ForeFlight Mobile HD 4 is available for download today in the iTunes App Store! This release takes ForeFlight forward in delightful ways and lays the groundwork for brilliant features to come in 2011.
As we developed version 4, we set out these goals and themes:
- Add airspace and A/FD data: provide the chart margin data and make the airport pages of the “green” A/FDs accessible. Provide this information in an interesting way. Include airspace information, MOA operating hours and frequencies, tower hours, and more.
- Improve instrument plate organization and productivity: make it simple for both VFR and IFR pilots to organize sets of plates and airport diagrams for trips or practice sessions, and make switching between a plate, airport details page, or map simple.
- Improve the way pilots interact with the map: allow a pilot to tap anywhere on the map for information on airspace, MOAs, alert and warning areas, or airports.
- Radically improve the navigation log: provide the pilot more inflight intelligence about trip progress and allow customization of the dashboard/HUD to show desired trip information like ETEs, ETAs, course information, or other important stats (taking the route being flown into account). Auto-sequence waypoints and visually distinguish previous, current, and future trip legs. Make the new navlog and dashboard design smart and sexy.
- Introduce personal waypoints: give the backcountry pilot, a Gulf helicopter pilot, or CFI flying to the practice area the ability to add custom waypoints and use them in flight plans. Let the pilot configure waypoints from the map or import their own database of waypoints.
- Performance, performance, performance: make everything faster and smoother.
- Make ForeFlight Mobile HD 4 a platform for the future: put the plumbing in place for the big features we plan to release in 2011 and cut ties with older, slower technology.
Integrated FAA A/FD
There’s just some airport information that is only available in those green A/FDs, so we decided to include them. Now appearing on an airports page is a new segment titled “A/FD”. Click that and you’ll see the relevant page for that airport from the FAA’s A/FD. If the airport is big enough to have warranted multiple pages in the book, simply swipe left or right to get to the next page.
All New Navlog
The new navlog design is sexy, sexy, sexy. Pilots have written in frequently asking “how hard is it to include ETE and ETA!”. Well, ETE and ETA are not hard to compute. However, taking the route and active leg into account and, more importantly, displaying that information in ForeFlight style took a bit of extra chiseling.
Now available from the Maps page is a new, wider navlog that shows important metrics like summary trip information, leg times and distances remaining, and ETA. Current leg is shown in black, previous legs are faded, and you can fly a leg or fly direct to a waypoint by tapping the new arrow button shown on each leg.
Configurable Dashboard
“Make it so that I can configure my dashboard”. Done! Tap on any of the blocks in the dashboard and select the instrument you want displayed. You can choose from fifteen different instrument types, including ETE to waypoint and destination, ETA to waypoint and destination, cross-track error, bearing to next waypoint or destination, Zulu time, GPS Accuracy, and more.
Interactive Map with Airspace Information
Need to know what airspace you are coming up on or if that MOA is active? Tap within an airspace boundary or special use airspace like a MOA, warning, alert, or prohibited area and all the required details are displayed. Want to know the details of that airport ahead? Simply tap on the airport and a popover is displayed with the airport information and a button to hop to that Airport’s details.
Plates Binders
The new Plates tab on the iPad makes it simple for both VFR and IFR pilots to organize sets of plates and airport diagrams for trips or practice sessions. Easily add new plates to your binder from the Plates tab or when viewing a plate from Airports. Search for plates by keywords, like “KMIA ILS”. Create multiple binders to store your trips and easily toggle between them.
Personal Waypoints
Flying in the backcountry, Alaska, Africa, Gulf of Mexico, or even to the local practice area often means flying to places that aren’t specifically marked on a sectional or enroute chart. With the new personal waypoints feature, you can import a large set of waypoints from a text file or use the map to add a waypoint for any location you touch. Give that personal waypoint a name and you can include it in your route search. Download the Pilot’s Guide for instructions.
Video
We’ve made a short video that goes over the new additions and shows a quick demo of it in action.
Get it Today!
ForeFlight Mobile HD 4 is a big step forward, providing more information and content than ever before, more ways to improve productivity and organize your materials before a flight, a new navlog and configurable dashboard for monitoring progress, and even more performance and stability. All of our screenshots show the iPad, but these great new features are available on the iPhone version, too. The only exception is the Plates tab, which is only available on the iPad due to screen size requirements.
ForeFlight Mobile HD 4 is a free update for existing subscribers. Click here to learn how to update your app.
For new users, ForeFlight Mobile HD 4 is a free download from the App Store and comes with a 30 day trial.
Thanks for making ForeFlight part of your flight bag and enjoy the update!
