ForeFlight 9.1, now available on the App Store, introduces our next-generation high-performance flight planning, a new Flights interface that replaces the File & Brief view and streamlines the flight planning and filing workflow, Jeppesen’s global high-resolution terrain and obstacle data for everyone, and more.
Introducing ForeFlight Performance Planning
ForeFlight Performance is a new tier of service that provides best-in-class flight planning and global wind-optimized autorouting capabilities for high-performance aircraft. ForeFlight Performance includes a library of aircraft with performance profiles to calculate accurate flight time and fuel burn, a sophisticated flight planning engine that generates global wind-optimized routes, and a user-friendly interface that simplifies the planning workflow.
The core of ForeFlight’s new performance planning capabilities consists of an extensive library of aircraft with detailed performance profiles, a sophisticated global routing engine powered by ForeFlight’s AviationCloud technology, and redesigned map and form-based flight planning interfaces designed for maximum efficiency.
ForeFlight’s in-house performance team built the aircraft performance profiles from the manufacturer’s climb, cruise, and descent performance data. The performance models are defined for multiple altitudes, weights, and temperatures, allowing the planning engine to produce highly accurate speed and fuel flow data for all conditions. ForeFlight’s library includes hundreds of profiles for the most popular piston and turbine aircraft from Bombardier, Cessna, Cirrus, Daher-Socata, Dassault, Embraer, Gulfstream, Hawker-Beechcraft, Pilatus, Piper, and more.
Setting up an aircraft in ForeFlight with performance profiles can be done in less than a minute. Simply search for and select your aircraft model, confirm the basic weight and fuel data, and add a tail number. This saves you time as all of the complex performance data and multiple cruise profiles from the aircraft manual are pre-built and automatically loaded for you with a click on the web or a tap on the iPad.
You will also see a newly designed Flights view that replaces the File & Brief view. Flights simplifies and consolidates the planning workflow into a single form-based view. In addition to route information, the new planning form has neatly-organized sections for payload and fuel planning. ForeFlight automatically runs structural weight limit checks with every adjustment to the plan and provides visual alerts when an issue is detected, helping to eliminate an overweight takeoff or landing scenario.
ForeFlight Performance gives you the ability to select from multiple fuel policies, allowing the flexibility to calculate block fuel using a desired fuel strategy, a capability especially important for flight departments that have specific fuel policies pilots must follow. For example, if an operator requires that the aircraft complete a flight with 2000 pounds of fuel, then selecting the Landing Fuel Policy quickly calculates the block fuel amount to load for that desired outcome.
The form-based workflow of the Flights view integrates Route Advisor and Altitude Advisor, two powerful decision-making tools previously accessed only on the Maps view. Powered by the AviationCloud advanced flight planning engine, Route Advisor analyzes current and forecasted wind and temperature data, aircraft performance capabilities, and recently cleared routes to generate a comprehensive list of valid wind-optimized route options for any two airports in the world, even for airports without previously flown or preferred routes.
ForeFlight calculates performance results for each route and displays the estimated flight time, distance, and fuel burn alongside each route string allowing for quick comparisons between different routes. The AviationCloud autoroute tops the list and typically offers the most optimal route based on the current data.
Recently-cleared ATC routes are listed next, showing the departure time of the most recent flight cleared for that route (which will often be in the future for frequently filed routes), the number of times that route was cleared by ATC in the past year, and the type of aircraft and altitude range for which the route was cleared. These details give pilots added confidence in the expectation for a smooth clearance delivery experience.
ForeFlight developers anticipated real-world scenarios to help guide the product design and feature set. Pilots are often confronted with the need to explore the impact of taking more or less fuel, last minute aircraft changes due to maintenance, or a situation where more passengers than expected arrive at the airport. ForeFlight Performance enables pilots to quickly evaluate what-if scenarios with just a few taps. If any adjustments are made in the fuel and payload fields or a different aircraft is selected, ForeFlight automatically recalculates weight, altitude, and fuel requirements in a matter of seconds. In addition, the planning engine works offline as well, giving pilots the flexibility to recompute a route even when they are out of range of an internet connection.
The Flights interface also features easy access to a detailed printable navlog for inflight reference, a link to a comprehensive briefing, and a tab for messages from ATC and other notifications pertaining to the flight. Once planning is complete, it’s a single tap to the filing form, which is nearly complete based on the information already provided.
