ForeFlight: Intelligent Apps for Pilots

Tonight’s software update introduces two features we’re pretty excited about: zooming radar images and Ramp Check!

The next time you visit an airport weather page, you’ll see little buttons on the right hand side of the “Current Radar” section heading that say “12″, “24″, “48″, and “96″. Clicking on one of the buttons will change the radius of the weather images. The number represent nautical miles. Here’s a screenshot:

Ramp Check! The fun kind.

Every time we’re at the FBO, there is some aircraft on the ramp we can’t identify. Wouldn’t it be nice if ForeFlight had a tail number lookup feature to help settle type disputes? Say no more!

With Ramp Check!, punch the aircraft’s tail number (leave the “N” off) into any ForeFlight search box and you’ll see the aircraft type and owner details. This feature will be good fun for pilots and plane spotters alike!

Enter a tail number …

… see aircraft details.

Other

Also in this evening’s release are some minor bug fixes and improved scaling and optimization of animated weather images.

Thanks!

Special thanks again to those who wrote in with suggestions and bug reports. We hope you enjoy the improvements! As always, if you have any suggestions or feedback, please post comments here or drop us a note.

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Greg Crouchley is a passionate student pilot. After reading an article about Light Sport Aircraft in the April 2006 issue of Popular Mechanics, Greg packed up some gear and headed off to a flight school to get his license. Upon his return and finding no aircraft to rent in his home state of Rhode Island, he decided to buy and build a SkyRanger LSA.

The airport he flies the SkyRanger from is a small grass strip airpark. He typically camps overnight on the field so that he can log lots of solo time. ForeFlight iPhone Edition is part of Greg’s routine now:

“When I visit the airport, which is an airport community where the folks all around the airport have homes with hangers attached (grass strip), I simply camp there. This way I get a lot of solo hours in the calm evenings and daybreak morning flights.

This is where ForeFlight simply buries every other possible tool. I must run the weather app every half hour (sometimes waking up at night to check it!) watching for VFR. Since I got it, morning fog and of course wind are my two most checked features (599 lb. plane with low wing loading makes for a lot of interesting rides in the bumps). Perfect. To me, all the info I can get, WELL ORGANIZED, is exactly what ADDS to my flight experience.”

Pictures of Greg’s SkyRanger are below. You can view more photos of his completed project online.

Thanks for the kind words, Greg, and best of luck on your check-ride.

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