Oct 27, 2011 App Description. Three-time Caldecott Honoree Mo Willems brings the Pigeon to the digital screen with this original, feature-rich, animated app. “Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App!” lets you create your own Pigeon stories with your pal, Mo Willems. Just follow as the Bus Driver asks you for your ideas—then shake the Pigeon.
This article originally appeared on our partner site DroneRush.com
Before you head outside to fly your new drone, you’ll want to make sure you have all the tools you need to fly safely. That includes the latest software not only for the drone app to control your drone, but for additional tools to enhance your flight experience as well.
We have a list of the apps from the manufacturers — the apps you need to fly — as well as a list of DJI GO 4 app alternatives for DJI pilots, but today is all about the extra apps you can install to get more out of your flight, these are some of the best drone apps.
Best drone apps:
First, some theory. What is it you are hoping to accomplish before or with your flight? Perhaps you are trying to keep it legal, making sure you can fly in a specific location, there’s an app for that. Maybe you are looking for a logging service to help track your flights, there are tools for that as well, or maybe you just want a weather report. Your needs will differ depending on your drone as well — a camera drone has different needs than a racing drone, for example.
Go ahead and run down the list to get an idea what functions a non-manufacturer app can serve for you. We hope to help you find something new and helpful.
1. Google Earth
Price: Free
As you well know, the first thing you’re going to need to do with any drone (after registering it,) is figure out a place to fly it. Truth is, there are some drone dedicated mapping apps on our list today, they are great at showing where it is safe to fly. Safe places to fly is one thing, but before you get to that point, why not scour Google Earth to find exceptional places to fly. Google Earth is free for your mobile device and available on the web as well.
Related reading: Best mapping apps for Android – on Android Authority
2. Airmap
Price: Free
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Airmap is one of those tools that does so much more than just map a potential flight location or help you keep a log of your flight. With backing by companies like Microsoft and Qualcomm, not to mention drone players like Yuneec, Airmap is rapidly becoming the de-facto tool for commercial drone flight. Don’t let their drone mapping, geo-fencing, and flight logging commercial tools scare you off, utilizing the real-time traffic alerts in their mobile app is value enough. Check out Airmap for your basic needs, or for your commercial piloting business.
3. FAA’s B4UFly
Price: Free
Let’s keep this super simple: the FAA is the entity that enforces drone laws in the United States, and this is their app that tells you where and when you can fly. I could stop at that, but I feel you should know that B4UFly is a little bit overbearing sometimes, telling you that you can’t fly in some places that you can. That said, the app provides one of the most detailed airport listings around, displaying the 5-mile radius of each. What it boils down to, if in doubt, the B4UFly app is how you go to the source for legal info on drone flight in the United States.
Update: Aside from that short stint in 2017, you need to register your drone with the FAA before you fly. This is not a suggestion or optional thing, if your drone weighs 0.55lbs or more, you must register and affix your registration number to the craft. The process is simple, but it will cost you $5 and you must be at least 13 years old. This registration will expose you to the FAA rules for drone flight, which we highly recommend you familiarize yourself with. Drone Rush can help too:
If you are flying for pay, or any other form of compensation, you must operate under a different set of rules and possess a commercial drone license. We call it the Part 107, it’s not too hard to get, but it will take some time to learn all the rules. We want to help you learn the rules and get your commercial license, check out our drone pilot training material.
4. Hover
Price: Free
Hover is an underrated app, providing mapping and location awareness info as provided by Airmap, but then adds in weather info. At a glance, Hover can tell you if it is safe to fly. Taking visibility, wind, location, and more into consideration, Hover may not be the only drone app you need, but if you were to stick with just one, an app like this is certainly a solid bet. Grab Hover for your mobile device now.
5. DroneDeploy
Price: Free
Next up is an app that we hesitated at first to include. We had hoped to make a list of best drone apps that did not focus on any one vendor, truth is, DJI is such a major player, and this app is so cool, we couldn’t resist. If you own pretty near any DJI drone from the Phantom 3 and newer, take a look at DroneDeploy as an alternative controller for your flying machine. The app provides advanced flight planning and autonomous control for your drone. Select a path of coordinates and watch your drone fly the route, have the app control camera exposure on the go and much, much more. Check out DroneDeploy now.
