One tip to make your flight preparation more efficient is to amend your filed IFR/YFR flight plan based on the expected route clearance sent via ForeFlight’s Flight Alerts (a Pro feature). This will set you up to be cleared as filed when you contact ATC. Here’s how:
Once you file your IFR flight plan and you receive an expected route notification (you won’t necessarily get one every time you file):
- Copy the new route from your expected route notification email to the iOS clipboard.
- Open ForeFlight to the File & Brief View and select the flight plan you wish to Amend.
- Tap Amend and paste the new route into the route field.
- Make any other modifications as needed, then tap File Changes.
Now when you go to contact ATC, the amended flight plan is on file and you’ll be cleared as filed. Taking a few moments to amend your plan in-app before you even start the engine(s) is a lot easier and less stressful compared to quickly copying down a new clearance in the cockpit.
Amend is a new capability in ForeFlight Mobile 6.0 enabled by our integration with Lockheed Martin AFSS.
To use amend, your flight plan must be filed through ForeFlight Mobile using the ICAO format. And to help with that, we have a new Filing with ForeFlight Mobile Guide available in the Documents catalog to guide you through every step to filing in the ICAO format.
IFR/YFR flight plans can be amended or canceled up to 30 minutes before the filed estimated time of departure. VFR/ZFR flight plans can be amended or cancelled up to 2 hours after the filed estimated time of departure.
