I’ve been using this app for years. It’s great in a a plane when GPS works, which is not always. I’m an inveterate window watcher, and hydrologist, and love to follow my way across the country. I also think it’s great that this is science based, through U of Minn, and partially funded by NSF. Sometimes planes are apparently too high for the GPS signal, but often the signal does come in and shows you right where you are. It’s great having Wikipedia entries available for the landscape you see, and Field Guides. Room for improvement? 1) Go back to better terrain maps. The current version’s terrain maps have no labels on hydrologic features and are almost useless. 2) Bring back ability for users to set their own Points Of Interest (POIs). I used to see something from the sky that was unlabeled, mark it as a POI, and then look it up later. Also allow POIs to be exported with gps coordinates. 3) Allow geologic maps to be updated by users with more detailed local versions. 4) Solve the problem of no GPS reception on high flights. Not holding this against the developers though. When we can legally take phones off airplane-mode while airborne, that will help find a signal [I’ve tested it :) ].
Saving long haul flight paths works with 2018 updates
Just a year ago, saving intercontinental flights was very unreliable; it now works reliably. Some possible improvements to consider: - option to make paths wider; when traveling from Europe to Asia, often great circles are not followed for safety reasons - integrate with flight path databases and offer likely flight paths; with seasonal changing winds the common paths change. A good example of this is Tokyo to Honolulu - colourblind friendly colour schemes. One in 12 men are colour blind
Update 2019jan: works on iPad Pro now, but doesn’t on iPhone XS, in fact doesn’t even save new paths on the latter. Old review, from back when GPS was working perfectly (it doesn’t get picked up anymore, which kind of defeats the purpose of the app): Works superbly. I had no idea that GPS continued to work even in airplane mode. Highlight of a recent flight was being able to tell we were passing by Hamburg before the pilot announced it.
This free app is a fabulous resource for those hitting the road, but feeling a bit like they might be missing gems along the way. The local guides and references provided at the end of the narratives are a great way to dig deeper, too. Also a useful resource for parents and teachers who want to instill in their kids curiosity and an interest in science and history by starting with interesting info about their own city and neighborhood. Thank you Science Foundation!
I’m a geologist who travels by air extensively. I love this app for not only knowing where I am at any given moment (gee, that’s Ohio?) but also for allowing me to really know what I’m looking at in terms of landforms, regional geology, ages of rocks, etc. Downloading ahead of time is brilliant and saves on WiFi costs. My only quibble with the latest update is that it no longer allows a dash to be used in the path name - so “DEN-DCA” is no longer viable; this seems like a pointless restriction.
I had an earlier version of this app and it was very clunky. Admittedly that was on an iPhone 5s. Now I have an iPhone 7 Plus. I didn’t use this app for a couple of years it was so clunky. But then recently on a flight from Salt Lake City to Phoenix, I happen to open it once again. It’s seem to work flawlessly.
For someone who always goes for aisle seating, this app may be changing things. If you download your maps before you leave it won’t require you to get on the plane Wifi to work. It’s magical once your GPS loads and you can see in real time what you are over. Very educational!
I absolutely rely upon this most excellent for geological recon, leading field trips, and on vacation. App has been improving continuously. Ability to download and save multiple map sets for off-grid use is very well thought out— and essential for real-life use. Thanks for a great program!
This app is one of the best things to happen for bringing science to life for the average person. I download paths for every road trip and plane ride I take (if I remember before I leave WiFi), and it gives me the sixth sense of geology! Thank you to the scientists who helped create this and to the National Science Foundation for funding it.
I love the concept of this app but have been sorely disappointed trying to use it. It’s always “searching for gps signal”. The strange thing is other apps seem to see the gps. If I open Google maps, I can’t see the map but I can see that my position is moving on the grid. Same with Apple Maps. There’s some technical glitch here.
A few years ago I had trouble opening this, but I used it for my last flight, and it was wonderful—easy to use and quite informative. I downloaded the route while boarding. No longer will I choose an aisle seat.
Ever look out the window during a flight and wonder what something is? With this free app you can answer those curiosities easily. Just don’t forget to save your data or “path” before taking off. FlyOver is easily one of my favorite travel apps.
As a Geoscience educator, I’m always amazed how very little of the Earth’s surface people recognize out of an airplane’s window seat. For years I’ve struck up conversations with people wondering why I was taking so many photos, now I can use his to show them why!
I use this app all the time to give me at least an idea of the geology that we are driving over and through. Wish there was more detail in some cases, but a little knowledge is better than none at all.
I’m not one to leave reviews for apps but this is an exception, I absolutely love this Flyover Country! I’m currently a geology major and one of my professors recommended it to me... Now I tell everyone about it. It’s my favorite part of every flight and road trip!
It’s great that one can download paths but it would be nice to be able to label them later. That apparently can’t be done. Also it would be nice to choose the resolution with which you download maps, either to save or use storage according to the users preference. If that can be done I haven’t figured it out yet.
