Most of us do not fly one aeroplane. A Cessna on Saturday, a club glider on Sunday, a friend’s microlight when the weather is kind. Your flight bag has to cope with all of it.

This is a practical look at two good options, SkyDemon and Vela Air, and how to choose between them if you fly more than one type.

First, some credit where it is due

SkyDemon has earned its place in a great many flight bags. It has a long track record, a loyal following in the UK and Europe, and a reputation for careful airspace and route planning. It also runs on desktop as well as on phones and tablets. If it already does everything you need, that is a perfectly sound position to be in.

So this is not a question of good against bad. It is a question of fit. What does your flying actually look like?

What “mixed fleet” really asks of an EFB

When you move between types, the same few questions keep coming up.

1. Does the app understand each aircraft? A glider pilot wants speed-to-fly and final glide. A tourer pilot wants weight and balance and fuel. A microlight pilot wants neither of those handled the GA way.
2. Is your record in one place? Hours, currency and aircraft details should follow you, not live in three apps.
3. Does it work when the signal does not? Hill sites and small strips are not known for coverage.
4. Does it cost you in winter? Many of us fly seasonally.

Here is how Vela Air answers each one.

One app, every kind of aircraft

Vela Air supports fixed-wing, glider, motorglider, microlight, helicopter, hang glider and ultralight flying. The aircraft you fly shapes what the app shows you.

• For the glider pilot: McCready speed-to-fly, a polar library of more than 200 curves, final glide, task declaration and IGC export.
• For the tourer pilot: weight and balance, fuel planning, density altitude and a digital checklist for each aircraft.
• For the instructor: an instructor and student mode, so debriefs and records stay with the right person.
• For the club: fleet management, bookings and maintenance tracking, with a snag log that follows the aircraft.

You hold the aircraft you fly in one profile list, with its own performance data, checklists and airframe hours. Pre-departure checks use the aircraft you have selected, so the numbers match the type in front of you.

Safety tools that are free, and stay free

This matters to us more than anything else on the list. The tools that keep you out of trouble should not sit behind a paywall.

Vela Air’s Fly Safe plan is free, with no time limit. It includes:

• the offline moving map with GPS tracking
• airspace overlay with class alerts
• forward-looking terrain alerts and synthetic vision
• NOTAMs and D-ATIS
• weight and balance, fuel planning and density altitude
• electronic conspicuity from your own hardware, and the live air picture
• Mayday with location share
• flight track review and replay

You can learn the app on the ground, fly with it, and decide later whether you want more.

Offline first, by design

Vela Air stores your data on your device first. The map, airspace and terrain work without a connection once you have downloaded them, and the app syncs quietly when you are back online. Your data stays private by default.

Whichever app you use, test this properly. Put the device in flight mode on the ground and fly your route on the screen before you rely on it in the air.

One logbook for every type

Your logbook fills in from the flight track. You confirm it after landing, and it keeps running totals by aircraft type and a currency dashboard showing which ratings are current and which are due.

If you are coming from SkyDemon, you can import your logbook rather than starting again. That removes the biggest reason most pilots give for not changing app.

Paying for the flying you actually do

Pilots who span disciplines are well served by our Pro plan. It brings together the soaring and touring tools, multi-aircraft management and the rest of the paid features in one subscription. Seasonal plans are available for pilots who only fly part of the year.

Plans and prices change, so please check the current details on our pricing page, and on SkyDemon’s own site for theirs. Compare what you will use, not the length of the feature list.

So which should you choose?

Many pilots will want to try both, that is sensible and defiantly give Vela Air a go if:

• you fly more than one type, or more than one discipline
• you fly gliders, microlights or paramotors, as well as, or instead of, light aircraft
• you want logbook, currency, aircraft records and maintenance in the same place as navigation
• you instruct, or you fly with a club or syndicate
• you want serious safety tools without a subscription

How to change app safely

A new tool deserves the same care as a new aircraft type. A few suggestions from the briefing room.

1. Start on the ground. Build a familiar route and compare it with your current plan.
2. Fly the first sorties as a second source. Keep your trusted tool as the primary until the new one has earned that trust.
3. Do not change on the day of a long trip. Learn the screens when nothing else is going on.
4. Check your data and your device. Confirm that your airspace and terrain downloads are current, and that your battery and mounting are sorted.
5. Always plan from official sources. An EFB supports your decisions. It does not replace your briefing, your charts or your judgement.

Try it on your next flight

Download Vela Air, start on the free Fly Safe plan, and plan one familiar flight. If you fly more than one type, add each aircraft and see whether the app keeps up with your week.

SkyDemon is a trademark of its respective owner. Vela Air is not affiliated with or endorsed by SkyDemon or its publisher. Features and plans described here are correct at the time of writing and may change.