The FileMaker solution:

Mark says his pilot database, built using FileMaker Go on the iPad, has all the information a pilot requires for both pre-flight and in-flight planning.

Containing details on all 560 airfields in the UK as well as farm strips, the database also features the whereabouts of dangerous and restricted areas, such as military testing zones and flight paths, and the times of access.

"In addition, it holds details about radio frequencies, and solutions for water crossings and glide distances," says Mark.

"Pilots can also configure it for their particular aircraft. If you know your cruise speed and fuel capacity, you can feed in data on wind speeds and it will calculate a flight time, as well as alert you when fuel is low."

The app also links to Google Maps, so satellite maps of the route can be pulled up. Weather reports and other information can also be downloaded from the internet.

"Internet access while flying is very intermittent but pilots can access online details prior to take-off," adds Mark.

"The whole design is very visual and I've enlarged some of the buttons, so pilots can just glance down and get the information they want without fiddling about."

So effective is the pilot database that Mark has been bombarded with requests for a copy from fellow flyers – approaches that have left him considering whether to turn his creation into a commercial venture.

He said: "I started the project for myself but it has generated a lot of interest among other pilots. This year at the Fly-UK event I just used the iPad app and didn't take any papers or charts with me at all. A lot of pilots saw me use it and quite a few said 'I want one.'

"I'm in the process of working out how I should go about commercialising the database because it's clear there is a demand out there. I am also considering adjusting layouts to use on the iPhone, as there is a market there as well."