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Density Altitude: The Secret Killer
Now that the warm season is approaching, pilots need to start planning for the secret killer, namely, density altitude. In fact, density altitude (DA) is perhaps just as hazardous as airframe icing. In an NTSB study, density altitude contributed to just as many accidents as icing shown in the pie chart below. To be fair, some of the accidents in the NTSB…
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Forecasting for the Terminal Area is Incredibly Difficult
Perhaps the most difficult forecast any meteorologist has to issue is a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast or TAF. They are the most detailed aviation forecast made available to pilots and they will be around for a long time to come. The terminal area is quite small; it is officially defined as “the area within five statute miles of the center…
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Icing and Turbulence Products Now Approved for Operational Decisions
If you have ever used the Current and Forecast Icing Products (CIP and FIP) or the Graphical Turbulence Guidance (GTG) product available in ForeFlight or on the Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS) website, you may have noticed a disclaimer at the top of the image like the one shown below. Essentially, FAA policy prohibited pilots…
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We’ve refined the Internet radar color bar
Of all of the weather layers available on the ForeFlight Maps view, the radar mosaic is likely the most frequently viewed. With such a high glance value, even the most inexperienced pilot can quickly identify where the significant adverse weather is located and plot to avoid it. This is because radar reflectivity (or the amount…
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Synthetic Vision and Forecast Weather Guidance with MOS in ForeFlight Mobile 6.6
ForeFlight Mobile 6.6 is now available for download on the app store. Synthetic Vision Advances ForeFlight Mobile’s Hazard Awareness Platform We are thrilled to announce that Synthetic Vision plans are available on the iPad with ForeFlight Mobile version 6.6 or later and are available for United States and Canada coverages. ForeFlight Mobile Basic + Synthetic…
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ForeFlight Mobile Expands Forecast Weather Guidance with MOS
What is MOS? No, it’s not that green stuff that may grow in your garden. But you will find MOS in the latest release of ForeFlight Mobile. MOS stands for Model Output Statistics. As the name suggests, MOS is derived from the output of weather prediction models developed and run by research meteorologists at NOAA.…
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PIREPs: Not Just For Pilots
Pilot weather reports or more simply PIREPs are not just a private conversation between you and a Flight Watch specialist – they are a broadcast to the world. As such, PIREPs are not only consumed by fellow pilots, but they are essential to many other stakeholders in aviation. This includes air traffic controllers, dispatchers and weather forecasters.…
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Cold-air Damming Event East of Appalachians
The new color-enhanced satellite layer in the ForeFlight Mobile app typically provides an excellent representation of the overall cloud cover. This morning, however, it wasn’t telling the whole story as an early December cold-air damming event took control of the airspace east of the Appalachian Mountains. In these events, cool, dense air gets wedged up against the…
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Flight Notifications and NOTAM Advisor Deliver Superior Awareness of Conditions Affecting Your Flight
As you well know, the wall-of-text preflight weather briefing we receive from the FAA has not changed all that much over the last several decades. We believe in a better way to deliver this information that is more targeted, easier to digest, and will help you stay better informed on every flight. With ForeFlight Mobile…
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ForeFlight Mobile 6.0 Now Available On The App Store
ForeFlight Mobile 6 is now available for download from the App Store. This release is full of new features and sets the stage for even more to come. This update brings a refined interface throughout the app, a new Profile view, additions to flight plan filing capabilities, enhancements to Stratus, and more. Please note this update…
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