ForeFlight Features Are Popular Among Bizav Pilots

Since launching Dynamic Procedures in early August, the take-up rate of the new feature among business aviation users of ForeFlight’s electronic flight bag has exceeded all expectations. ForeFlight demonstrated the new approach procedures at EAA AirVenture Oshkoksh in July, and Dynamic Procedures went live shortly afterwards.

NBAA-BACE will be the first business aviation-focused show where ForeFlight is demonstrating Dynamic Procedures and get feedback from early adopters, according to product marketing manager Simpson Bennett. He initially expected the business aviation take-up rate to be slower because most flight operations have formal workflows, standard operating procedures, and other constraints that could require some extra work to incorporate such a change.

“They’ve exceeded any kind of expectation,” he said. “We’ve been very happy with that [and] have heard great feedback.” Dynamic Procedures are just for the U.S. and Canada, but ForeFlight is looking to make them available in other countries, according to Bennett.

Dynamic Procedures are just one of the recent changes to the ForeFlight Mobile app, although it is a major update to how pilots interact with terminal procedures. Also on tap for BACE visitors is helping them learn about ForeFlight’s runway analysis tool, which is seeing further additions of aircraft and airport engine-out procedures.

Runway analysis allows pilots to fly with the maximum payload possible while meeting terrain- and obstacle-clearance requirements in case of loss of one engine during the takeoff phase of flight. Based on feedback from users, ForeFlight is developing more features for the engine-out procedures. Bennett said, “We're working on on some updates. I don't have a timeframe of when they might be available.”

ForeFlight’s graphical weight-and-balance tool is also gaining in popularity. “We’re hearing more and more it’s just an easier way of inputting data,” he said. This is especially true when a pilot is faced with that all-too-common situation where the passengers show up with extra luggage or even extra people, and the weight and balance needs to be recalculated. “That throws you for a loop on your weight-and-balance figures,” he said.

While some pilots still aren’t comfortable using ForeFlight for international flight planning, the mobile app and Dispatch service are quite capable, especially in European airspace. “If you're flying to Europe, we do the validation for you,” Bennett said. ForeFlight will also populate routes that have been cleared and based on the user’s parameters, then tag it as Eurocontrol-approved. Additionally, the company can help with Electronic Advance Passenger Information System integration for customers returning to the U.S.

ForeFlight’s international trip support is another feature that not all business aviation users are aware of, but that is changing, according to Bennett. “We're seeing a lot of operators that are asking about our trip support, whether it’s contracted full-time operational support or just one-off trips that they do maybe one or two times. Whether it's it's our Dispatch solution or our trip-support service, the reason why our customers are coming to us is because of the ecosystem.”

Future features include cockpit sharing of the active navlog. “It creates a master log for the active navlog,” he said, “and it will better enable the crewmembers to collaborate on one navlog, as opposed to dedicating one iPad to oceanic plotting and that sort of thing.” Another coming feature is automatically adding alternate airports into binders containing all the associated charts.