I downloaded this app during a trip as recommended by a friend. It does what it promised to, though the path loading does take a while but it eventually finishes. One thing to realize is that app consumers nowadays demand high quality and very well-designed UX and UI, if that can be improved upon then this certainly makes the app 5-star worthy. Great work!
This app is a mixture of geology and a vast amount of information. There is so much to read in also so much to learn. I would recommend this app to anyone who loves historical facts, geology and paleontology!
Good luck figuring out how to change any preferences once you’ve opened the app. It forces you to pick a set of settings the second you open it even though you have never used the app before. You’re now locked into those forever???!!!???
GPS very spotty and 90% of time does not work even on my new iphone. Window seat held up to window … all of the stuff they suggest does not make difference. Love the idea but very frustrating to download route and not be able to use them . Deleting app.
Most recent update seems to have removed them. That really damages the usefulness of the app. Globe Observer offers very little other content at the moment.
Used this app in the past and loved it, but tried using it on several trips this year and GPS has not worked. Not very useful. I have other mapping apps that can find GPS signal when this app can’t, so it seems to be a problem specific to this app.
I fly between the coasts a few times a year. I got the app to work for a short time my first flight about two years ago but it’s never worked since. I can never find gps even if inflight wifi is available.
I used the app for one trip and really enjoyed it, but, sadly, haven’t been able to save a path since. The download gets to about 95 % (according the indicator anyway) and hangs after that, every time.
iPhone 14 location services on - doesn’t find GPS whether you’re online, on cell, or in airplane mode. IF it worked, a failing is that it doesn’t identify rivers. Too bad. Would be great it if worked.
This was a great app but now I cannot seem to turn off the geologic map layer. I didn’t even select it as a layer to save. Two tries with the same result. I have used this program for years and loved it. No more.
I will download flights for offline access. Error messages abound. I don’t care about the fancy things like archeological maps, but I’d love to know the names of rivers!!
This app did not let me track my flight as the app description said “offline flight tracker.” It is a very educative app o give it that but used for offline tracking it needs help.
Is that really the Grand Canyon below? What are those oddly patterned little roads? Is that mountain below a volcano? Get this app and find out! Download & save maps before you go: you can use the app with GPS even airplane mode with WiFi off.
I used to love Flyover Country when it worked. Now it just crashes. Also, the app no longer allows you to use a dash in a map name such as SEA-LHR. The app won't accept "special characters." Please return this app to its former greatness
I'm in love with this app right now and can't praise it enough. I ran it on 5 cross country trips this month (iPhone 6, whatever the latest update was) and it worked great! It does pause a moment in connecting to satellites within the aircraft. Holding it up to the window helps (great suggestion from their trouble shooting info suggestions within the app). Flying over the southwest had me bouncing in my seat with excitement. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys traveling and wants to know what it is they're passing out the window.
I fly several days a week for work and I'm really enjoying this app. I've not had any problems with downloading unless I was connected to crappy hotel wifi. I've recommended it to several co-workers and they love it as well. I'm using the app on an iPad mini. So far no downloading or freezing issues. My only minor issue thus far is I'd like my saved city pairs to alphabetize. Thanks for the fun app!
Opened app and did the very intuitive tap one place then another and it put a nice wide path of data between locations. Depends heavily on your internet speeds to load the data in a reasonable amount of time. The one suggestion I agree with is pulling flight path data, since planes fly a "great circle" rather than a straight line on long flights.
This app is even better than I thought it was going to be. The info it gives you is super detailed. Takes a little getting used to. I can't wait to use it on my next flight. But I will use it later today on a hike.
Track your flight with GPS - discover information about the world below and clouds above with offline maps and points of interest. Worldwide. **GPS functionality is only possible from the window seat and GPS reception quality varies by device/conditions** Learn about the world along the path of your flight, hike, or road trip with GPS tracking. Offline geologic maps and interactive points of interest reveal the locations of fossils, core samples, and georeferenced Wikipedia articles visible from your airplane window seat, road trip, or hiking trail vista. Follow Flyover Country for updates and photos from the sky! https://www.facebook.com/flyovercountryapp/ https://twitter.com/flyovergeo/ https://www.instagram.com/flyovergeo/ https://flyovercountry.io/ Submit issues, suggestions, and comments via Google Forms http://goo.gl/forms/Yhw9AvMcbTOHTZCf1 Flyover Country is a National Science Foundation funded offline mobile app for geoscience outreach and data discovery. The app exposes interactive geologic maps from Macrostrat.org, fossil localities from Neotomadb.org and Paleobiodb.org, Wikipedia articles, offline base maps, and the user’s current GPS determined location, altitude, speed, and heading. The app analyzes a given flight path and caches relevant map data and points of interest (POI), and displays these data during the flight, without in flight wifi. By downloading only the data relevant to a particular flightpath, cache sizes remain reasonable, allowing for a robust experience without an internet connection. Flyover Country is not limited to the window seat of airplanes. It is also ideal for road trips, hiking, and other outdoor activities such as field trips and geologic field work.
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