FltPlan Go for iPhone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHolding Pattern TrainerFltPlan Go for iPhone
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (114 ratings) — better4.0 (147 ratings)
Positive reviews76.9% of reviews — better60.5% of reviews
Number of ratings114147 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#22 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB180 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFLEMINGER MEDIA LLCFltPlan.com (Flight Plan LLC)

Customer experience

Holding Pattern Trainer

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

FltPlan Go for iPhone

All ratings145 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral10.3%
Negative16.6%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive60.5%
Neutral15.8%
Negative23.7%

User reviews

Holding Pattern Trainer

From 114 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for practicing holds
  • 💡 Excellent visualization tool
  • 🚀 Helps learn fast
  • ✅ Accurate for many users
  • 🧠 Reinforces knowledge

Room to improve

  • ❌ Incorrect entries/drawings
  • ⚠️ Wrong answers/info
  • 😞 Wastes valuable time
  • 💸 Overpriced for some
  • 🤔 Confusing for some users

FltPlan Go for iPhone

From 147 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💰 Free to use
  • ✈️ Useful for pilots
  • 🗺️ Moving maps and weather overlay
  • 🔄 Frequent updates
  • 💡 Powerful features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐌 Slow loading times
  • 🤔 Confusing interface
  • ⚠️ Safety features broken/removed
  • 🗑️ Abandoned app concerns

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

FltPlan Go for iPhone

Reported bugs

41 issues
  • App crashes after recent update
  • Safety features are broken
  • No updates for over 10 months
  • App started to crash
  • App crashes a lot on iPad Pro
Show 36 more
  • Outdated weather data
  • Logbook refresh issues
  • Laggy and cumbersome interface
  • Random 'no GPS' and 'internet connectivity issues' popups
  • App randomly resets interface
  • Unable to edit tokens on map section
  • Failed to download database error
  • Have to log in every time app is opened
  • Some airports missing CFS pages
  • App is a replica of the website
  • Pre-loads random sample flight plan
  • Extended runway centerlines don't show runway numbers
  • Loading icon doesn't go away
  • Buttons on iPhone X are difficult to tap
  • Gray bar by notch area on iPhone X
  • Flight plan page gets stuck on 'loading'
  • Nav logs take forever to download
  • Downloading procedures results in errors
  • Password gets dumped every time app is opened
  • Back button takes to login screen
  • App moves very slowly
  • Orientation of buttons are off
  • Layers don't work properly
  • Map mode - edit route - not stable
  • App crashes when viewing airport procedures
  • Map layers loaded on a 45-degree skew
  • Constantly freezes and shuts down
  • Does not work with iOS 8 on iPad
  • TFR overlay doesn't show TFR areas
  • Cannot scroll through TFR info
  • Lost airport database with last update
  • Continually loses track of downloaded data
  • Notification 'location disabled' pops up repeatedly
  • Requires database update unnecessarily
  • iPhone version doesn't display altitude and ground speed in map mode
  • Newest update very problematic

Requested features

14 requests
  • Bullseye for military pilots
  • Bearing and range tool
  • Decimal degrees for waypoints
  • Easier waypoint lat/long finding
  • Support for MSFS 2020 simulator
Show 9 more
  • Support for Apple Watch
  • More ADSB variations
  • Ground speed and heading indicators on map
  • Dark mode
  • Improved UI for mobile
  • Synthetic vision and profile view
  • Runway numbers on extended centerlines
  • Suggested airports for easier input
  • Ruler feature on iPhone version

In-app purchases

None

Holding Pattern Trainer

No in-app purchases

None

FltPlan Go for iPhone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Holding Pattern Trainer free?
Holding Pattern Trainer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FltPlan Go for iPhone free?
FltPlan Go for iPhone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Holding Pattern Trainer or FltPlan Go for iPhone?
Holding Pattern Trainer is rated higher. Holding Pattern Trainer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 114 ratings, while FltPlan Go for iPhone averages 4.0 from 147 ratings.
Do Holding Pattern Trainer or FltPlan Go for iPhone have ads?
Neither Holding Pattern Trainer nor FltPlan Go for iPhone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Holding Pattern Trainer or FltPlan Go for iPhone?
Holding Pattern Trainer ships an update every 5 months, and FltPlan Go for iPhone every 2 months. Most recently, Holding Pattern Trainer was updated on October 26, 2026 and FltPlan Go for iPhone on October 26, 2026.

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