ForeFlight Mobile version 7.2 supports the next generation of portable Stratus ADS-B receivers, expands our Sync system to include Weight & Balance profiles, increases the temporal resolution of the global winds and temperatures aloft for more accurate flight plan calculations, and improves the delivery of critical flight alerts with Graphical Flight Notifications.
ForeFlight Mobile version 7.2 is currently available for download on the App Store.
ForeFlight Mobile Supports Next Generation Stratus 1S and 2S Receivers
ForeFlight Mobile 7.2 supports the next generation of Stratus portable ADS-B receivers, which were announced last week. Our close development partnership with Appareo and Sporty’s means that Stratus is built from the ground up to work with ForeFlight Mobile and simply works the right way. Pilots using Stratus and ForeFlight experience seamless one-button-push and wire-free operation, easy over-the-air firmware updates, and the flexibility to view and manage Stratus settings right from the app. The best part is, even if you haven’t equipped for the 2020 mandate yet, Stratus allows you to take advantage of ADS-B weather and traffic information for better inflight situational awareness and decision-making. This blog article and the video from Sporty’s both detail all the features in the new receivers.
For fleet operators, Stratus is an excellent addition to your electronic flight bag program. Stratus is a wireless, portable PED so no modification to the airframe is required. For more information contact sales@foreflight.com.
ForeFlight Mobile Connectivity with Garmin Avionics
We are thrilled to announce connectivity between ForeFlight Mobile and Garmin avionics. When connected to Garmin Flight Stream, you can now wirelessly receive ADS-B weather and traffic, precise GPS position data, and dynamic pitch and bank information on your iPad or iPhone. Our blog post here details this exciting integration.
Graphical Flight Notifications Keep You Better Informed Before Every Flight
We previously introduced Flight Notifications, a feature that monitors your filed flight plan and synthesizes flight condition alerts from ForeFlight systems and from others, including Lockheed Martin’s Adverse Conditions Alerting Service (ACAS). When a significant change in route or weather conditions is detected within two hours of your scheduled departure we send you a notification containing a summary and detailed description of the condition.
We now include a helpful graphic along with the flight critical information making it easier to analyze the alert and to stay better informed before every flight. Thumbnail graphics are shown next to each alert in the Flight Notification window; tap on an alert to view a larger version of the image.
Flight Notifications include updates to: TFRs, airport/runway closed/unsafe NOTAMs, urgent PIREPs, SIGMETs, Convective SIGMETs, AIRMETs, Center Weather Advisories (CWAs), and Severe Weather Watches/Warnings that affect your filed route.
Flight Notifications are tied to ForeFlight’s Sync system, meaning the notifications are delivered to all of the devices on your account.
Easy Configuration Settings for Flight Notifications
To activate Flight Notifications, Sync must be ON. On the iPad, navigate to More > Settings, then scroll all the way down to Synchronize User Data. Before filing the plan, scroll to the bottom of the flight plan form on the File & Brief page and move the Flight Notifications switch to ON.
Once you file a flight plan, ForeFlight will notify you of any new conditions via a red badge (showing the number of notifications) on the File & Brief tab.
Flight Notifications require an active Internet connection and are a ForeFlight Mobile Pro feature.
Weight & Balance Profiles Protected by ForeFlight Sync
We continue to advance our ForeFlight cloud system, Sync, with the addition of Weight & Balance profiles. Your aircraft load data now synchronizes between all your devices so you don’t have to enter the same information on multiple devices; add or edit a profile on one device and those changes are automatically applied to all devices on your account. This is especially helpful if you fly multiple aircraft and maintain several weight and balance profiles. Sync protected data also makes it easier to set up a new device if you are replacing an old one.
Weight & Balance is a Pro feature, however Sync is available to all customers and, in addition to Weight & Balance profiles, includes: recent and favorite routes, airports, and weather imagery, user waypoints, scratch pads, flight notifications, filed flight plans, and aircraft profiles.
Sync can be turned on by enabling Synchronize User Data, located in More > Settings, near the bottom of the page.
Improved Global Winds Aloft Enables More Accurate Flight Planning Calculations
ForeFlight Mobile 7.2 also introduces an increase to the resolution of the global winds and temperatures aloft. Flight planning calculations are now even more accurate with a forecast time step of three hours instead of the previous six hours. This blog article from Scott Dennstaedt discusses the enhancements to the global Winds Aloft layer.
Refinements to ForeFlight for Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is an exciting and evolving platform, and we will continue to develop ForeFlight for Apple Watch to expand the app in helpful ways. In 7.2, we introduce some refinements to the Airports page, allowing weather data from up to 30 airports to be viewed under three selectable tabs: Nearby, Recents, and Favorites.
