Soaring through the final days of 2023, we’ve taken a moment to reflect on the features that have defined the year at ForeFlight. In 2023, the spotlight was on innovation and enhanced capabilities and we’re excited to recap and celebrate some of the most noteworthy improvements.
ForeFlight launched on Apple Watch in July, adding a new dimension of convenience and enabling users to experience the full suite of ForeFlight’s powerful aviation tools and features right on their wrists. ForeFlight on Apple Watch makes it easy to quickly check essential information for your flight, including current weather conditions and forecasts as well as airport frequencies, runways, and NOTAMs.
Safety & Situational Awareness Enhancements
Safety is at the center of everything we do at ForeFlight, and this year, we’ve taken situational awareness to new heights. Stay informed and secure during your flight with the latest improvements to Profile View and Profile Corridor. Easily see the highest hazards near each leg of your route with Profile Corridor by enabling either Profile View or Hazard Advisor to activate the corridor. Profile View also displays terrain and obstacle strikes more clearly with red X markers, making it easier to identify potential hazards.
We also introduced Controlled Airspace Alerts to help pilots around the world fly more easily in and around complex controlled airspace with visual and auditory warnings as they approach, enter, and exit controlled airspace. These timely notifications help you stay aware of your surroundings, promoting more informed decision-making at every step. We enhanced Controlled Airspace Alerts further by adding frequencies to these alerts, providing immediate visual access to relevant radio frequencies.
The addition of Aircraft on Runway Alerts, powered by any live ADS-B or FLARM traffic source, provides critical alerts during final approach when an aircraft is present on your runway or approaching the runway you’re currently on.
June featured the introduction of ADS-B Traffic Breadcrumbs, allowing you to check the recent flight paths of nearby aircraft to see which runways or procedures are in use, better anticipate where an approaching aircraft is likely heading, and check for busy traffic patterns.
Map & Data Enhancements: Elevating Your Planning & Routing
This year ForeFlight took your flying experience to new heights with map and data enhancements. We worked to improve rendering speed and data presentation, ensuring a seamless and intuitive navigation experience. We added a new Radar layer that is less pixelated and 3.5 minutes faster.
To enhance VFR routing and navigation we introduced interactive VFR Waypoints, including checkpoints and visual reporting points, for the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and South Africa and enhanced the functionality of existing VFR waypoints in Europe. Not only can you plan and fly with these waypoints in your route and Navlog, but you can also file flight plans and ForeFlight will automatically convert them to allowable lat/long coordinates.
Customization: Fly Your Way
While prioritizing efficiency and safety in every monthly advancement, we’ve also dedicated attention to enhancing the extent to which you can customize ForeFlight to your liking. A fan-favorite among these is the option to select a different Ownship Color, which combines with ForeFlight’s varied ownship markers modeled after dozens of real-life aircraft to allow endless flexibility.
We added the My Comments feature to the More menu, allowing you to conveniently view and manage all your airport and FBO comments – whether published, drafted, or rejected – all in one place. You can add airport comments by tapping the Comments button while viewing an airport, then toggle from Remarks to Comments and tap the + button, or add FBO comments using the Add Comment button while viewing an FBO’s details.
As we celebrate the close of 2023, we look forward to continuing our commitment to excellence, safety, and the joy of flying in the year to come. Happy Holidays and here’s to more flying!