ForeFlight 12.10 brings Cloud Coverage Forecasts, Traffic in 3D Airports, additional Mountain Peaks, and more.
Cloud Coverage Forecasts
Plan to steer clear of clouds at any altitude with the Clouds forecast weather layer. Cloud Coverage Forecasts is available as a map layer for Pro Plus, MFB Plus, and Business Performance plans and above, and it is integrated in Profile View and 3D Preview for Performance Plus subscription plans.
Clouds uses data from the GFS Cloud Coverage product to provide a global 24-hour forecast of cloud coverage and altitudes. Rather than forecasting the actual positions of clouds, this layer depicts the likely extent of cloud coverage over a given area at the specified time and altitude, with each shade of gray roughly corresponding to standard cloud coverage intensities: few, scattered, broken, and overcast.
Open the Maps view Layer Selector to find the Clouds layer just beneath the Icing and Turbulence layers. Like the other forecast layers, Clouds uses a time slider and altitude slider to view different forecast periods and altitudes.
Clouds in Profile View and 3D Preview
While the Cloud Coverage Forecast map layer is accessible to all Pro Plus subscribers and above, Performance Plus subscribers can view these forecasts from additional perspectives using Profile View and 3D Preview.
Tap the Profile View layer selector in the bottom-left of Profile View to enable Clouds. In Profile View, you can see forecasts at multiple altitudes at once, and combine it with either of the Icing and Turbulence layers for an even more informative view of weather along your route.
In 3D Preview, select the Clouds layer in the bottom-left to display forecasts at any altitude.
Tap the RTE button to only show forecasts at your planned altitude. Like other weather layers in 3D Preview, the status bar in the top-left indicates the forecast intensity at your current position and altitude, even while viewing forecasts at different altitudes using the altitude slider. Like other forecast layers you can download Clouds for offline reference by Packing before your flight.
3D Airport Traffic
Follow live approaches, landings, and takeoffs in 3D with FlightAware-sourced Internet Traffic in 3D Airports, available with Performance Plus and Business Performance subscription plans.
To display 3D Traffic, open any airport in 3D and tap the Layer Selector button in the bottom-left and tap Traffic. This layer uses the same FlightAware-sourced data as the overhead map’s Traffic layer.
Traffic targets appear as blue diamonds and display their altitude and tail number if nearby, becoming progressively smaller the further away they are. Tap on any traffic target to reveal its flight path from the time you opened 3D View or enabled the Traffic layer.
Since ForeFlight interpolates aircraft movement based on discontinuous position reports, an aircraft’s immediate flight path may appear to shift in response to new position data. 3D View will only show Internet Traffic, not ADS-B Traffic, so an internet connection is required to use it. Unlike the overhead map layer, 3D View does not depict ground traffic, although aircraft on the ground may still appear depending on their speed and other factors.
Additional Mountain Peak Markers
ForeFlight’s High Resolution Basemap displays more mountain peak markers near terminal areas and elsewhere for enhanced hazard awareness. Zooming the map into any terminal area will reveal all peaks and associated altitudes within 15nm of the airport, and zooming into any mountainous region will display a greater number of peaks as well.
Download the High Resolution Basemap for different regions around the world in More > Downloads. Enable mountain peaks in Map Settings (gear icon at the top of the Maps view) > Terrain > Peaks, Passes, and Cables.
Airport Terrain Information
Quickly get a sense of the terrain variations near an airport by tapping the new Terrain button in the Airport Summary view. The Terrain button appears just to the right of the airport’s taxiway thumbnail on the Airports view or in the airport popup elsewhere in the app. The button only appears for airports in mountainous areas to indicate the presence of major terrain features.
Tap the button to view the maximum and minimum terrain elevations within 10nm of the airport, as well as the airport elevation.
New Street & Aerial Map Styles
Both the Street Map and Aerial Map layers have improved styling to help you better identify features on the map. The Aerial Map has more prominent street and place labels, while the Street Map uses a new style that continues showing topographical information even at very high zoom levels. Both map layers require an internet connection to view.
