Foreflight 8

[211º]

Just loaded Foreflight 8 on my iPad.  They have a new view titled "aero" which is crazy clean and useful if the iPad is mounted just a little too far away (shows aviation related data, but not "everything" - kind of a cross of LowLevel IFR and VFR charts).

The zooming into an airport reveals runways, taxiways, and FBOs is very useful - a large improvement to situational awareness with quick, easy interpretation. 

This will be another "add" to processing of realtime, inflight data. I still think that the way that we are able to navigate now (as opposed to even just 5 years ago) is almost simply cheating.

[Ned Gravel]

Got it as well today.  Have to pay more for the "aeronautical" chart facility but it is hands down better than it was.  

I will be home from Southeast Asia this Sunday and I will be flying some local approaches by Tuesday.  On Thursday it is off to Manchester, NH for the Mooney PPP.

Can't wait.  

[cnoe]

We've been asking for charts that show upright text on the map when in "track forward" mode. Foreflight comes through.

There will be some glitches and learning pains but they will likely improve on this moving forward.

Good job guys!

[211º]

Just now, cnoe said:

We've been asking for charts that show upright text on the map when in "track forward" mode. Foreflight comes through.

I must have missed this in the videos.  Wow - that is huge.

[yvesg]

When you upgrade, do you need to download all maps again?

Yves

[Cyril Gibb]

I downloaded v8 and have a grayed out aeronautical map selection on the list.  I'm currently subscribed to US and Canada pro.  Am I missing something to get those new charts ?

 

[211º]

When you upgrade, do you need to download all maps again?

Yves

It didn't seem so. Didn't take much more than downloading the new app.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[slowflyin]

1 hour ago, Cyril Gibb said:

I downloaded v8 and have a grayed out aeronautical map selection on the list.  I'm currently subscribed to US and Canada pro.  Am I missing something to get those new charts ?

 

 

You must upgrade to pro plus.

[TheTurtle]

so kind of like the default view in Garmin Pilot...

Im getting a little annoyed with FF package scatter.  I have Pro +SV which costs me $25 a year less than Pro Plus which would have included the logbook feature I dont use.  Now it seems to get all the maps Ill have to upgrade to ProPlus.

From Reddit here's some gripes about the new view.

Airspace bottoms/tops on map.

Class E is completely missing.

There's no topo on the default map. If you add topo you lose city boundaries. There's no rivers, roads, or railway lines. If you enjoy flying visually at all the map is useless.

There's no way to see frequency boxes on the map or pin airport frequencies to the map. Everything is now at least a tap away. Good luck if you just need to know if a runway is left or right pattern.

Want to know anything about an airport in a pinch? Sorry you've got to tap, scroll, tap.

Want to avoid flying over a wildlife area? Good luck.

[midlifeflyer]

1 hour ago, TheTurtle said:

Im getting a little annoyed with FF package scatter.  I have Pro +SV which costs me $25 a year less than Pro Plus which would have included the logbook feature I dont use.  Now it seems to get all the maps Ill have to upgrade to ProPlus.

From Reddit here's some gripes about the new view.

From the discussions I've seen on various forums, it's the usual breakdown:

• Folks who like it
• Folks who don't like the new maps
• Folks who think the new maps are OK but not worth the upgrade price
• Folks who see this as another example of let's say, "interesting" pricing

I'm kind of in the same group as you. I also have Pro + SV and have no desire for that logbook. 

My biggest gripe against ForeFlight's pricing structure is the need for "Pro" to get some very basic functionality. Where others will base pricing on VFR vs IFR use (which makes a lot of sense to me), ForeFlight sets up its packages without much regard to that. My prime example is georeferenced airport diagrams. With the FAA harping on incursions for 10-15 years now, it's easy to see how important those diagrams are for any pilot. Yet a VFR private pilot VFR needs to buy Pro (double the cost) to get a very basic safety feature, along with georeferenced instrument approach plates he probably could care less about having.

But what the heck, I don't see ForeFlight losing any market share over this. I have some very inexpensive options for other apps (that I think are very good) with CFI deals but I just like the way FF works so I stick with it. I may even go for the new maps although, from the videos, they seem a lot like the type of vector maps on MFDs like the Avidyne and Garmin G1000 and I was never too impressed with the view compared with a good old sectional. And since I'm north-up on my iPad, the upside down text issue just isn;t that important to me. I'll probably wait and see...

