theVariometer app for iPhone and iPad

4.4 ( 6384 ratings )

Sports Health & Fitness
Developer: Ronald Schmieder

4.99 USD

Current version: 3.1, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 29 Jun 2010
App size: 18.33 Mb

This nice little tool - a must have for every paraglider pilot - emulates a variometer on your iPhone.

Since version 3.0 the app supports iOS9, as well as the pressure sensor of your iPhone 6(s) or iPhone 6(s) Plus.

Therefore your iPhone is a complete replacement for a "real" variometer.

In conjunction with an external sensor such as ASI FlyNet2, FlyTec SenseBox or the XC-TRacer, the app provides even more precise climb- and sink-rates.

You can use it to measure

- climb/decline rate
- absolute altitude
- hight over ground
- relative height
- speed over ground and
- course

Values displayed in meters or feet/kn.

The current climb- or sink-rate is signaled via different "beep" sounds, as usual for a variometer.

You can watch your flight using the integrated map view in real time, so you will never loose your orientation. Even if your are flying accidentally within a cloud or under poor visibility conditions!

By typing to „Alt 3“ - usually after the adjusting phase - or any time later you can reset „Alt 3“ to „0“.

Moreover you can use the App to

- record you flights
- view your recorded flights in the integrated map view
- send your recorded flights by mail as kml-files or gpx -files to your friends

One last note:
The app reacts a little somewhat slower, as e.g. a Bräuninger- or Flytec Vario, if you use the internal pressure sensor of the iPhone, because the sensor doesnt provide data as often as an external sensor.

The app requires a good GPS signal, if no internal or external pressure sensor can be used.

Please make sure in any case, that you have a good GPS signal, if you use the app.
The app does NOT work - completely and reliably - in buildings or other situations in which you have no or a bad GPS signal!
However, this should not be a problem, since you usually flying under a clear open sky. ;-)

Usage - without - an internal or external sensor is possible, but subject to known the limitations of a pure GPS operation, such as using only open-air, a good GPS signal and altitude changes > 5m with at least 1-2 m/s.

Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Even if the App is running in background, the GPS location service is used by the App, if you record your flight!

Pros and cons of theVariometer app for iPhone and iPad

theVariometer app good for

Great app for paragliders, meyby its not so accurate like normal vario (here height with gps) but works very good :) , you can show your track after on google maps or google earth, and all statistics flight lengths time and others, its worth his price :)) + very good support from author

Its good app for beginner to have a variometer without give lot of money

Some bad moments

Do not even bother to buy this for fun let alone true flying. No volume control, vario goes crazy every few seconds and app crashes after switching from vario to map screens few times by itself.

I had high hopes for this app to use as a backup vario in my sailplane. Granted it will not be compensated and less accurate than pressure based but should still be helpful in case of dead vario. But I found it not very usable from the following reasons: 1- as soon as I get high enough and outside cell coverage it keeps complaining with error messages and freezes. Not having cell coverage is common 90% of the time where I fly and there is no need for cell coverage just for the vario functionality. 2- audio beeps are very unintuitive. The rate of the beeps should increase, not just the pitch, like any normal vario. 3- it is not clear what is the purpose of the secondary vario scale. Surely the needle should not move down to the center if the rate of climb exceeds 5 m/s! 4- the app should not allow the iPhone to auto lock ! 5 - feet per second is not a common non metric unit. The scale should be in knots! 6- digital rate of climb should be 20 sec average not instantaneous especially since GPS altitude is not smooth. Please fix all these and ill be happy to give a better review and recommend it to the whole gliding community.

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