Using Pocket Flight Deck
The app is for passenger observation. It does not replace aviation instruments and must not be used for aircraft navigation or safety decisions. Follow airline rules and crew instructions.
Your first readings
At first launch, read the aviation warning and privacy policy. The language follows your system settings and can be changed in More.
Read the location explanation and allow precise location in the Android prompt. Phone location services must be enabled.
Open Instruments and wait for a satellite position. Inside an aircraft, reception is often better near a window but is not guaranteed. Pro does not improve reception.
Use DEMO to explore without reception. Its readings are simulated.
Main readings, the offline globe and recordings work without internet. Purchasing and restoring Pro use Google Play and may require a connection. Without recording, live readings are received while the app is open on screen.
App pages
Instruments: altitude, ground and vertical speed, ground track, flight information and recording controls. Ground speed is speed relative to the ground. GNSS altitude is neither barometric altitude nor height above terrain. The PFD attitude background is static and does not show actual aircraft roll or pitch.
Globe: your phone’s position on an offline globe, zoom up to ×16, airport selection and route display. Selecting a destination is sufficient for distance and time estimates.
GNSS: satellite reception status and available measurement quality. Visible satellites alone do not guarantee a position fix. Extended GNSS Lab and Sky Plot are available in Pro.
History: saved flights, recording details and deletion. Pro adds charts, export and Replay of your own recordings.
More: language, units, theme, altitude display settings, Free/Pro details, purchase and restoration, app information and the policy.
Destination distance and time
Select a destination airport on the globe; neither a departure airport nor recording is required. You can select a destination mid-flight when recording is inactive. During recording, finish the recording before changing airports.
A position fix enables straight-line distance. A time estimate also needs suitable speed readings; speed is smoothed over a short interval. The estimate excludes future speed changes, turns, holding and the landing approach, so it is not a scheduled arrival time.
If satellite readings are lost, the last distance and time estimate remain with an indication of their age. The values are held rather than counting down to arrival. Changing the destination resets the previous estimate. This feature is available in Free and Pro.
Record a flight
Start recording on Instruments. Before your first recording, read the explanation about operation while the app is minimised and the Android notification request, if shown. During active recording the app continues receiving and saving measurements with the screen off; lost reception and phone restrictions can interrupt the data.
Finish recording in the app or through its notification. Check the result in History. Free stores up to three recordings at a time; at the limit, delete an unwanted recording or use Pro. Older recordings are never deleted automatically. In Pro, available device storage limits the number of recordings.
WGS-84 and MSL altitude
WGS-84 is height above the mathematical reference ellipsoid. MSL is estimated height above mean sea level using an offline geoid model, available in Pro and DEMO. The difference depends on location and can be tens of metres. Changing the display reference does not improve GNSS accuracy. Raw recordings and exports retain WGS-84 altitude.
History, export and Replay
Open a saved recording to view it. Pro includes charts and CSV, GPX or ZIP export; choose the storage destination yourself. Files may contain precise coordinates and travel times — check them before sharing.
Replay plays recorded data rather than showing your current flight. Replay of your own recordings and CSV import are available in Pro. Exit Replay before starting a live recording. Exported files are not deleted when you delete the recording in the app.
Free and Pro
Free includes main instruments, satellite status, the offline globe, airport selection, destination distance and time estimates, DEMO and up to three saved flights.
Pro is a one-time purchase without a subscription: MSL, PFD readings, a nearby-city map, charts, GNSS Lab and Sky Plot, export, CSV import, Replay of your own recordings and no app-imposed flight count limit. DEMO previews some Pro features with simulated data; this does not activate a purchase. Viewing and deleting saved recordings remain available if Pro access is lost.
Check that your phone obtains a position in Free before purchasing. See Support for purchasing, restoring and payment enquiries.