The user-friendly interface extends from ForeFlight Mobile to the web where the Flights tab on the web not only mirrors the functionality and workflow of the mobile app, but also displays an adjacent map of the route that stays in perfect sync with any changes made to the form. ForeFlight Sync ensures that all planning activity automatically syncs between mobile devices and the web.
ForeFlight Performance will help save pilots time and fuel not only through higher fidelity performance data and advanced route optimization. The Performance tier also integrates JetFuelX contract fuel prices directly into the app. JetFuelX is a web-based service that helps customers quickly determine which locations on and around their route of flight are offering the best prices based on their personal contracted rates. With JetFuelX prices displayed on the map, subscribers to ForeFlight Performance can easily compare prices from multiple fuel card memberships and pinpoint the best fuel stop location. Anyone can sign up for a free JetFuelX account at jetfuelx.com and immediately start saving on jet fuel purchases.
The new high-performance planning features are part of ForeFlight’s two new subscription plans: Performance Plus for individuals and Business Performance for multi-pilot flight departments.
The single user Performance Plus Plan is priced at $299.99 USD per year and the multi-user Business Performance Plan starts at $300 per year per license. For plan comparisons, visit foreflight.com/pricing.
Learn more about ForeFlight Performance
Take a deeper look at all of ForeFlight’s advanced performance capabilities by exploring our Performance planning video series.
New Flights Interface Streamlines Planning, Briefing, & Filing Workflow
All customers will see a newly designed Flights view that replaces the File & Brief view and simplifies the flight planning workflow into a single neatly-organized, form-based page. You can build your route, file the flight plan, generate a graphical weather briefing, and print a detailed navlog to reference during flight. Customers with Pro and Pro Plus plans will also receive flight notification messages here. Flights includes buttons for Route Advisor and Altitude Advisor, two powerful decision-making tools previously accessed only on the Maps Route Editor view. The new flight plan summary strip pinned to the top of the Flights view keeps route distance, flight time, fuel burn, and route wind component information front and center.
The Flights interface extends from ForeFlight Mobile to the web where the Flights tab on the web mirrors the functionality and workflow of the mobile app. Planning activity automatically syncs between mobile devices and the web.
Professional-Grade, Printable Navlog
From the Flights view, tap on the new Navlog button to generate and print or email a detailed Navlog that includes flight and fuel summary information, TOC, TOD, synthetic waypoints along track, a wind and temperature aloft table for quick reference, and more. Printable navlog is available for all customers.
Jeppesen’s Global Terrain and Obstacle Data for Everyone
Earlier this month we announced our strategic alliance with Jeppesen. The first phase of this partnership introduces the integration of Jeppesen’s global high-resolution terrain and obstacle data into ForeFlight Mobile. This data now comes standard in every ForeFlight plan, making ForeFlight’s powerful mobile hazard awareness technology better than ever. For customers with Hazard Advisor map overlay, Profile view, and Synthetic Vision, you can now use these features anywhere in the world at no additional cost.
Jeppesen’s global library of departure, arrival, and approach procedures are coming to ForeFlight Mobile later this Summer.
Learn more about ForeFlight + Jeppesen for Individuals
Learn more about ForeFlight + Jeppesen for Flight Departments
A Faster Way to Import Custom Map Layers & New User Content Tab
We’ve streamlined the process to import User Map Layers (previously User Map Shapes) for viewing in ForeFlight. In addition to drag-and-drop via iTunes, you can now easily import your custom KML files from a hyperlink, email attachment, or AirDrop. Build and share shapefiles with your flying club or flight crew. To import KML files, tap-hold on an email attachment or hyperlink and sele
ct “Copy to ForeFlight” from the menu.
It’s also easier than ever to access your imported content in ForeFlight. In addition to the Maps view layer selector, quickly access and manage your custom User Map Layers and User Waypoints files in the new User Content tab in the More view.
Visit https://foreflight.com/support/user-map-shapes/ to learn more about User Map Layers.
Avionics Integration
Two-way flight plan transfer is now available with Avidyne’s IFD550/540/440 systems. Display ADS-B METARs, TAFs, and PIREPs in ForeFlight Mobile when connected to a Garmin Flight Stream 510. For more information about ForeFlight’s avionics connectivity visit foreflight.com/connect.
Expanded Radar Coverage
ForeFlight’s Radar layer now covers Europe, Australia, and Japan – adding to our expanding global weather coverage which already includes Satellite, graphical SIGMETs, winds aloft, current flight category, and more.
