ForeFlight Mobile 4.5 is now available for download from the App Store! This substantial update includes support for Stratus, the portable ADS-B weather receiver announced at Sun ‘n Fun less than a month ago. Stratus starts shipping on April 23.
More information about Stratus is available on our website, on Appareo’s website, and in the Stratus Pilot’s Guide. Additionally, Flying Magazine’s Robert Goyer flew with Stratus across central Texas last week and posted a report – along with a gallery of 18 screenshots – on the Flying Magazine website.
If you are ready to fly with Stratus, place an order with Sporty’s.
Stratus
Stratus is a great step forward for low cost in-flight weather. Because Stratus is battery powered, wire-free, portable, and affordable, a wide range of aircraft and pilots flying without an in-flight weather option will benefit from a continuous stream of free-of-charge weather and flight information fed to the iPad – all made possible by the FAA’s ADS-B network, ForeFlight, and Stratus.
Ultimately, we believe that the proliferation of affordable, portable ADS-B solutions for FIS-B display will help pilots be more productive in the cockpit and better informed, leaving more time to look out the window and enjoy the view.
Supports All FIS-B Products
ForeFlight Mobile 4.5 supports all FIS-B products transmitted by the ADS-B network. This includes high resolution regional NEXRAD, CONUS NEXRAD, METARs, TAFs, winds aloft, PIREPs, SUA information, TFRs, and NOTAMs. For information about how frequently each product is broadcast, consult the Stratus Pilots’ Guide. Frequently asked questions are also addressed on our Stratus page, at http://www.foreflight.com/stratus.
Other Enhancements
4.5 delivers an array of additional enhancements, such as direct to route search syntax, estimated time of departure offsets for routes, naming favorite routes, map performance enhancements, and enhancements to the altitude rules in the File & Brief view.
Direct To
4.5 makes inputting a route direct from current location simple. For example, if you want to fly from current position direct to KSFO airport, enter this in the route search box:
D KSFO
The “D” in front of the identifier instructs the map to compute a course from your present location to the identifier, updating trip times, ETA, and fuel.
Estimated Departure Time
If you want to plan a flight with a time of departure in the future – and take advantage of forecast weather for that departure time – you can now specify an offset from the current time or an actual time of departure in the route search box. ForeFlight Mobile will use the estimated time of departure and factor in winds aloft forecasts valid for the departure time and total trip length. ForeFlight Mobile will also transfer the ETD to the flight plan filing form as well as to logbook applications like LogTen Pro. Here are some examples of supported formats:
- KSFO KLAX +45 – creates a flight departing in 45 minutes
- KSFO KLAX +2h – creates a flight departing in 2 hours
- KSFO KLAX 1345z – creates a flight departing at 13:45Z
- KSFO KLAX 8:45a – creates a flight departing at 8:45 am local time
Naming Favorite Routes
From the nav log on the Maps screen, you can now name your favorite routes. First, plan a flight using the input box on the maps screen, then tap “Favorite”. A prompt will appear asking for a name to assign this route. The name is optional; however, if a name is provided, you’ll see that named route appear in the favorite routes list.
Flight Plan Altitudes
The File & Brief view no longer enforces cardinal cruise altitude rules for flights under 4,100′ MSL. This enhancement is to allow more flexibility for pilots flying down low or in the SFRA.
ForeFlight Mobile 4.5 is a free update for current subscribers. Click here for instructions on updating to the latest version. Please review the updated Pilot’s Guide for more detailed information, available on our website or inside the app in the Documents view. This release also includes important bug fixes, and we recommend that all customers update.