This had been something that I've been wanting to get done for a while now. I just need to find the time to sit down for a few days and bang it out. Between flying a full line, debugging spurious issues as they arise, and answering emails, I barely have time for much of anything any more.

Hopefully, something should be released soon.

Bob

What I am doing and what LTP did are entirely different worlds apart. Pilots and flight attendants don't mind paying for something that is useful and works. Nearly 3,000 of the 4,500 people that have tried Flight Crew View knew a good thing when they saw it and have signed up for it. (Is it more useful than 2 or 3 coffees per year?)

Also, to touch on the subscription vs one time payment issue: This was one of the hardest decisions that I had to make. I went with the subscription because most of the users are regional pilots and flight attendants who probably aren't going to use the app for more than a couple of years.

To put into perspective how much time and energy has gone into developing this app, I would have to charge every person who has ever even tried the app $30 each just to recoup the costs so far. That price tag alone would probably scare off half of those trial users, resulting in a more realistic price of $50 or $60 per person, just to break even.

So basically, the break-even point is roughly 5 years, which most people aren't going to hit, due to the turnover rate of Flight Attendants, and the fact that most of the regional pilots using the app are going to move on to a major.

Given all of that, I have decided to eat the cost of the initial 6 months of development and charge only what I need in order to break even each month with continued support, updates, and new additions to the app (some of which I posted just a little bit ago). Even then, I'm still not even close to breaking even with the amount of time and level of service that I am providing. Nearly all emails and app messages have responses within a day, even on weekends and holidays. Serious issues are handled within a day or two, and non-serious issues are usually handled within a week, depending on the issue.

Anyway, I just thought I'd write a bit more about why I chose the cost structure of the app. The support that I've received from most of you and the fact that it has spread to over 4,500 users at 17 airlines in just under 6 months through word-of-mouth only has been nothing short of amazing (and exhausting)!

As always, if there is anything that I can do to make the app even better, or if any of you have any more issues or questions, feel free to shoot me a message from the app or to my email at [email protected].

Bob

If you are still interested in using the app, I'm more than willing to work with you to figure out why the app isn't working very well for you. Shoot me an email at [email protected]

Bob

So you are already into this for $135,000? ($30 x 4500 people who've tried it)

For the amount of time that I've put into this app, and given standard rates for an app developer. Yes. Have I personally spent $135,000 on it? No.

Could I have used my skills to earn that money elsewhere? Yes.

This is a project that I started for personal reasons and to help fellow crewmembers. All I'm asking for is to help recoup lost income that I could be making elsewhere going forward.

I don't think that is too much to ask.

Bob

Also, I do have to outsource a good portion of the server-side stuff as I am completely unfamiliar with that side of the app. So a chunk of the income each month goes to maintaining all of that (hotel info, weather, subscription validation, etc).

And don't forget about Google's cut. After they take 30%, I still have to make up the difference and pay for the server-side stuff.

And after self-employment tax in the neighborhood of 30-35%, this thing isn't nearly the cash cow for me as everybody thinks.

See I don't really feel like you need to justify, The sub price is trivial...especially considering the functionality and stability of this app. I'm really not trying to kiss your butt or anything, but this is easily my most used app on my phone.

If someone really wants to throw a fit because "OH NOEZ A SUBZ" then would probably moaned just as much with a one time payment.

Blows me away that people are on here griping that you're charging $10/year for this app. This thing works perfectly and blows away the Flica app. Keep it up. Disregard those that are complaining about it. If they don't like it, they certainly don't need to buy it.

I agree. Especially since the $10 covers multiple devices. Great work!

Absolutely amazing. Way better than the iphone app. Totally worth the money. Thx Bob.