Building the Pilot's Lounge in Your Pocket: The Hangar App Story with guest Sam Sessler

In this episode of Hangar Flying with Smokehouse Pilots, host Gabe Muller interviews Sam Sessler, creator of the Hangar app. Sam shares his aviation background and the inspiration behind Hangar, a social platform for pilots inspired by the running app Strava. Launched in March 2024, Hangar combines flight tracking, social sharing, and safety features, gaining around 4,500 users. Sam discusses the challenges of developing the app without prior coding experience, emphasizing the importance of user experience and onboarding. He outlines future goals, including widespread adoption among general aviation pilots and continued feature improvements. The app has partnered with Log10 for logbook integration. Sam reflects on his entrepreneurial journey and the app's potential impact on the aviation community, particularly in connecting new pilots. The episode provides insights into the fusion of aviation and technology, showcasing innovative ways for pilots to connect and share experiences. Key Takeaways: The Hangar app combines flight tracking, social sharing, and safety features for pilots. Sam developed the app without prior coding experience, learning as he went. The app has gained approximately 4,500 users since launching in March 2024. Hangar has partnered with Log10 for logbook integration. User experience and onboarding have been crucial challenges in developing the app. Sound Bites: "It's kind of like a Life 360 for pilots or like a Find My iPhone for pilots." - Sam Sessler "I would like to see most GA pilots in the nation on it, at least the ones... I know my grandpa would never use it." - Sam "If I were to show myself the app back when I was working in a totally different industry, doing nothing like I'm doing right now, didn't know how to build an app... I would be blown away." - Sam "The user experience of how people come onto the app... it's almost like a, there's a science to it. And if you don't have it right, people are instantly going to stop using your app." - Sam "I think it's really neat because again, at the end of the day, there's a lot, as you know, of pilot communities and forums and things out there where it's just flooded with stuff that it's kind of hard to cut through the noise." - Gabe Muller Important Information: Website: FlyHanger.com Instagram: @FlyHangerApp Sam's personal Instagram: @SuperCubSam The app is available in app stores Hangar offers a free version and a $5/month pro subscription https://www.smokehousepilots.com/