Who knows an airport better than the pilots based there?
That’s why it makes sense to reach out to pilots at an unfamiliar airport to learn about everything from traffic to local restaurants to help with maintenance. And that’s why Les Vancil created the iOS app Fly Like A Local.
The app brings together the general aviation community by providing two key components: Communication and information, he says.
“Before takeoff have you wondered about the status of your destination’s airstrip? Or where the fuel is located? After landing have you needed a local mechanic? Or maybe even where is the best place to get dinner?” he asks.
The idea for the app was born several years ago when Les got a flat tire on a cross-country flight at a small airport with no one around.
“It took about a day to get a mechanic to come and fix it,” he recalls. “But if I had a local contact, I could have probably got it fixed right then and there.”
A friend’s experience cemented the idea for the app.
“He was trying to get fuel,” he says. “He tried two or three airports, but the credit card readers weren’t working. He finally had to start making phone calls and it took him about a half a day. Somebody finally showed up at the airport and took 10 gallons out of airplanes so he could fly someplace and get fuel.”
These experiences got Les thinking there’s got to be a better way.
He realized the best source of information would be local pilots. Connecting with them would be “invaluable” for other pilots, he notes.
“The app is designed to help pilots when they need it most,” Les says. “General aviation pilots fly to small airports that are often like a ghost town. Fly Like A Local gives pilots access to a local contact when things go wrong or when they need local information.”
The app has the potential the bring the general aviation community even closer together and make flying that much easier, he adds.
“If you’ve got local contact, that can make or break your whole trip,” he says.
The app also has the potential to increase safety among GA flyers by locals sharing insights and tips on landing at an unfamiliar airport.
“Aviation is a very close community and most pilots are more than willing to help out other aviators,” he says.
But it’s not just safety or access to a mechanic that can be shared. Locals can share information on courtesy cars, local restaurants and hotels, even local aviation events.
“I imagine that any information you may need, a local pilot would be pretty forthcoming about it,” he says.
The app also offers another vital component of flight planning: Encrypted weather in “plain English,” he adds.
Using the app is simple, he notes. A map loads for the area you are interested in and once you click on a specific airport, all the basic information is available. When you go to the details page, you’ll find a list of registered users for that airport.
One of the key features is the ability to message other pilots through the app.
“Right now it’s just person-to-person, basically similar to a text,” he says. “We’re trying to change it to where you can have group texts.”
That upgrade is on hold, however, as it is his stepson who does the actual coding of the app and he’s stuck in Ukraine.
“He can’t get out of the war zone because he’s Ukrainian, plus he’s fighting age,” Les notes.
So far, more than 300 pilots are using the app across the United States. The app has a subscription price of $2.99 a month or $24.99 for the year, says Les, who has been a pilot for about eight years.
“I took my first flight in 1984 at Ohio State University, but I didn’t get back into it until a few years ago,” he says. “Life gets in the way, but I finally got my license.”
Based at Andy Barnhart Memorial Field (3OH0) in New Carlisle, Ohio, Les is in a flying club with nine other pilots. The club’s fleet includes a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 182.
As he continues working on expanding the number of pilots using the app, Les points to his website, FlyLikeALocal.com, which provides information on the app. It also contains blog posts of interest to aviators, ranging from fly-ins to favorite airplanes and flying adventures. It also gives links to the Fly Like a Local TikTok page, as well as links to flying videos on YouTube.
His ultimate dream?
“To create the biggest general aviation community in America,” he says.
To download the app, search Fly Like A Local on the App Store or go to FlyLikeALocal.com.
