Following are some of the most popular apps which are used by commercial drone pilots for planning their operations, conducting autonomous flights or simply checking the weather.
AirMap
AirMap allows the pilot to check air space restrictions in the area of operation. It gives the set of rules to be followed and permissions required to conduct a safe flight. Along with giving the information about the weather, it also gives real-time information about nearby manned aircraft.
The app is free and is available on both iOS and Android platform.
| Platforms | Rating |
| iOS | 4.5 (4.4k ratings) |
| Android | 4.1 (2.6k ratings) |
Drone Deploy – Flight app
This app enables you to automate your drone flight. You can manually create your area of operation or import the KML or SHP file of your project and the app optimizes the flight path for you. Drone deploy gives insights about flight time, image quality, file size, and batteries required depending on your flight height and the area to be covered. It can be used to prepare both 2D maps and 3D models. The app also provides instant offline maps and is compatible with most of the DJI drones.
| Platforms | Rating |
| iOS | 4.7 (1.4k ratings) |
| Android | 4.3 (2.2k ratings) |
Kittyhawk
Kittyhawk provides mobile and desktop tools for a safe flight. You can check the weather, airspace zones and can take LAANC authorizations using this single app. You can add your assets (drones, batteries, checklists, etc.) within your profile. It allows you to sync data from DJI drones, log flight data and share it among the team.
| Platforms | Rating |
| iOS | 4.6 (2.3k ratings) |
| Android | 3.7 (434 ratings) |
Skyward
Skyward is an enterprise software solution. It allows you to collaborate with the team and plan projects. You can check the airspace restrictions, apply for LAANC authorization, create checklists, link flight hours with pilots and aircraft and record all the data at one place. The platform also allows team members to see live operations, sitting in the office. Overall, Skyward helps you in managing drone operations and creating standardized procedures to conduct a safe flight.
UAV Forecast
It is a classic app for drone pilots to check the weather forecasts. It checks for weather conditions and tells you when it is good to fly your drone. You can also check for nearby no-fly zones on UAV forecast. It shows the hourly weather forecast for the next 24 hours for free and for checking the weather beyond that, you’ll need to take a paid plan.
| Platforms | Rating |
| iOS | 4.8 (310 ratings) |
| Android | 4.5 (3.2k ratings) |
There is one bonus app that we would like to cover in this blog:
Flykit
Flykit is a newly launched web app that will help you in planning your projects from start to end. You can create a project by selecting an area on the map or by simply importing your KML files. The app will send you daily email updates of the weather based on the selected time and the area of operation. You can set your safety limits based on your drone type and the weather conditions exceeding your set limits will be indicated by Yellow and Red indicators.
You can invite your team members to collaborate on the projects. The app allows you to check restricted airspace zones (currently only for Singapore & Sweden). You can create your customized checklists or use the existing ones, and add them to your projects to ensure a safe flight. You can even generate a report of the whole operation on Flykit for maintaining the records.