6. UAV Forecast
Price: Free
Focusing almost entirely on the weather, UAV Forecast strives to provide detailed wind and weather information to help you decide if it’s safe to fly. Tell the app the parameters of your drone, it can then quickly indicate whether or not today is the day to fly. A range of piloting info is provided, including wind speed and direction, wind chill and temperature, cloud cover, visibility, and more. Not to be outdone by other apps out there, UAV Forecast also provides mapping with visible no-fly zones. Check it out for your weather needs.
Related reading:Best weather apps for Android – on Android Authority
7. Kittyhawk
Price: Free
Let’s see, we’ve covered apps that check the weather, apps that have maps with no-fly zone listings, maps with active air traffic information, apps that keep flight logs and help you track your drones, now for one app that does all of the above. Kittyhawk: Drone Operations is a robust app and platform, including everything from pre-flight checks to post-flight analysis. Kittyhawk is an ambitious app and platform ready to get you in the air and make the most of your time in the sky.
8. Sun Surveyor (Sun & Moon)
Price: $7.99
If you’ve ever been outside… I’ll just stop that right there. Outdoor photography is almost entirely a matter of managing sunlight, this is never more true than with drone photography, as there is no shade up there. Instead of guessing where the sun and moon will be, why not know for certain, Sun Surveyor does this, with great accuracy. The perfect sun or moon position is but an app away. Sun Surveyor (Sun & Moon) is $7.99 for Android.
9. Verifly
Price: Free
Insurance. Love it or hate it, insurance is an important part of modern-day living. Unlike your car or house insurance, which you pay a premium each month, Verifly is doing something different, insurance on demand. The idea is simple, your flights, particularly commercial operations, are either too few or too spread out and unpredictable to commit to full-time insurance coverage. Verifly allows you to log your start time and finish time, then just pay for what you use. It starts at around $10/hr. Hit the download buttons below to see more details on the actual coverage. Policies are underwritten by Global Aerospace, Inc.
10. Litchi for DJI drones (special consideration)
Price: $24.99
We all know that you need the official DJI GO / DJI GO 4 app to fly our favorite DJI drones, right? Wrong! There are a few alternative apps out there that can take control of your DJI Mavic Pro, DJI Spark, DJI Phanom series drone and more, the best of these apps that we’ve tried to date Litchi. The full app name is long, but explain most of what it does, Litchi for DJI Mavic / Phantom / Inspire / Spark is a robust app that maintains the same feel as the DJI apps, but it does things a little differently. Basically, if you will, if you are looking for the best of the DJI application, plus a few new treats, Litchi is well worth your consideration. The waypoint flights and VR/FPV functionality built-in are the key factors that attracted me to Litchi. Rich features and functions like these are at your fingertips through the going price of $24.99 for the app, which may be beyond what many might consider.
That’s all for today, we hope you’ve found a new app or two to enhance your flights, or get more out of the captured aerial footage after the fact. This is an early list with plenty of room to grow and mature, just like the drone market, so please hit us up in the comments if you want to discuss any other apps that you think belong here.
We’ve got all the Best drones here, or check out our master Drone Rush drones list! YOu can also check out a lot of our other drone-related content below:
Drone Pilot Training | Drone starter guide | Drone Manufacturers
Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App! is a quirky and creative interactive universal storybook app which brings to life Mo Willems's character, Pigeon, found within his hit series of picture books.
We love the book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and other stories from this series in our house, so I was very eager to review this application. For those who do not know, this app is based on titles such as Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus or Don’t let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, as these books open with the Bus Driver asking the readers to do him a favor and keep reckless Pigeon out of trouble by not letting him drive the bus or stay up late and so forth. The rest of the story is about the pigeon trying every trick in the book to convince one to do what he wants, allowing children to stand up to the pigeon, saying “no” to his pleas.
I love these books. Pigeon can be cheeky, and my son has used pigeons’s one-liners, such as offering to “Give you five bucks” himself to try to stay up late. For this reason, some parents may feel that this pigeon is a bad influence on children, but I love the idea of my son practicing his ability to say “no” to this scheming pigeon as I want him to be prepared to stand his ground later in life when he is confronted by peer pressure, and I want him to recognize when he is being manipulated.
