Sept 28, 2020 UPDATE:
The list has been moved to the #guides:new-pilot-help-guides section for greater visibility! You can find it here:
Please continue to use this thread to recommend/discuss any apps.
Original Post
Now that the new patch is out and SimConnect FPS issues have been resolved, I wanted to query all you fine individuals and compile a list of cool/fun/helpful apps that you use in conjunction while flying in MSFS2020.
Please state the app and what its purpose is.
Bonus points if you state why it’s better then it’s competition.
FltPlan Go - The free app shows graphical flight plan routes and gives access to NavLogs, Approach Plates, Weather Briefings, Hi-res / Zoomable Sectionals, Victor Low Charts, Jet High Charts, and much more.
Connecting this app to the game allows you to see your plane in the app! It’s like Google Maps but for flying!
I chose this over Foreflight because it doesn’t charge an annual fee. Foreflight is also iOS only.
This app focuses on North America. SkyDemon is a popular EU app.
VATSIM - Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network is a nonprofit organization that operates a live ATC network noted for its active membership and realism.
Chose this over PilotEdge because it’s free and doesn’t charge a monthly fee.
I’ve used them all and prefer Pilot2ATC I use it with Xplane and P3D. Vatsim is real-time contact with actual virtual ATC controllers and not what I prefer now. All the features used in P2ATC I like and I like the easy to use voice controls, flight planning tools, moving maps and more. I actual use SimBrief to do flight planning and drop it into P2ATC but either way is fine. It’s all personal preference but P2ATC has GREAT support by the developer and it offers a free trial period to check it out. You need FSUIPC7 to make it work.
I continue to work on my (free) Flight Planner/VFR map. It can now show you the distance and bearing to a waypoint as it tracks the plane. See the video for more information. The video was made before the connection to FS, via SimConnect, was added. Please see the Users’ Guide for complete information.
I will give 3 reasons why it is different from other flight planners and especially useful for casual FS users:
GTFP simplifies the construction of fairly complicated flight plans. It has two functions not duplicated by other FP’s with respect to finding optimal routes. You can add waypoints with a key word search (like your street address or geographical/landmark name).
GTFP can suggest over 500 interesting (built-in) flights. Often the beginner welcomes advice on where to fly next.
GTFP provides an easier way to navigate during VFR flight than by using the plane’s instruments. It presents real-time positional and destination data together in a small window that can be overlaid on the main FS window.
Little Nav Map is free open source software. You need the LNM Connect add-on to get FS2020 to talk to it. Nice maps and flight planning for VFR sim-pilots.
{edit} Just adding that you can save a simple “start/finish” flight plan from FS as FLT or PLN, load it in Little NavMap, edit the plan by adding a bunch of waypoints, save it, and load it back into FS where it will show all of the legs on your GPS (at least in the a/c I have used).
Yesterday I was just thinking about how I wanted to try hooking Foreflight to MSFS2020, but I didn’t want to pay an annual fee for a product when I am not even a real pilot. I’ll check out FltPlan Go.
I haven’t used it but SPAD.neXt uses SimConnect in case you want to get your Logitech panels up and running before they release new driver/plugin support for it.
Alrighty! I’ve collected all the responses thus far and edited the top post and put them together. I do need some confirmation that I’ve noted the right info down, so please have a review of it and let me know of any errors!
@DrinkingGuide84 that looks nice, but I don’t think I saw that your app hooks into the game in anyway, right (i.e. uses SimConnect). Thus I’m going to have to exclude it from this list specifically–sorry!
@BluesCatMan is Little NavMap worldwide? I labeled it as such in the top post.
@s3p1r0t4 can you confirm if Navigraph has charts for all airports or is it EU only? I’ve labeled it worldwide because I didn’t see any global restrictions on their website, except that they charge in Euros only.
@ANCRM114 can you elaborate on what SPAD.neXt is? I had a look at their website and it’s still not very clear…
I’m stuck trying to set it up right now. Tracking of my plane and seeing other AI aircraft works fine. However I can’t create a flight plan and I assume it’s because I have this red Database empty error. From what I can tell I’m supposed to load some scenery, but I’m not sure where to point it for MSFS2020. How’d you set it up?
EDIT: Looks like Alex, the author of Little NavMap, is actively working on updating the app to read scenery data. Should be available in v2.6 of the app according to this issue on his GitHub.
SimToolkitPro is a freeware for flight planning, flight tracking, and other utilities. Highly recommended!
It also works with SimBrief, which is nice. https://simtoolkitpro.co.uk/
OnAir Company is a great plugin (Paidware) where you run an airline business of your own. It tracks your flights so when you do missions it follows along, and when you land you complete mission. As well as having AI control the aircraft that can be run while AFKing and such.
just planned a long route around the world with it 