Cloudahoy 5.0 brings new technology to flight debriefing

CloudAhoy has found a lot of fans among general aviation pilots because of its powerful flight logging and debriefing tools. For anyone who wants to be more data-driven about reviewing training maneuvers, instrument approaches or aerobatics, the app is invaluable. Over the past several years, the app has grown up a lot, with a focus on making it easier to review flights – no matter how you log them.

What is CloudAhoy?

CloudAhoy began as a way to log your flights with GPS-derived data, using a free iPhone app. Today it has evolved into a powerful debriefing service, allowing you to play back flights in a variety of formats (as you’ll see below). With that focused shift towards the debriefing tools, the company has opened up a lot more logging options – going far beyond the CloudAhoy cockpit apps.

In a previous report, we showed off the integration with Stratus 2 and 2S, which enables not just GPS position but also AHRS attitude to be saved. You can also import data from ForeFlight’s track log feature, Garmin G1000 and G3X systems, Bad Elf Pro GPSs and a variety of experimental avionics, including GRT and Dynon. This makes it much easier to log your flights, and the easier it is to log flights, the more likely you are to debrief.

The CloudAhoy debrief tool is where the app really shows its promise, and we’ve noticed lots of little improvements here of late. It is available for Windows, Mac, iPhone iPad, allowing you to review your flights on just about any platform.

The latest release, version 5.0, brings new technology to these debriefing tools, with the goal of going beyond a ‘cool and fun’ app to truly add value to the flight training experience. CloudAhoy’s mission is to enhance the flying experience and help make better pilots, and after using this new version, we were very impressed with the usefulness of the new features.

What’s new in CloudAhoy 5.0

CloudAhoy 5.0 features numerous refinements throughout the app–here are the big new features you’ll want to check out the next time you use the app.

Approach analysis and display

The first new feature to check out in CloudAhoy is the final approach analysis display located in the Debrief section of the app. This displays a graph showing your altitude and airspeed during the final approach segment of the flight right up to touchdown. It allows you to easily visualize your approach angle and see any airspeed fluctuations along the way.

New and improved flight list

The Flights section of the app has been updated with a new look that provides additional information about each flight on the right side of the screen, including a thumbnail of the flight log for quick viewing. At the bottom of this view is a new Advanced Analytics list that automatically detects the number and type of flight maneuvers completed on that flight, including takeoffs, landings and steep turns.

At the top of the Flights list, you’ll see a new search field that allows you to quickly locate a previous flight based on airport name or ID, pilot name, remarks and more.

Worldwide aviation charts

CloudAhoy has partnered with SkyVector to bring worldwide VFR and IFR to its collection of map layers, expanding the app’s usefulness outside the U.S. To help with debriefing international instrument approach procedures, the app also allows you to use the instrument approaches editor to create procedures and waypoints on demand.

You’ll notice an improved screen layout each time you open a new flight in the Debrief window. CloudAhoy shows the flight graph (airspeed and altitude), top-down view of the entire flight path, top-down view of the final approach path at the destination airport and the new final approach analysis graph, plotting airspeed and altitude.

The CloudAhoy app is free to download in the app store and includes the ability to log and import flights and view the track logs on a 2D map. The premium debriefing and analysis tools require an annual subscription, available here.