Comparison

Piper PA vs SimControlX

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

Head to head
About

Piper PA

Study aircraft systems and limitations with interactive diagrams and detailed descriptions. Practice normal and emergency operations, and explore a detailed cockpit illustration. This app serves as a reference for aviation training.

Highlights
  • Interactive system diagrams
  • Normal and emergency operation practice
  • Detailed cockpit illustration
  • POH information organization
  • System limitations noted
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The Piper PA-44 Training is an innovative new way to study aircraft systems and limitations. System description sections take the main information from the POH and organizes in easy to navigate chapters. Interactive diagrams for the major systems allow the user to tap on various switches, levers, circuit breakers, and buttons and watch how those inputs change the diagram. Users can practice normal and emergency operations, correlating practical knowledge with the POH descriptions. Descriptions and limitations are also noted for various parts of each system throughout the diagram. The interactive cockpit poster allows you to view the entire cockpit with a highly detailed illustration. If you tap on a part of the cockpit you will see an in-depth description of that part of the cockpit. DISCLAIMER: The Piper PA-44 Training App is to be used as a reference only and cannot be used for flight or to replace formal training.

About

SimControlX

Control your flight simulator from your iPad with this instructor station app. Remotely manage aircraft position, weather, and system failures for realistic training and enhanced gameplay. Connects via Wi-Fi to supported simulators.

Highlights
  • iPad instructor station for flight simulators
  • Remote aircraft repositioning
  • Customizable weather settings
  • Simulated system and engine failures
  • Worldwide moving map with flight path tracing
  • Quick Wi-Fi connection to simulator
  • Fuel and battery recharge options
Read full description

SimControlX is a sophisticated iPad-based Instructor / Operator Station (IOS) for Prepar3D®, X-Plane and ELITE XTS flight simulators (please review currently supported simulator versions below). SimControlX brings updated iOS platform support, various under-the-hood improvements, a fresh look-and-feel as well as useful new features to its capable predecessor SimControl. It uses Wi-Fi to communicate to the host simulator via custom server software which can be obtained from www.simcontrol.net. SimControlX will enhance your flight simulator experience unlike any other app on the market. This app gives you the power of a powerful instructor station, in your lap! SimControlX grants users the ability to reposition aircraft instantly, change the wind and weather, fail engine components or instruments for realistic training in your simulator and much more without ever needing to get out of the captain’s chair or interrupt the simulation. This helps make the experience fun again by alleviating many of the common complaints, distractions, and tasks that require navigating through multiple computer screens. SimControlX also makes training scenarios easier than ever to achieve. With the use of instant aircraft repositioning you could, for instance, set yourself up for an approach 5, 10 or 15 nautical miles from the runway or even left or right downwind, as many times as you need or practice engine out procedures with the press of a button. Supported Simulators: - Prepar3D® v3.4, v4.0+ and 5.0+ - X-Plane 10 [64-bit] and X-Plane 11 - ELITE XTS Key Features: - Worldwide moving map screen with flight path tracing (requires internet connection) - Changing of user aircraft without using any tedious menus in the host simulator (P3D & X-Plane only) - Instant repositioning of aircraft - Set custom weather settings with multiple layers - Option to use current real METAR weather settings for your local area (requires internet connection) - Quick and easy connection to the simulator over WiFi - Fuel top off and battery recharge at the click of a button - AI traffic display on map (P3D & X-Plane only) - Dedicated failures page for instruments, systems, and engine malfunctions and random failures * This software as well as included data and charts are NOT for real world aviation use. They are intended for flight simulator use only. You must consult appropriate sources before flying a real aircraft. * More information available at www.simcontrol.net * For app support please contact support@simcontrol.net * For non-support questions, please use this email: info@simcontrol.net Credits:

 * Simulator connectivity thanks to Lockheed Martin® Prepar3D®, Laminar Research's X-Plane and ELITE Simulation Solutions XTS

Screenshots

Piper PA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Piper PA at $9.99 against SimControlX's $19.99. Piper PA also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (78% vs 50%). SimControlX's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.1). On 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

Piper PA costs $9.99 and SimControlX $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Piper PA holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Piper PA has 384 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Piper PA's written reviews are positive against 50% of SimControlX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Piper PA ships an update every 4 months, SimControlX every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Piper PA versus SimControlX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPiper PASimControlX
Price$9.99 — better$19.99
Rating4.8 (384 ratings) — better3.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings384 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#176 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS14.112.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAircraft Training Aids, LLCELITE Simulation Solutions AG

Customer experience

Piper PA

All ratings384 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral0.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative16.7%

SimControlX

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Piper PA

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Works very poorly on the iPhone
  • Landing gear system is wrong
  • Nose gear in wrong position
  • Typos and spelling errors (e.g., 'cabin hear', 'string loaded')
  • Information on up limit switches for gear system may be incorrect

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add G1000 functionality
  • Include poster of G1000 and fuel injected models
  • Add prop governor system
  • Update app with more information and diagrams
  • Fix typos and spelling errors

SimControlX

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Piper PA

No in-app purchases

None

SimControlX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Piper PA free?
Piper PA costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SimControlX free?
SimControlX costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Piper PA or SimControlX?
Piper PA is rated higher. Piper PA averages 4.8 out of 5 from 384 ratings, while SimControlX averages 3.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Piper PA or SimControlX have ads?
Neither Piper PA nor SimControlX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Piper PA or SimControlX?
Piper PA ships an update every 4 months, and SimControlX every 6 weeks. Most recently, Piper PA was updated on October 18, 2026 and SimControlX on October 7, 2026.

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