If you have flown cross-country in a glider, there is a good chance you have flown with XCSoar. Many of us learned our final glides on it. So this is not a “which is better” article. It is a look at two good tools built for different moments in a pilot’s life, and how to decide which belongs in your cockpit.

First, some credit where it is due

XCSoar is a remarkable piece of work. It is free and open source, carries no adverts, and states plainly that it collects no data and needs no account. It runs on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux, and also on Kobo readers and single-board computers such as the Raspberry Pi and OpenVario. It speaks to an impressive list of instruments, among them FLARM, XCVario, LXNAV and Flymaster. Its tactical glide computer, task tools, barograph, polar view and OLC optimisation have served the soaring community for many years, and a great deal of what we all take for granted in glide computing was shaped by that community.

If it already does everything you need, you are in good company.

What cross-country pilots actually ask of a screen

From the briefing room, the questions are usually the same.

1. Can I read it at a glance? In a thermal, with the sun on the panel and a gloved hand, you have about a second to spare.
2. Does it tell me what matters now? Final glide, wind, the next turn point, and the nearest safe field.
3. Does it work with no signal? Of course it must.
4. Does it look after the rest of my flying? The logbook, currency and the other aircraft you fly.

Where Vela Air puts its effort

Vela Air is a newer app, designed from the start for touchscreens and for a pilot under workload. Our focus is a clear, modern interface, with the soaring tools sitting alongside the rest of your flying.

A glanceable cockpit. The Fly screen is built around large, legible instruments and a moving map with consistent controls. Layout, colour and type follow one design system, so a screen you learned for one task behaves the same way in the next.

The soaring essentials.

• McCready speed-to-fly and wind estimation
• A polar library of more than 200 glider curves, with final glide calculation
• A total-energy compensated variometer with thermal centring
• Task declaration with an AAT and MAT task editor
• IGC file export, and IGC flight import from your logger or another app
• Wave soaring altitude and band awareness
• Engine-off glide range and nearest emergency airfield

Safety is built in. The offline moving map, airspace overlay with class alerts, forward-looking terrain alerts, synthetic vision, NOTAMs and electronic conspicuity from your own hardware (including FLARM and OGN receivers) are all part of the free Fly Safe plan. Crew and contact notification for outlandings, and remote cross-country SAR notification for trusted contacts, are part of the Soaring plan.

One home for the rest of your flying. Your logbook fills in from your flight track, and your currency is tracked in one place. If you also fly a tourer, a microlight or a club aeroplane, each aircraft keeps its own profile and checklists. Instructors and clubs have an instructor and student mode and fleet tools.

Offline first. Vela Air keeps your data on your device first. Download your area, and the map, airspace and terrain work without a connection. The app syncs quietly when you are back online.

A fair side-by-side

	XCSoar	Vela Air
Price	Free and open source	Free Fly Safe plan; paid plans for soaring and other tools
Platforms	Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Kobo, Raspberry Pi, OpenVario	Web, iOS and Android phones and tablets
Approach	Highly configurable, with infoboxes you arrange yourself	Guided, modern touch interface that works well from the first flight
Instrument support	A wide range of vario, radio and FLARM drivers	FLARM, OGN and ADS-B via common receivers, plus the phone’s own sensors
Beyond the glider	Focused on soaring	Logbook, currency, W&B, fuel and fleet tools across every type you fly
Source	Open source	Commercial

Neither column is a scorecard. Each one describes a different philosophy.

So which should you choose?

XCSoar is likely to suit you if:

• you enjoy tuning every infobox and screen to your own preference
• you fly with a dedicated device such as a Kobo, an OpenVario or a Raspberry Pi
• you rely on a particular vario or radio that it already supports
• open-source software matters to you

Vela Air is likely to suit you if:

• you want a clean, modern touch interface that is ready to fly out of the box
• you want your glide computer, logbook, currency and airspace safety tools in one place
• you fly more than one type, or you also instruct or fly with a club
• you want serious safety tools without a subscription, and soaring tools at a modest price

Many pilots will use both, and that is sensible. Some of us keep a trusted instrument as the primary and a second source beside it.

How to try a new tool safely

A new instrument deserves the same care as a new aircraft type.

1. Start on the ground. Load a familiar task and compare the numbers with your current setup.
2. Fly it as a second source first. Keep your trusted tool as primary until the new one has earned that trust.
3. Never change tools on the day of a big task. Learn the screens when nothing else is going on.
4. Check your polar, ballast and wind inputs. A glide computer is only as good as what you give it.
5. Test offline. Put the device in flight mode and fly your task on the screen before you rely on it.
6. Plan from official sources. An EFB supports your judgement. It does not replace your briefing, your charts or your own good airmanship.

Try it on your next flight

Download Vela Air, start on the free Fly Safe plan, and load one familiar task. Add your glider, check the polar, and see whether the screen tells you what you need, when you need it.

XCSoar is a trademark or project name of its respective owners. Vela Air is not affiliated with or endorsed by the XCSoar project. Descriptions of XCSoar are drawn from its public project documentation. Features and plans described here are correct at the time of writing and may change; please check each product’s own site for current details.