This app nicely translates these titles into witty videos that kids and adults will really enjoy. I like the fact that there are three levels of interaction available to best work with different aged children and their skill levels.
“Egg” mode allows young children to watch a video based on this pigeon’s exploits, and it is nice that the story changes each time with titles such as “Don't let the pigeon wear your shirt” or “Don’t let the pigeon borrow your cell phone.” There is no interaction here past shaking the device when the pigeon shows up, but the look and story are exactly what Willems fans will expect and it is nice here that one can switch on text to read along with as well if one so desires.
The “Chick” section allows one to customize the video as one can select different elements with a tap such as food item, favorite game and stinky thing, and one can also record one’s name that will also be incorporated into the story.
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“Big Pigeon” is the most interactive section, allowing one to record the different elements used within to make the experience unique. Here, the player will be asked to record a favorite number, person's name and other responses instead of choosing from multiple selections.
My son really delights in each of these areas. He can easily watch the “egg” mode himself, and navigate the “the chick” section as well, making his own choices as wonderful prompts and lovely words of encouragement are offered by the bus driver, guiding readers through the interactive aspect of this section.
My son does does need help with the record feature of the “Big Pigeon” as one needs to press a record button and speak clearly before the provided few seconds run out. The time offered to record is a flaw here, as one does not have enough time to answer more than one or two words at a time - an issue sometimes as when we were asked for a favorite game, our answer - “duck duck goose” - was cut off mid-thought. The big issue here is that one cannot go back and re-record areas that one knows were flubbed, which can be frustrating, to say the least.
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Having said this, I do really enjoy the chance to add my own details to these stories, and most of the time the recording works without any problems. It is also fun in the way the pigeon explains the different voice being heard as a frog in his throat and is in need of a cough drop.
My son squeals with delight during these videos in any of the different levels of interactive storytelling. Here, this pedantic pigeon expresses any and all emotions when he does not get his way - throwing a huge tantrum that my son adores watching - and oddly finding it very calming to see such relatable feelings expressed.
Both my husband and I feel that this pigeon is the Bugs Bunny of my son's generation as he in some ways may be an anti-hero and not a character than one would like one's child to emulate, but adults may be charmed by this pigeon nonetheless. I was really eager to hear the voice talent chosen for this iconic character, and I appreciate that Willems himself is narrating this character, bringing a sly sophistication perfect for this pigeon, with a nuance of what I believe David Sedaris would sound like if he voiced an anthropomorphic creature for a children’s story.
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I think it is simply charming how this story changes, either automatically within the simplified “egg” mode or with the use of children’s own creativity. Adults will notice that although certain words or phrases are new throughout, the majority of the story is scripted and produces much of the same experience. I can see how parents could potentially grow weary as they listen to this again and again, but for what it’s worth, I have not grown tired or bored from this entertaining storybook.
One can save up to five favorite stories in the vault, but I wish there were more specific instructions on how to do so as I am not able to figure out how this works - kind of a bummer. I do hope a better guide for saving stories will be included in a future update.
There is also a section on how to draw a pigeon, introduced and narrated by Mo Willems himself. Typical of many drawing apps, kids trace over a template that builds shapes until the character is complete. This section is fun and I like how Willems explains how the placement of the pupil within the eye greatly changes the emotion displayed - great advice children can bring to their other drawings outside this app. It is also fun that the children's completed drawing can be saved on one's device.
This app may also be an interesting app for special needs children as I really enjoy how the Bus Driver prompts the readers into making interactive choices and how he responds so conversationally in the “Big Pigeon” section as he leads one through these recordings - a nice way to teach those who may have issues understanding the give-and-take found between people talking in a social situation. Of course, it would be up to parents and teachers if the rest of this pigeon’s antics are appropriate.
We all have enjoyed this app immensely and will continue to do so. Having said this, I do think the current price of $6.99 is high compared to other apps at this price point. I highly recommend this app for the right family who will enjoy this app’s quirky sense of humor, but I think a lower price would be more palatable to parents.
iPad Screenshots
(click to enlarge)