FF DYNAMIC PROCEDURES

[Fly Boomer]

Just got an email from ForeFlight announcing Dynamic Procedures. For those of you that know both systems, is that the same as the new thing from Garmin?

[Jackk]

https://foreflight.com/spotlight/summer25
 

 

[Rick Junkin]

3 hours ago, Fly Boomer said:

Just got an email from ForeFlight announcing Dynamic Procedures. For those of you that know both systems, is that the same as the new thing from Garmin?

Yes indeed, both EFBs now have (or will have in the case of Foreflight) their own solutions to simplifying the display of approach information and lightening pilot workload. The main difference I've observed so far, aside from the obvious differences in implementation, is Foreflight is leaning on their existing Procedure Advisor for SIDs and STARs and will look to incorporate them in the Dynamic Procedures function at a later date. Garmin Pilot has SIDs, STARs and approaches all available in SmartCharts from the get go. And of course SmartCharts is available now and Dynamic Procedures won't be available until some time after Air Venture.

I think this is going to be another case where folks will be happy with the implementation in their current EFB of choice. One may be more elegant than the other, but the key will be whether they both provide similar ease of use and reduction in workload.

This feels like a "yeah, but..." marketing response from Foreflight to the release of SmartCharts in GP. Dynamic Procedures must have been in work but didn't make the timeline to release before the Big Show. According to the announcement they will be demonstrating it at Air Venture but the webinar for the rest of us won't be until August. I think they realized that a lot of us were looking at the SmartCharts capability as a scale-tipper in favor of moving from Foreflight to Garmin Pilot and had to get this out to hopefully preserve market share. Now folks will be able to go to the Garmin tent and play with SmartCharts and then go to the Foreflight tent and play with Dynamic Procedures to do a direct comparison before making a decision whether to jump ship. Hopefully for Foreflight they've matured the software to the point where they don't have any glitches during their demonstrations, assuming customer free-play will be permitted.

I for one will be looking for feedback from those of you who will be at Air Venture and have a chance to see this in action. Thanks in advance.

[PeteMc]

Apparently FF has been working on this for a while and there were some people test flying it for them last year.  But I guess Garmin beat them too the release.  Maybe they knew they'd both be releasing their versions of the updated Procedures at OSH and Garmin wanted to be the ones out there first to be compared to. 

 

[hammdo]

The garmin pilot split screen is nice with smart charts. I have both GP and FF and using both. FF has a lot I like, GP map with the radial menu is very nice along with SmartCharts. Smart charts presentation is extremely good.

I’m guessing FF soon to be sale hasn’t slowed down features…

-Don

[daytonabch04]

3 hours ago, Rick Junkin said:

Yes indeed, both EFBs now have (or will have in the case of Foreflight) their own solutions to simplifying the display of approach information and lightening pilot workload. The main difference I've observed so far, aside from the obvious differences in implementation, is Foreflight is leaning on their existing Procedure Advisor for SIDs and STARs and will look to incorporate them in the Dynamic Procedures function at a later date. Garmin Pilot has SIDs, STARs and approaches all available in SmartCharts from the get go. And of course SmartCharts is available now and Dynamic Procedures won't be available until some time after Air Venture.

I think this is going to be another case where folks will be happy with the implementation in their current EFB of choice. One may be more elegant than the other, but the key will be whether they both provide similar ease of use and reduction in workload.

This feels like a "yeah, but..." marketing response from Foreflight to the release of SmartCharts in GP. Dynamic Procedures must have been in work but didn't make the timeline to release before the Big Show. According to the announcement they will be demonstrating it at Air Venture but the webinar for the rest of us won't be until August. I think they realized that a lot of us were looking at the SmartCharts capability as a scale-tipper in favor of moving from Foreflight to Garmin Pilot and had to get this out to hopefully preserve market share. Now folks will be able to go to the Garmin tent and play with SmartCharts and then go to the Foreflight tent and play with Dynamic Procedures to do a direct comparison before making a decision whether to jump ship. Hopefully for Foreflight they've matured the software to the point where they don't have any glitches during their demonstrations, assuming customer free-play will be permitted.

I for one will be looking for feedback from those of you who will be at Air Venture and have a chance to see this in action. Thanks in advance.

I have FF beta and just downloaded it with the Dynamic Procedures.  Hopefully tomorrow I can go knock out an approach or two and try it out before I make the trek on up to Oshkosh.

 

[daytonabch04]

Here’s what it looks like…

[Fly Boomer]

6 hours ago, Rick Junkin said:

I for one will be looking for feedback from those of you who will be at Air Venture and have a chance to see this in action. Thanks in advance.

Nice summary.  Thanks!

[Fly Boomer]

2 hours ago, daytonabch04 said:

Here’s what it looks like…

I guess I'm going to need a bigger iPad or better glasses...

