GPS Air Navigator — Quick Start Guide

Welcome

1. Introduction

GPS Air Navigator is a moving-map application for VFR (Visual Flight Rules) air navigation, built for pilots who need reliable maps, airspace and aeronautical data on their Android device.

Real-time moving map with GPS position, North-Up or Track-Up orientation
Offline maps and aeronautical data, downloadable by country
Route planning with multiple legs and flight profile
Airspace proximity awareness and alerts
GRAMET route weather profile
Position Report and MAYDAY emergency function
Automatic and manual flight Logbook

Please read the Disclaimer carefully before using this app for real flight operations.

Get Ready to Fly

2. Downloading Maps & Data

Before your first flight, download the aeronautical data and maps for the country (or countries) where you will fly. Everything is then available offline.

Download of resources menu — Global Aviation Data + Maps & Airspaces

List of countries — Choose your country from the list

Resources available for a country — Pick the charts you need

Available chart types

Mapsforge Vector Chart — free, high-resolution OpenStreetMap-based vector maps (zoom 5–18)
OFM Chart — high-quality free aeronautical charts by OpenFlightMaps
WAC Chart — official World Aeronautical Charts published by national authorities
OpenAIP Airspace — airspace boundaries and classes for the selected country
FLYERMaps Chart — premium high-quality VFR charts (paid)

Global Aviation Data (aerodromes, runways, frequencies) is downloaded once and covers every country.

Unlock the Full App

3. License & Subscription

GPS Air Navigator can be tried for free, then unlocked with an annual subscription or a one-time lifetime license.

Buy license screen — Choose your license option

Trial — limited to 2 saved user waypoints and 20 minutes of use per session
Annual subscription — full access, renews every year
Lifetime license — one single payment, full access forever
Have a discount code? Enter it in the voucher field before purchasing

Payments are processed securely through the Google Play Store, using the account configured on your device.

Two Layouts

4. The Main Screen

The app adapts automatically to the orientation of your device. In landscape mode, the four main buttons are arranged along the left and right edges; in portrait mode, the same buttons are stacked on the sides of the screen.

Main screen in landscape mode — Landscape — buttons on both side edges

Main screen in portrait mode — Portrait — buttons on left & right rails

Tap the round icon at the top-right of the map at any time to reveal the labels of every button and icon on screen — a handy way to learn the interface (see below).

Labelled overlay of the main screen icons — Tap the round icon to label every button

On the Map

5. Map Objects

A few symbols appear consistently over the map:

	Plane — your current position; moves in real time while GPS is available. Color and shape can be changed in Settings.
	Compass — rotating compass ring around the plane; can be toggled in Settings or the Layers panel.
	System Waypoint (white) — part of the built-in database.
	User Waypoint (yellow) — created or edited by you.

Tapping any waypoint opens its info card with Direct To, + Route, Edit/Suggest and, for user waypoints, Delete.

Flight Data at a Glance

6. Flight Data & Buttons

The data panel (bottom of screen in portrait, left side in landscape) shows the six most important numbers for your flight:

Flight data panel — Ground Speed · Current Course · ETE · Altitude · Distance · ETA

GROUND SPEED — current speed over the ground
CURRENT COURSE — the track you are actually flying
DIST — distance to the next waypoint and to the destination
ETE / ETA — tap to switch between Estimated Time Enroute and Estimated Time of Arrival (UTC)
ALT MSL — GPS altitude; tap to switch between MSL and QFE

The six main buttons

MAYDAY REPORT FLY TO NOTES

CENTER

LAYERS

MAYDAY — triggers the flight emergency procedure
REPORT — opens the Position Report window
FLY TO — sets a new destination
NOTES — quick handwritten notes (QNH, frequencies, wind…)
CENTER — toggles whether the plane stays centered on the map (On) or the map stays fixed while the plane moves across it (Off)
LAYERS — opens the Layers panel to toggle Track, Compass, Airspace, Terrain Profile and Route Weather (see Map Layers)

Top-bar icons

Tap the round icon on the top-right corner to reveal the labels: Next WP, North UP, Airspace, Map, Logbook, Settings and Info — each opens the matching screen described further below.

Terrain / GRAMET summary strip

Planned altitude (pink), wind and terrain along the route

A summarized terrain and weather profile is always shown at the bottom of the map, along the current route, so you can compare your planned altitude with the terrain and wind ahead at a glance. Tap this strip to open the full, detailed GRAMET view — see GRAMET Weather Profile.

Where To

7. Waypoints & Fly To

There are two ways to reach a waypoint: tap it directly on the map, or search for it with FLY TO → Waypoints. Either way opens the same waypoint info card.

Fastest way to start flying: tap any waypoint on the map and press DIRECT TO. This instantly creates a new route from your current position straight to that waypoint. From there, keep tapping further waypoints on the map and pressing + ROUTE on each to extend your route leg by leg.

Waypoints list — Or search via FLY TO → Waypoints

Waypoint info: elevation, runways, frequencies

Waypoint weather — METAR, TAF and NOTAMs for the aerodrome

From the waypoint info card, tap DIRECT TO to start a new route straight to it, or + ROUTE to add it as the next leg of the current route
Tap DEPART to start a new route with that waypoint as the starting point, without including your current position (unlike DIRECT TO) — also available in the waypoints list, the route legs list, and the Fly To by coordinates and by bearing/distance dialogs
Tap EDIT/SUGGEST to correct the waypoint's data
Editing a System Waypoint turns it into a User Waypoint (the original stays available)

Editing a waypoint — Edit a waypoint's data

Suggest waypoint update — Share corrections with the developer

Long-pressing a row in the waypoints list (FLY TO → Waypoints) opens a quick menu with the same actions — Show Info, Direct To, Depart, + Route and Copy to Fly To Bearing — without opening the full card.

