Free new Android VFR GPS app with Sectionals & AF/D

[JohnSBA]

A friend has just released a new free Android VFR moving map GPS app that includes all lower 48 Sectionals & AF/D info, full functionality in Airplane Mode (no data access required in use), and several other features. I've volunteered to help him with documentation and seeking aviators to check it out and give us feedback if so inclined.

This free app is named Avare, and it's open-source, ad-free, and requires only two Permissions: GPS of course for the moving map feature; and SD card access so it can store Sectionals for the contiguous U.S. states (lower 48). Avare is here on the gPlay store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...d=com.ds.avare

I created this website for Avare and a smaller free app he'd already done: http://apps4av.com/

If you have an Android device and would like to help us test out Avare and decide what features to add next, you're invited. Just launch the Play app and install Avare.

Happy Flying!

[MickYoumans]

Thanks for the heads up. I use WingX on my iPad, but this will be neat to have on my Droid as a backup.

[rv8bldr]

I would love to try it but it says it is not available in my country (Canada). Kinda sucks as the US sectionals cover my area and would work great.

[JohnSBA]

I would love to try it but it says it is not available in my country (Canada).

Must be so disappointing for you! I checked on gPlay settings for Avare just now, and it was already marked as "free" in Canada, so I set it as "free" for the entire world. Changes on gPlay seem to take a couple of hours or more before they show up, and even then it's often first on browsers and another hour before the Play app on my Droid X has seen them. So if you try again three hours after the time on this reply, and again tomorrow if it still doesn't work, maybe gPlay will let you Install.

We've developed and released Avare as Open Source software, and I don't know of any restrictions from our end. So another thing you could try is searching with a browser to see if one of the other Android app stores has already picked up Avare, because they might not restrict your access. Of course, you'll want to be very careful about avoiding unscrupulous sites that might have inserted malware. I've only used gPlay to install apps for that reason, but you might request Avare from Amazon (I've checked and it's not there right now) because I've read that's considered a safe site and I think there are others. Anyplace you get Avare, remember that we don't require any Permissions other than GPS location (coarse & fine) and SD card access, so if others show up don't install from that source. Our current version is 2.1.1 and it's much better than any of the earlier versions. If you have the knowledge and ability to manually install apps, you could also use the link from our website to SourceForge and get the app there.

If you do find any way to install, please let us know because there are plenty of pilots who fly and/or live in Canada who could find Avare very helpful. Note that the current version crops the U.S. Sectionals at the border even though on the west coast for example, the Seattle Sectional extends clear to Nanaimo. Zubair did this in order to keep the app Install size down, and because he couldn't find any free source of Canadian charts. If a few people ask nicely, maybe we can talk him into releasing another version named Avare Global or some such, with uncropped Sectionals on both borders.

On a related note, I believe the app is written such that maps for the entire world could ultimately be included. With the addition of options for which aviation charts or other maps are installed and loaded, Canadian charts could probably be added quite easily. I've read that the Canadian government hasn't yet released digital charts but is planning to do so. My daughter lives in Edmonton and I've flown there three times, so as you can imagine I'll be lobbying Zubair to add Canada once it's possible!

I'd also love to see some digital maps experts to join our team and volunteer to add other maps. If someone even found a free source of road maps for Canada and could convert them into the format Zubair developed for Avare, those could be added as an option when you fly beyond the areas already covered by northern U.S. Sectionals. I'm a "low & slow" VFR pilot and would love the ability to switch to road maps, topo charts, or marine charts when flying near something and wondering about it. I fly the LA area fairly often, and ATC there occasionally makes reference to freeway numbers that are seldom shown in Jeppesen on my gns430 or Lowrance 1000 or now Sectionals on Avare. Maybe someone in EAA would be willing to help Zubair add more charts & maps?

Again, thanks for your interest. Please let us know of any progress or further questions.

[JohnSBA]

US sectionals cover my area and would work great.

Looks like I was wrong about the charts being cropped at the border. Seattle Sectional is, and we're looking into what happened there. But I just now browsed the east coast, and it goes all the way up to Chéticamp, NS. Sure would've been nice to have Avare when we flew to Newfoundland!

[rv8bldr]

Hey John

Avare is downloading to my Galaxy S 3 as I type this. Thanks for the quick fix. I'm looking forward to using it in my RV-8 soon.

Cheers

[JohnSBA]

browsed the east coast, and it goes all the way up to Chéticamp, NS

Like the Sectionals, it also goes well into Mexico.

[wirejock]

Love the app. I've been hoping for an Android version. I'm sure it's me or my phone, but I can't seem to enter a destination. I tried all sorts of three character codes and always get the same result. "Destination not found".

[JohnSBA]

can't seem to enter a destination.

So odd how different devices act differently, even though he's been so careful to use only the published Android coding guidelines. Some of the relatively few issues reported have probably been hardware issues, but a few seem to be variations in how manufacturers and telcos have implemented Android. I think Zubair found out about an issue on some devices related to MiXeD or lower case letters that prevented Destination working but Base still worked, and he's fixed that in the next release.

always get the same result. "Destination not found".

That seems more likely a missing or corrupted "database" file. The next release (2.3) has an entirely new database structure, so your current one will be deleted and re-downloaded once you update. Let us know if that doesn't fix your Destination input.

[JohnSBA]

Version 2.5 of Avare is on the gPlay store now. Lots of improvements in recent versions, most notably options for Portrait (vertical) display orientation and AK/HI Sectionals.

The new database structure lets you download just the Sectionals you want or "Everything" including AK/HI. When chart updates start rolling out, this will be a great way to update just the charts you want/need.

If you check it out, we welcome your feedback via our website (see 1st post in this thread). If you add a positive review on gPlay it will encourage more pilots to try out this free app to see if it meets their needs. It would also be a nice "thank you" to the developer for all his volunteer effort.