[midlifeflyer]

4 hours ago, daytonabch04 said:

Here’s what it looks like…

 

In the FWIW Department… 

I’ve looked at it too. Glad you took that screenshot.  I don’t have the same initial reaction to this that I had to the SmartCharts. It adds a lot of clutter. 

I do like the idea of the pictorial view of breaking out, but if the sidebar is intended ti be an enhanced briefing strip to be slid away when complete, why the disclaimer? If I have to “verify with chart” anyway, I’m not sure what value it adds.

[good2eat]

1 hour ago, midlifeflyer said:

 

In the FWIW Department… 

I’ve looked at it too. Glad you took that screenshot.  I don’t have the same initial reaction to this that I had to the SmartCharts. It adds a lot of clutter. 

I do like the idea of the pictorial view of breaking out, but if the sidebar is intended ti be an enhanced briefing strip to be slid away when complete, why the disclaimer? If I have to “verify with chart” anyway, I’m not sure what value it adds.

My initial thought - to my eye way too much going on to consider it simplifying.

[Pinecone]

One big thing I don't see versus Smart Charts is the geotagging on the Profile view.

[midlifeflyer]

53 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

One big thing I don't see versus Smart Charts is the geotagging on the Profile view.

It doesn't show in the screen shot above, but that profile view at the top is geotagged. 

[Pinecone]

Awesome, but strange that they don't mention it.

Also, just watched the short video and checked the text again, and several places the seem to imply it only is for Jepp charts.

 

[daytonabch04]

59 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

One big thing I don't see versus Smart Charts is the geotagging on the Profile view.

Yes, I took this on the ground and not actually flying…location/plane will show on the top profile.

[Rick Junkin]

7 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

Awesome, but strange that they don't mention it.

Also, just watched the short video and checked the text again, and several places the seem to imply it only is for Jepp charts.

 

I had the same question and found the answer in the FAQs. While the Dynamic Procedures are based on Jepp data, you don't need a Jepp subscription.

[NickG]

While I'm happy to see that FF is continuing its feature upgrades, I have to say, the Dynamic Procedures looks like a hot mess.

[midlifeflyer]

36 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

Awesome, but strange that they don't mention it.

Also, just watched the short video and checked the text again, and several places the seem to imply it only is for Jepp charts.

 

No, it's not just for Jepp charts. I thought so at first too, but saw some FAQs to indicate that the information is from the Jepp NavData, which FF uses, but it works fine with the FAA charts or with no charts displayed at all.

Here's what it looks like with everything on during an approach. (See what I mean by "cluttered"?) The chart is the FAA chart. You'll see the aircraft in the profile view and that both the profile and the sidebar magenta follow the approach.

 

[midlifeflyer]

BTW, the profile has two views. Just above the view you see the icon symbol for the route, which is selected. Next to it is an APR icon, which I forgot to enable. This is on the ground now , but you can see that when APR is enabled, it drills down to a display that is a little more helpful for the approach.

[dkkim73]

I like the 3D visual feature (in theory, I haven't used this yet). Might be particularly nice flying into a new place. 

As for clutter, I suppose it partly depends on how configurable it is, how intuitive, and how easy to "get it out of the way". 

The Garmin product is actually very lean. Almost too lean at times. I find myself flipping back to the FAA charts along the way (maybe just a security blanket ;))

[Ragsf15e]

I’m having a hard time seeing how these are better than seeing your little airplane georeferenced on the actual approach plate (with source data clearly visible)?  Admittedly, Ive been doing this a long time and am relatively set in my ways…. For me it feels like a solution in search of a problem?

[M20F]

Less is more, why I like the G5. 

[midlifeflyer]

2 hours ago, dkkim73 said:

As for clutter, I suppose it partly depends on how configurable it is, how intuitive, and how easy to "get it out of the way"

Sidebar, chart, and vertical profile are toggles. 

[Pinecone]

On 7/18/2025 at 12:38 PM, Rick Junkin said:

I had the same question and found the answer in the FAQs. While the Dynamic Procedures are based on Jepp data, you don't need a Jepp subscription.

I watched a longer video and they showed them using both NOS and Jepp charts.

Not sure it is quite as slick as GP Smart Charts, but still a big step forward

[toto]

32 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

I watched a longer video and they showed them using both NOS and Jepp charts.

Not sure it is quite as slick as GP Smart Charts, but still a big step forward

I’m hoping that Aviation Consumer or someone will do a long form side-by-side YouTube review of SmartCharts vs Dynamic Procedures. 

Based purely on the name, SmartCharts is clearly the better product

”Dynamic Procedures” is a mouthful, and I’d have no idea what you were talking about if I had no context. Sounds like a new FAA policy for traffic flow.