interesting iPad app for nav charts

[Phil Bunch]

This app claims that "all FAA IAP charts are only a tap and a download away":

http://www.iphonelife.com/promotions/vai-aviaiton-enthusiasts-best-friend

and

http://initsyndicate.com/products/vai/

It doesn't require any annual subscriptions or periodic fees, only the US 10 dollar purchase price, making it a bargain for flight sim purposes.  Of course it doesn't compete with Jeppesen for real aviation uses.  I believe it downloads charts on demand so that one would not have access to undownloaded charts without an internet connection.

My guess is that it's a (hopefully) convenient collection of links to FAA-published charts. I haven't studied it in detail but think it's for the US only.  Perhaps it's a useful supplement to one's other chart collections for flight sim purposes.

On a somewhat related note, there are a number of internet radio apps for iPods and iPads that can link to worldwide ATC radios, and my personal fav app includes a runway chart and other info about the airport as an integral part of the app.  This way, one can enjoy (?!) the various frequences at a busy airport such as KJFK (13 KJFK channels provided) whenever one has an internet connection, etc.  Having the runway charts is helpful to make sense out of what they are talking about, of course.  This ATC app is "LiveATC", and has convenient indices to the US states and most other countries, enabling one to find airports quickly and easily.  Their web site is liveatc.net.  This app is interesting in that it apparently relies on individuals hooking up their personal scanners to the internet and relaying their local ATC radio stream.