DROP Aerial Delivery Simulator

Airborn Applications

About this app

When an object is dropped from a fast moving aircraft it's fall path may appear unpredictable due to inertia, fall time and factors like wind and aircraft speed. It can be a baffling experience to try dropping an object onto a target from an airplane. It may seem to land anywhere but near your intended drop zone target.

It is so tricky that bush pilots in places like Alaska have gathered together in competition dropping objects such as bags of flour to pumpkins! If you have ever seen one of these competitions you know how difficult it can be to hit a target because you've seen even the most experienced pilots in the world miss by a mile!

Created by DROP Deliveries, This app aims to demystify the trajectory that falling objects take by crunching the known data like the type of object being dropped, the altitude of the aircraft and its speed through the air.

As unpredictable as these falling objects seem, it is quite scientifically predictable and competitions have been won with much less precise calculation than this app offers. It will animate a simulation based on the inputs you give it to show where a pumpkin or a sleeping bag might land, and you can try many different configurations to get a better understanding of these physics.

There is also a challenge mode to test your understanding and have even more fun with this concept. Tap the DROP logo in the upper left of your screen for a little bonus and pick your plane just for fun. Enjoy the enlightening experience. The developers of this app have used the calculations to win aerial drop competitions in Alaska, so we know first hand that the science works!

What’s new

No change from successful beta