Comparison

FMGS vs MCDU Trainer

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

Head to head
About

FMGS

Features
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FMGS is a hands-on trainer for the A320-type Flight Management and Guidance System. It reproduces the MCDU page by page β€” INIT, F-PLN, LAT REV and VERT REV, DEPARTURE and ARRIVAL, RAD NAV, PROG, PERF, FUEL PRED, SEC F-PLN, DATA β€” with the page grammar, prompts, colours, entry formats and scratchpad messages of the real unit, so that the routine of cockpit preparation can be rehearsed away from the aircraft. TWO FMS STANDARDS Choose the Thales FMS2 or the Honeywell FMS2 layout at start-up. Page layouts, prompts, the temporary flight-plan model and the message texts follow the selected standard. WORLDWIDE NAVIGATION DATABASE Airports, runways, waypoints, navaids, airways and terminal procedures (SIDs, STARs, approaches with transitions) are selected from an embedded worldwide database, compiled from openly published sources and from the developer's own historical flight records. It is a training snapshot, not a current AIRAC cycle. Build a complete flight plan from the departure runway to the destination approach, insert holds, offsets, constraints, winds and step altitudes, use DIR TO, and store your own waypoints, navaids, runways and routes. NAVIGATION DISPLAY An EFIS control panel with mode and range selectors opens the ND in ROSE NAV, ARC, PLAN, ROSE VOR and ROSE ILS: the flight plan with fly-by turns, constraints, pseudo waypoints, holds, tuned navaids with bearing pointers, the runway symbols and the optional WPT / VOR.D / NDB / ARPT data. FEEL OF THE UNIT Key response latency, haptic key clicks and a worn panel finish reproduce the feel of the equipment. The whole application works offline and collects no data. SUBSCRIPTION Free: MCDU MENU, INIT A, INIT B, IRS INIT and PERF pages and flight-plan viewing, in both FMS standards. Everything else (flight-plan revisions, departure and arrival procedures, DIR TO, RAD NAV, PROG, FUEL PRED, SEC F-PLN, DATA and the navigation display) requires an auto-renewable subscription: Monthly Access, 1 month, USD 12.00, or Yearly Access, 1 year, USD 100.00. There is no free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase; the subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and can be managed in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://gokku.github.io/fmgs-a320/#privacy TRAINING USE ONLY FMGS is an independent training aid for study and procedure practice. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by any aircraft or equipment manufacturer, and it must not be used for flight planning, navigation or any operational purpose. The navigation data is historical and the performance figures are approximate training values.

About

MCDU Trainer

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Practice A320 MCDU and Boeing 737-800 NG CDU operations on iPhone and iPad, and explore how flight plans, controls and instrument indications work together. Choose an aircraft and follow a continuous practice flight from ground preparation through takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, approach and landing. Each aircraft keeps its own flight plan and practice state. Switch aircraft and return to your previous session. Run, pause, flight-phase positioning and saved scenarios help you revisit an operation and inspect its result. β€’ Focus on MCDU/CDU entry, editing and error recovery, including initialization, route and performance operations. β€’ Use the MCDU/CDU, ND, EFIS and FCU/MCP within the same flight and observe changes in guidance and indications. β€’ View the complete instrument workspace on iPad, or scroll and jump between instruments on iPhone. β€’ Practice with local training data, waypoints and scenarios without creating an account. The A320 and 737 have separate state and logic. The 737 training configuration targets the 737-800 NG with a conventional CDU, the FMC U12 family and SFP/26K reference scope. It does not represent the 737 MAX or guarantee the configuration of a particular airline or individual aircraft. Navigation data consists of fixed training snapshots. Coverage and data dates are identified in the app and source documentation; this is not a current operational navigation database. Performance, motion and system responses include nominal training models and simplifications. Communications are local training functions and do not connect to an airline, air traffic control or a live ACARS network. This independently developed practice tool is not an official Airbus, Boeing or Honeywell product or a certified flight training device. Do not use it for real flight navigation, performance calculations or operational decisions. Practice state is stored on the device; automatic cross-device synchronization is not provided.

Screenshots

FMGS4 screens
MCDU Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MCDU Trainer at none against FMGS's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. FMGS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.00 per month. MCDU Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
FMGS versus MCDU Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFMGSMCDU Trainer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Weekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size145 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperADDIE OU云启θˆͺη§‘(ζˆιƒ½)η§‘ζŠ€ζœ‰ι™ε…¬εΈ

In-app purchases

2 purchases

FMGS

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Access$12.001 Month
  • Yearly Access$100.001 Year
None

MCDU Trainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FMGS free?
FMGS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MCDU Trainer free?
MCDU Trainer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do FMGS or MCDU Trainer have ads?
Neither FMGS nor MCDU Trainer shows ads.

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