---
title: The Best Apps for Student Pilots - Whiskey Alpha Pilot
description: Pilots love their toys. Here's what actually lives on my iPad and why, without the affiliate links and discount codes.
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date: 2026-06-05T19:58:10Z
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Pilots love toys. We can't help ourselves. And these days a huge chunk of that toy collection lives on an iPad.

The problem is there's a lot of rubbish out there. Everyone has an opinion. Half the aviation YouTubers you watch have affiliate links and discount codes for things they may or may not actually use. I don't do that. Partly because I'm a small channel and nobody's offering me discount codes. But mostly because I'd rather just tell you what I actually use and why.

Every student pilot hits that moment where they're standing in a shop or scrolling through the App Store with absolutely no idea what they actually need versus what looks impressive. It's overwhelming.

SkyDemon is the one I won't fly without. Flight planning, navigation, airspace awareness. It just works. But the video covers a broader range because the honest answer is it depends what stage you're at and what problem you're trying to solve.

A word of warning though. Apps update. Some of the specifics in the video have moved on since I made it. The broad principles haven't. Don't buy something because it's popular in the US. UK airspace is its own beast and not everything crosses the Atlantic cleanly.

There's a longer piece coming in the toys section that goes deeper into the specific things I use day to day. This video is the starting point. Worth a watch if you're just getting into this and wondering where to begin.

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