Flight Time vs Plains Locator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Flight Time
This app automatically logs flight times using GPS, recording block time, true flight time, and landings. It allows for manual input and background logging, keeping pilots focused on flying. Data can be emailed for logbook completion.
- Automatic GPS flight logging
- Records block time and landings
- Manual input for flight phases
- Background logging
- Email flight times
- Universal app for iPhone and iPad
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▸ Automatic GPS based Flight Time Logger for Pilots ▸ Records Block Time, True Flight Time and Landings ▸ Shows Elapsed Times and Ground Speed during Flight Flight Time helps you focus on flying instead of noting down take-off and landing times while you are in the cockpit. The Flight Time iOS app is using GPS to automatically log them for you. All you have to do is enter your plane's stall speed so that the app knows whether you are flying a Citabria or an F-16 and turn GPS on before your flight. Over at the airport restaurant, tap on parked and see all the information you need to fill out your logbook. Yes, the restaurant is optional, but you need to press parked before you drive away from the airport, so the app can figure out your correct blocks-on/end time. Features: - Universal App for both iPad and iPhone - Email flight times directly from the app to your student or instructor - Detects block-off, take-off, landing and block-on times automatically with GPS - Allows for manual input of flight phases making this app usable even with GPS disabled - Flight Time keeps logging in the background allowing you to use other apps simultaneously or put your phone to sleep - Continuously displays totals so far in current flight - Keeps screen on while app is in foreground - Displays current ground speed - Choose Local time or UTC - Round to minutes, or display with seconds - Record every landing or full-stops only Disclaimer: - Because 'Flight Time' uses the GPS/ground speed to decide whether you are flying or are on the ground, very slow flight during stall training could be detected as landings and very fast touch and goes could be missed. The flight time will still be correct, just double check the number of landings if you do touch and goes, stall training or aerobatic flight when not in full-stop only mode. - Hobbs (engine running time) is usually slightly higher than block time (time from first to last movement of plane). - Continued use of GPS, even when running the app in the background, can decrease battery life significantly (to about half a day, particularly on older phones).
Plains Locator
This navigation tool converts Public Land Survey System (PLSS) land descriptions into precise GPS coordinates. It allows users to save favorite locations, add custom notes, and get turn-by-turn directions via popular mapping services. Supports several US states.
- Convert PLSS to Latitude/Longitude
- Save favorite locations and notes
- Plot locations on map
- Turn-by-turn navigation
- Search by current location or map
- View MTRS and county information
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Plains Locator: Convert and Map Public Land Survey System (PLSS) Land Descriptions to Latitude and Longitude coordinates. Results include GPS Coordinates and distance to the centre of the section, the ability to favourites, add notes to the location, plot on a map and get navigation directions through Apple Maps, Google Maps and ForeFlight. Features * Search Full Sections * Search Quarter Sections * Search MTRS * Search Latitude & Longitude * Search by Current Location * Search by Map * View full details including MTRS and County information * Save Favorite Locations * View History of searches * Save Custom Notes * Plot locations on map and start turn-by-turn navigation Plains Locator supports the following States: * Colorado * Iowa * Kansas * Minnesota * Montana * Nebraska * North Dakota * Oklahoma * South Dakota A subscription is required to use Plains Locator. Subscriptions can be purchased from within the app. All new signups receive a free 7-day trial period. Your subscription lets you use Plains Locator everywhere. Your data syncs securely and automatically between your devices, and can also be accessed on the web. An active network connection is required to perform conversions and use mapping features. If you enjoy using Plains Locator, please leave us a 5-star review. If you have any questions, problems or suggestions, please contact support@plainslocator.com Payments will be charged to your iTunes Account after confirmation. Subscriptions are automatically renewed unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the subscription period. Accounts will be charged for subscription renewals within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed in your iTunes Account’s Settings after purchasing. Plains Locator's privacy policy is available at: https://plainslocator.com/privacy-policy Plains Locator's terms of service is available at: https://plainslocator.com/terms-of-service
Screenshots
Verdict
Flight Time and Plains Locator both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Flight Time's written reviews are positive against 50% of Plains Locator's. Flight Time also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Plains Locator's advantage is price (Free vs $6.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Plains Locator is free to download; Flight Time costs $6.99 up front. Plains Locator sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month. Flight Time asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Flight Time against 5.0 for Plains Locator. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Flight Time's written reviews are positive against 50% of Plains Locator's.
Flight Time ships an update every 6 months, Plains Locator every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Flight Time | Plains Locator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ganymed Stanek | Flipwire |
Customer experience
Flight Time
Plains Locator
In-app purchases
Flight Time
No in-app purchases
Plains Locator
- Monthly$4.491 Month
- Yearly$44.991 Year








