xctrack.org

What It Is

XCTrack is an Android paragliding flight computer app developed by the XContest team. It aims to provide complete instrumentation and navigation capabilities for free flying and competition flying. It is tightly integrated with the XContest track platform, allowing users to record, optimize, and upload flight tracks. The website also clearly notes that the project is still under active development, so some features may be missing and bugs may exist.

Core Features

XCTrack is centered on paragliding cross-country and competition assistance. It supports an FAI assistant, in-flight online competition track optimization, one-tap uploads to XContest, competition task management, task sharing via QR code/NFC/email/WhatsApp, and major waypoint file formats. For flight assistance, it provides thermal assistance, wind calculation, glide distance, airspace support with automatic updates, terrain maps, and road maps. On the mapping side, it supports the mapsforge format and can use offline map resources similar to those used by Locus and OruxMaps. It also supports Livetracking, Bluetooth peripherals, TCP/UDP NMEA data sources, E-ink displays, and customizable HUDs, giving it strong professional extensibility.

Pricing

The main text does not mention any subscription, one-time purchase, or paid plan. The app is available as a stable release through Google Play, can also be downloaded directly as an APK, and offers a beta testing channel. Based on the page information, its primary usage model appears to lean toward free use.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are its highly specialized focus, covering many paragliding needs from everyday cross-country flying to competitions; convenient integration with XContest; mature support for airspace, terrain, peripherals, and multiple languages; plus detailed manuals, FAQs, GitLab issues, and community discussion channels. The drawbacks are also clear: it only supports Android, and the official team states there are no plans for iOS; the interface and configuration are geared more toward experienced pilots, so beginners will need to learn map, airspace, task, and sensor setup; and due to Android storage policies, managing map and data directories on newer systems can be troublesome.

Who It’s For

It is best suited for paragliding pilots, cross-country flying enthusiasts, competition participants, and users who need to record tracks and upload them to XContest. It is not suitable for general outdoor navigation, in-car navigation, or map users outside aviation.

Access in China

The website itself may be directly accessible, but Google Play, some map resources, GitLab, forums, and external data services may be unstable to access from mainland China, so it is rated as “partially restricted.” If Google Play is unavailable, you can try downloading the APK from the official website, but map and airspace data access still needs to be tested according to your actual network environment.