Holdover Calculator vs MentalCrosswind
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Holdover Calculator
This tool simplifies the calculation of aircraft de-icing fluid holdover times. It offers manual input or automatic weather data retrieval for quick and accurate results. The app provides alerts for expired times and includes a pre-takeoff check timer.
- Accurate holdover time verification
- User-friendly input display
- Automatic METAR weather retrieval
- Location-based METAR search
- Active holdover time countdown
- Audible and visible expiration alerts
- Pre-takeoff contamination check timer
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Holdover Calculator is a pre-departure decision tool for pilots facing winter operations. It returns the applicable anti-icing holdover or allowance time from FAA or Transport Canada published guidance, based on the actual weather, the de/anti-icing fluid applied, and your aircraft configuration. DESIGNED FOR iOS 26 Built for iOS 26 and its Liquid Glass interface. The pilot answers a sequence of focused questions; the app shows the matching table cell, the published range, and a continuously interpolated estimate within that range. KEY FEATURES • Holdover and allowance times from the current FAA Holdover Time Guidelines and Transport Canada HOT Guidelines — and if a correction is published mid-season, the app can pick up the new numbers on its own. Settings shows which set you are calculating with. • Live weather autofill via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center — closest METAR or any ICAO you search. • Manual entry always available when stations are out of range or you want to model conditions ahead. • All four fluid types (Type I through Type IV) with both generic-table and specific-brand selections. • Active Frost allowance and Ice Pellet allowance with a 90-minute takeoff-window tracker. • Chart Notes surfaced inline, with active conditions (cold-soaked wing, OAT thresholds, etc.) flagged so you see only the notes that matter right now. • App Estimated time — a continuous interpolation across OAT and precipitation intensity, shown alongside the FAA Recommended low end of every published range. • Countdown timer with Live Activity on the Lock Screen, with the wall-clock "Ends at" time always shown to the second. • Apple Watch companion for the crew member running the timer. • Cockpit Sync — share one running timer across the flight deck. Link two to four devices over a direct local connection; the captain approves every change. No account, no internet, no server. • On iPad and the open iPhone Duo, dock the holdover time and countdown beside your questions, on either side. • Readable on the ramp. Tap any advisory note — or any setting's description — to enlarge it in a comfortable card sized for reading-distance glasses. • Support & Feedback in one tap. Reach the developer from the menu with a note, a screenshot, and a summary of your session. No account required. • FAA or Transport Canada as the global default, with per-calculation overrides. • Local or Zulu time display; 12- or 24-hour clock. PRE-DEPARTURE DECISION ONLY This app is an advisor. The pilot in command remains solely responsible for verifying that the selected time is appropriate for the actual conditions, fluid, and aircraft at the moment of departure. Always cross-reference the current published holdover tables. DATA SOURCES • FAA Holdover Time Guidelines (current revision) • Transport Canada Holdover Time Guidelines (current revision) • NOAA Aviation Weather Center (aviationweather.gov) for live METAR observations SUBSCRIPTION Holdover Calculator is an auto-renewable annual subscription, with a free trial for new subscribers. Pricing is shown in the app before you subscribe. • Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. • The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. • Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. • Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. PRIVACY Location is requested only to identify the nearest weather station; your coordinates are sent solely to NOAA to run that query and are never stored or shared with us. No ads, no analytics, no tracking. Privacy Policy: https://kilolimallc.github.io/legal/holdover-calculator/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://kilolimallc.github.io/legal/holdover-calculator/terms.html Disclaimer: https://kilolimallc.github.io/legal/holdover-calculator/disclaimer.html
MentalCrosswind
This app helps student pilots quickly understand wind announcements from air traffic control. It generates random wind configurations and announces them, allowing users to practice mentally calculating crosswind components before viewing a graphical and numerical representation.
- Random wind configuration generation
- Verbal wind announcements
- Graphical wind display
- Numerical crosswind and direct wind components
- Practice and analysis modes
- METAR wind integration
- Location-based nearest airport wind
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Mental Crosswind is a simple application for student pilot who struggle to quickly process in their head what a wind announcement from the tower means in term of cross wind. The app will generate random wind configuration for a given runway and announce it as a controller would. You can then practice in your head to visual and estimate the crosswind. You can then press the Display button to see the wind graphically and the numerical cross wind and direct wind component. Usage: - press the practice button to generate a wind announcement (make sure your volume and sound is on). Each press on practice will generate a new wind configuration. - press the wind check button to hear the announcement again for the same wind as previously announced - press display to see the wind graphically represented - if you selected an airport you can also press the refresh button In the setting page you can: - choose whether the app starts in practice mode (wind not displayed, but announced), Analysis mode (wind displayed) or last (start as it last exited) - choose wether the app should on start up use the wind from the METAR of a given airport or from the nearest airport (will required location when in use) Note this app is not intended and SHOULD NOT be used for flight planning, this is purely a training tool.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Holdover Calculator at 5.0 against MentalCrosswind's 4.0. Holdover Calculator also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 50%) and chart position (#191 vs unranked). MentalCrosswind's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Holdover Calculator sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. MentalCrosswind asks for nothing beyond the download.
Holdover Calculator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Holdover Calculator's written reviews are positive against 50% of MentalCrosswind's.
| Parameter | Holdover Calculator | MentalCrosswind |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #191 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kilo Lima Management, LLC | Brice Rosenzweig |
Customer experience
Holdover Calculator
MentalCrosswind
In-app purchases
Holdover Calculator
- 1 Year Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Year
MentalCrosswind
No in-app purchases
Questions
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