ForeFlight now offers customers mobile Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC) and Digital Automated Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS). The PDC service, in partnership with Satcom Direct, automatically delivers, via text and email, departure clearance information at over 70 of the busiest airports in North America, simplifying operations and reducing frequency congestion.
PDCs are official text clearances issued for US IFR flight plans, and include the filed route, the cleared altitude, transponder code, departure frequency, and any special instructions. A PDC replaces (and is the same as) receiving a verbal clearance from Clearance Delivery.
Tyson Weihs, co-founder and CEO of ForeFlight, is a PDC convert and speaks from first-hand experience: “Customers who have flown with the new PDC and D-ATIS features don’t want to fly without them. These two valuable tools make flight and avionics setup efficient by eliminating a set of radio communications, they reduce controller workload, and help get the aircraft to the runway faster, which improves on-time performance. These are powerful new additions to what has become one of the industry’s most technically advanced, fast, and accurate flight planning services available.”
Satcom Direct Founder and CEO, Jim Jensen, also commented: “SD is proud to partner with ForeFlight to provide this capability within their platform. We look forward to a continued relationship focused on our shared goal of improving the customer experience and creating better tools for business aviation operators.”
ForeFlight customers who subscribe to Performance Flight Planning services and file flight plans via ForeFlight can start the PDC activation process for their aircraft by contacting success@foreflight.com. Once activated, customers that file via ForeFlight will begin receiving PDC and D-ATIS messages as early as 30 minutes before departure, reducing preflight preparation time and reducing the risk of delays.
To learn more about PDC through ForeFlight and to see the list of more than 70 airports where PDC is available, visit www.foreflight.com/pdc.
PDC and D-ATIS are included – at no additional charge – in ForeFlight’s Performance Plus and Business Performance plans. To learn more about Performance Flight Planning, visit www.foreflight.com/performance.