Inflight GPS
 

Hello,

Does anyone by any chance know of any apps which I can use while I am flying in order to see where I am? Flying NCL-RHO-NCL on a TOM 738 on the 2nd and 9th respectively and I would like to know where I am flying over. Personal experience would be nice (just so I know they work). I have checked Google but there's so many I just don't know what I'm looking for anymore. I have Wikiloc on my phone and I tried using that on a recent NCL-DUB flight but it was crap.

Thank you very much, I don't mind paying a few quid.

Also, if not, does anyone know of any other methods? Such as taking a sat nav up there with me? Does that work?

Many airlines restrict the use of GPS devices at all times while airborne. Check with your airline before you spend any money.

Sitting using FlightRadar24 right now, but works through WiFi if your airline has it.

The in-flight WiFi charges may well cost more than your ticket...

EZ77WNCL,

I have an Android phone, and on that I have an app called 'GPS Test'. Once it gets a signal from the GPS sat(s) is shows your lat/long, speed, heading, etc. It doesn't show a map or anything similar, so it doesn't need to access a phone-network.

I also have another useful app ... called 'Open GPS Tracker'. This one *does* download maps so needs to have a connection to a network. The app allows you to create a track of where you've been ... essentially, it records your lat/long every 5 minutes or so ... and records details in a file on your phone. It also shows a map with a trace of your route (which is why the network connection is required). However, you can switch-off the mapping function so that it just records your position every 5 minutes (or 1 minute, or whatever you choose).
It's a bit more fiddly to use ... you have to remember to switch it on and remember to switch it off afterwards (duh!) so that it finishes recording your route.

Both these apps need a clear view of the sky, and they *will* work through aircraft windows, but they won't work elsewhere in the cabin. You will need to have your 'phone up against the window for the flight.

Tom 738s have a map display on the IFE. Hopefully it will be turned on - it isn't always.

Only on a few airlines. Most are free these days, ex. SAS and Norwegian.

Used a Garmin satnav from my window seat on a flight to/from NCE a few years back without any problems. Cabin crew saw it and said nothing. Great fun coming back up through England, where the satnav registered all the speed camera locations directly below the flight path. Constant clicks and beeps as we broke the odd 30mph limit here and there !! LOL :ok:

Also my daughter's teenage L-driving boy friends (not knowing the device had been used on a flight) were mightily impressed when they saw my fastest speed on the satnav was 555mph. They looked at my Citroen C5 and just scratched their heads. Doh. :confused:

Google My Tracks, make sure you have pre-cached your maps though as you won't get a signal to download the maps above around 5,000ft. This will record your route for future playback too.

Just be sure to turn all the sensitivity/accuracy settings as low as they'll go - it's tough keeping a signal on a plane and you may end up with gaps otherwise.

The results can be amazing :-)

Map created by GPS Visualizer

Map created by GPS Visualizer

Thank you very much everyone, I went out on their newest bird (G-TAWU), it had the standard built in sky interior IFE, came back on G-FDZA (their oldest) which had the standard 737NG interior with the TV' disabled. The F/A said they only needed to be plugged in, i.e everything was still their but as it was an added extra they didn't use it. Anyway I spent 2 hours down the back with them talking so I didn't need to know where I was, it was dark too :P

I think I might invest in a sat nav for any other flights I might be on, my next are all EK so not too much bother.