Long-pressing an empty spot on the map automatically opens the New User Waypoint window. If you don't actually want to save it as a User Waypoint and only need it as a route point, just tap DIRECT TO or + ROUTE there, without saving.

Plan Ahead

8. Routes & Flight Profile

Build a route with as many legs as you need, and let the app calculate ETE, distance and a full flight profile.

Route detail with legs — Reorder, edit or delete legs

Open FLY TO → Manage Routes and tap NEW, or add legs directly from any waypoint with + ROUTE
Long-press a leg for Show Info, Direct To, Depart, Move Up, Move Down or Delete Leg
Use REVERSE to fly the route backwards, or CLEAR to empty it

Set cruise altitude and climb/descent rate

Define the route's speed, cruise altitude and climb/descent rate to get an accurate ETE and a realistic flight profile over the terrain.

Creating and moving route points directly on the map

Long-press a segment of the route line (between two waypoints) and drag to create a new route point there — the route follows your finger in real time; lift to confirm
These "loose" route points (with no aerodrome attached) are marked on the map with a red icon
Long-press the red icon of an existing route point to drag it to another location, taking the route with it — drop it near a known waypoint/aerodrome to snap onto it automatically

A single tap on a route point shows the matching waypoint's info card, when one exists; to move it, always use long-press and drag.

Weather Ahead

9. GRAMET Weather Profile

GRAMET shows the forecast weather along your entire route as a vertical profile, aligned with the terrain and your planned altitude.

Wind, clouds and terrain along the route, with ETE/ETA per leg

Tap the summarized terrain/weather strip at the bottom of the main screen (see Flight Data & Buttons) to open this detailed, full-screen GRAMET view. It is a great way to spot climbs, descents and possible weather hazards before departure.

Stay Clear

10. Airspace

Airspace information is shown directly over the map once you have downloaded it for your country.

Airspace classes and warnings — Choose which classes to show and warn about

Airspace zone info — Tap a zone to see its limits

Open the Airspace icon on the top bar
Tick Show to display a class/area over the map, and Warn to be alerted when approaching it
Set the Proximity alert distance (in nm) that triggers the warning
Tap any airspace zone on the map to see its upper/lower limits and country

Custom KML airspace files (from Google Earth) can be placed in /sdcard/GPSAirNavigator/AirSpaces/Custom and selected as "Custom". Keep files under 1 MB to avoid slowing down the app.

Map Overlays

11. Map Layers

Tap the LAYERS button on the main screen to quickly toggle everything drawn over the map.

Layers panel — Track, Compass, Airspace, Terrain Profile, Route Weather

Select map chart — Choose the active chart per region

Use Map on the top bar to choose which downloaded chart is shown at any given time and location.

Talk to ATC

12. Position Report

The REPORT button opens a clear summary of your current situation — perfect for reporting to ATC or a flight-following contact.

Position report window — Position, altitude, track and ETE/ETA to next WP and destination

Emergency

13. MAYDAY

The MAYDAY button should be used only in a genuine flight emergency. Pressing it performs two actions after confirmation:

Automatically sends an SMS with your current position to up to two mobile numbers set in Settings (requires mobile signal and an SMS-capable device)
Activates a direct route to the nearest waypoint

MAYDAY confirmation — Confirm before activating Emergency mode

If no phone numbers are configured, no SMS is sent — the button only activates the direct route to the nearest waypoint.

Jot It Down

14. Notes

The NOTES button opens a simple black canvas where you can hand-write anything you need mid-flight — QNH, wind, frequencies, clearances.

Notes canvas — Freehand notes — CLEAR, UNDO, CLOSE

Your Flight History

15. Logbook

Every flight can be recorded automatically or started manually, then reviewed later with full statistics.

Start flight recording confirmation — Confirm before starting a manual recording

Logbook list — Search recorded flights by date, aircraft, pilot or route

Flight detail form — Edit description, aircraft, pilot and notes

Flight track and statistics — Track, altitude and speed profile, ready to share

Tap CALCULATE STATISTICS to get distance, flight time, max altitude and average speed
Tap the share icon to export the flight as an image or send it by email / social media
Manage Aircraft and Pilots from the Logbook screen buttons

Make It Yours

16. Settings

Fine-tune the app to your preferences and your aircraft.

Settings screen — Mayday, units, map, GPS and display preferences

MAYDAY phone numbers and button visibility
Language, screen orientation, coordinate system and time zone
Compass, flight tracking and GPS accuracy
Plane color/type, terrain warning and units for every measurement
Route weather ceiling margin and waypoint-arrival distance

Power Features

17. Advanced Features

Import / Export Waypoints

Import and export waypoints — Move your User Waypoints between devices

Export saves all your User Waypoints to a text file you choose where to store
Import reads a semicolon-separated text file back into the app
Format: shortname;name;icao;country;latitude;longitude;elevation(m);frequency;runway;runway_length(m)

Navigation with True or Magnetic North

Tap the Current Course value to switch between True (T) and Magnetic (M) North at any time; the default can also be set in Settings. Magnetic declination is calculated automatically from your position.