Takeoff or landing not logged?
With SkyTimer Plus, SkyTimer logs your takeoff and landing from GPS speed. If it missed one, work through the checks below, then fix the times in the saved trip.
How detection works
SkyTimer compares your GPS ground speed with the stall speed (VS0) you entered for the aircraft.
| Takeoff | Ground speed keeps rising and stays above about 1.075 × VS0 for at least 7 seconds. |
|---|---|
| Landing | Ground speed keeps falling and stays below about 0.87 × VS0 for at least 7 seconds. With Use GPS Altitude for Landings on, you also need to be within 2,500 feet of a known airport’s elevation, within 10 nautical miles. |
For example, with a stall speed of 48 knots, takeoff is logged once you’re above about 52 knots, and landing once you’re below about 42 knots.
When detection is ready, the Start Flight or End Flight button shows AUTO. If it shows the plain button instead, SkyTimer doesn’t have a good enough GPS fix yet, or something below is turned off.
Needs SkyTimer Plus. Automatic takeoff and landing, and Movement Based block time, come with SkyTimer Plus. Without it, the timers are free and you tap Start Flight and End Flight yourself.
Takeoff & Landing settings
On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings › Takeoff & Landing. Apple Watch uses the settings from your iPhone.
| Automatic Detection | Shows whether detection is working: On, Plus (needs SkyTimer Plus), No Location, or Needs GPS. There’s no switch: it’s always on when it can be. |
|---|---|
| GPS Status | The live GPS signal. Use it to find the best place for your phone or iPad in the cockpit. |
| Use GPS Altitude for Landings | Confirms a landing with GPS altitude near a known airport. It’s on unless you turn it off. Turn it off if you land off-airport. |
| Weak GPS Mode | Accepts less precise GPS. Helps in pressurized aircraft and where the signal is weak. |
Something’s wrong
If it missed a takeoff or landing
Go through these in order. The most common causes come first.
1Do you have SkyTimer Plus?
Automatic detection needs Plus. If Settings › Takeoff & Landing shows Plus next to Automatic Detection, it isn’t active on this device. See Plus, iCloud, and new devices to restore it.
2Does the aircraft have a stall speed?
Without one, SkyTimer can’t tell when you’re flying, so detection is off for that trip and it shows No Stall Speed before you start. Go to the Aircraft tab, edit the aircraft, and add VS0.
3Is Location on, with Precise Location?
SkyTimer needs Location set to While Using the App (or Always) and Precise Location on. In the iPhone Settings app, go to Privacy & Security › Location Services › SkyTimer. The SkyTimer start screen tells you if either is off.
4Does your iPad have GPS?
Wi-Fi-only iPads don’t have GPS. Their location comes from Wi-Fi, which has no speed, so it can’t detect takeoff or landing. Run SkyTimer on your iPhone or a Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad, or tap Start Flight and End Flight yourself.
A GPS shared over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, such as from avionics or an ADS-B receiver, won’t work either. That connection doesn’t stay open while SkyTimer is in the background, behind your EFB or with the screen locked.
5Was the GPS signal good enough?
Detection only uses accurate GPS fixes, and a weak signal restarts the 7-second count. Open Settings › Takeoff & Landing › GPS Status to find a better spot, such as near a window, or turn on Weak GPS Mode. Pressurized cabins and heated windscreens often weaken the signal.
6Did you land away from an airport?
With Use GPS Altitude for Landings on, a landing is only logged within 10 nautical miles of an airport with a known elevation, the kind you include in Settings › Airports. For off-airport landings, turn Use GPS Altitude for Landings off.
7Was the trip started and not paused?
Detection only runs during a trip that’s started and not paused. Start the trip before you taxi.
8Did you close SkyTimer?
SkyTimer keeps tracking in the background during a trip. Swiping it away in the app switcher stops location updates until you open it again.
9Was it a touch-and-go?
A landing counts once you’ve slowed below the landing speed for 7 seconds. A touch-and-go where you stay faster than that may not be logged as a landing. Change Number of Landings in the saved trip.
10Were you flying with Apple Watch and your iPhone?
When your iPhone is with you, it detects takeoff and landing. Apple Watch detects them only when you fly with the watch alone. If your iPhone was set up badly or far from a window, check items 3 to 5 on the iPhone.
Still stuck? Send a diagnostic log with a message saying which flight it was.
Start or end a flight yourself
You can always tap Start Flight at takeoff and End Flight at landing. If detection is ready, SkyTimer asks first, because tapping overrides automatic detection for that takeoff or landing. Tap the AUTO button to see the speed it’s waiting for, with Start Flight Now or End Flight Now.
Block time works the same way with Start Block and Stop Block. Choose how Time Out is set for each aircraft: Standard (when the timer starts), Movement Based (when the aircraft moves, with Plus), or Manual.
After the flight
Fix the times afterwards
- Open the trip in your trip history.
- Tap the ••• menu, then Edit.
- Under Trip Times, change Time Off (takeoff) or Time On (landing). Switch between local time and UTC if that’s easier.
- Change Number of Landings if you need to.
Times have to stay in order: Time Out, Time Off, Time On, Time In. Revert To Original Trip undoes your changes. Editing saved trips needs SkyTimer Plus.
Questions about takeoff and landing
Something else? Send us a message.
Is automatic takeoff and landing detection free?
No. Automatic takeoff and landing detection, and Movement Based block time, need SkyTimer Plus. The block and flight timers are free: tap Start Flight and End Flight yourself.
Can I turn automatic detection off?
There’s no switch. Tapping Start Flight or End Flight yourself overrides it for that takeoff or landing.
Does it work in a pressurized airplane?
Usually, if the phone gets a GPS signal. Turn on Weak GPS Mode in Settings › Takeoff & Landing, and use GPS Status to find a good spot for your phone.
Does it work on a Wi-Fi-only iPad?
No. Wi-Fi-only iPads have no GPS, and a GPS shared over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi from avionics or an ADS-B receiver doesn’t stay connected while SkyTimer is in the background. Run SkyTimer on your iPhone or a Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad, or tap Start Flight and End Flight yourself.
Why didn’t it detect anything in the guided test flight?
The guided test flight uses a simulated flight, not your GPS. It takes off and lands on its own, and nothing is saved to your trip history.