[Marauder]

You guys have pictures of these new features?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Cyril Gibb]

6 hours ago, slowflyin said:

You must upgrade to pro plus.

Ah... o.k.

I took a look at the new maps.  Not any obvious improvement for me.  I'll stick with the pro minus plus.

[midlifeflyer]

8 hours ago, Marauder said:

You guys have pictures of these new features?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

ForeFlight has a YouTube video showing them off.

Actually the best feature (to me) in this update is one I haven't seen mentioned - the replacement of the icon that toggles the flight planning window on the map page with the letters FPL.

[Guitarmaster]

I just upgraded. It's ok. The maps are like a MFD. You can still use sectionals if you wish or both at the same time.

It essentially declutters the display. It's mostly useful for IFR flight.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Guitarmaster]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bradp]

I do wish they had a better "a la carte" pricing system.  I'm in the camp that has no interest in the logbook or document cloud features and had Pro with SV.  

It is a tremendous value overall (costs less than sectionals), but given heir main competitor includes this as a base map, it's a little disappointing that the version change is an upgrade feature and not something fundamental to the app. 

They got me to reluctantly spend another 30 bucks/year.  Mostly because I hate to look at information less IFR low enroutes and I wanted something that would be better for night flight (dim and full of information) compared to the current setup.  As the two competitors merge in terms of feature sets, I'd be willing to give the other a go if I wasn't married to a stratus. 

Missing from this feature is textual information such as airspace ceilings and floors and airway altitudes.  Unfortunately this new maps system still requires toggling between the low en route or sectional charts, which is done easily, but is still required.  

I'll give a PIREP after I fly with it this weekend.   

Without the terrain map overlay: 

Edit: airway MEAs are there you just have to zoom in a bit. 

 

[BDPetersen]

I would like to see (and maybe it exists but I'm not smart enough how to do it) an altitude optimizer to account for best wind/altitude for each leg segment. Seems like I had that in previous flight planners.

[Guitarmaster]

I would like the ability to zoom the metars and tafs. My eyeballs don't seem to operate as efficiently as they used to.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Marauder]

It is interesting to see these apps evolve. Garmin Pilot has something called "dynamic maps". Looks like these new FF features.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Marauder]

I would like the ability to zoom the metars and tafs. My eyeballs don't seem to operate as efficiently as they used to.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Like this?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Marauder]

I do wish they had a better "a la carte" pricing system.  I'm in the camp that has no interest in the logbook or document cloud features and had Pro with SV.  

It is a tremendous value overall (costs less than sectionals), but given heir main competitor includes this as a base map, it's a little disappointing that the version change is an upgrade feature and not something fundamental to the app. 

They got me to reluctantly spend another 30 bucks/year.  Mostly because I hate to look at information less IFR low enroutes and I wanted something that would be better for night flight (dim and full of information) compared to the current setup.  As the two competitors merge in terms of feature sets, I'd be willing to give the other a go if I wasn't married to a stratus. 

Missing from this feature is textual information such as airspace ceilings and floors and airway altitudes.  Unfortunately this new maps system still requires toggling between the low en route or sectional charts, which is done easily, but is still required.  

I'll give a PIREP after I fly with it this weekend.   

Without the terrain map overlay: 

Edit: airway MEAs are there you just have to zoom in a bit. 

 

Garmin Pilot's solution to the airspace altitudes. Only available in split screen mode.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[midlifeflyer]

10 hours ago, BDPetersen said:

I would like to see (and maybe it exists but I'm not smart enough how to do it) an altitude optimizer to account for best wind/altitude for each leg segment. Seems like I had that in previous flight planners.

Tap the atitude button - the one with the altitude number on the lower left of the flight planning window on the map page. (Sorry for the two graphics. I tried to delete the second one)

 

 

[midlifeflyer]

6 hours ago, Marauder said:

Like this?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Probably not. Foreflight does that also in pretty much the same way. He may be thinking in terms of the way FlyQ has a super-zoom, although it takes a few taps to get there.  The smaller METAR below the big one is about the size of the METAR in Pilot and Foreflight.

 

 

[BDPetersen]

I'm aware of the altitude advisor, but my wish was for altitude/wind advice on each segment of a trip. Over, say, a 400nm trip the 1st 200 miles may be under significantly different wind conditions than the last. I remembering that Flightsoft was able to give that guidance.

[gsengle]

Dynamic glide and fuel range rings would be nice...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk