Nearly every industry utilizes automation in some way. In healthcare, algorithms analyze diagnostic images to detect potential concerns that human eyes might miss. Financial institutions leverage automated systems to flag unusual transactions that could indicate fraud. And in aviation, operators and flight departments increasingly rely on intelligent automation and custom operational rules to validate flight plans, ensure they’re as efficient and safe as possible, and create an invisible safety net around your operation.
For example, imagine your team is planning a flight from Teterboro, NJ, to Biggin Hill, England (EGKB). Using ForeFlight Dispatch, your planners select Biggin Hill as the destination, and the system automatically increases the fuel policy beyond standard reserves. Why? Because your operations leadership previously set up a rule to account for unexpected holding patterns around the notoriously congested London Heathrow airspace.
Later, when ATC instructed your flight crew to hold for an extended period, what could have turned into a low-fuel situation became business as usual. An automatic rule—quietly working in the background— accounted for the delay, helping the flight stay on course without added risk or workload.
Hidden operational risks
Despite the benefits of automation in aviation, many operations remain resistant to changing how things have always been done. However, manual planning subtly introduces risk, especially in high-pressure environments.
Shifting airspace restrictions
One particularly vulnerable aspect of flight planning is rerouting due to airspace closures. A route that was perfectly valid yesterday might cross into a new conflict zone today, pass through the area of a recent rocket “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” or enter a newly activated TFR for VIP movement. The fast-changing nature of global airspace means crews and flight planners must continually monitor for updates that could invalidate previously approved routes.
Weather
Weather adds another layer of complexity. What starts as a clear-sky day can rapidly deteriorate into severe conditions, requiring new fuel strategies, alternate airports, and sometimes complete rerouting. Without automation monitoring the situation in real-time, planners rely on periodic manual checks to ensure conditions remain within operational minimums, and if they don't, they have to manually adjust the route to a suitable alternative airport.
Human factors
In many operations, planners wear multiple hats—flight planning, passenger coordination, and even maintenance coordination. This spreads attention thin and creates an environment conducive to errors. Even the most seasoned team is vulnerable to fatigue, especially during busy seasons when operations extend beyond “normal” hours.
Time pressure
Time pressure may pose the greatest threat across all types of operations. Business aviation thrives on flexibility and responsiveness, but those strengths come at a cost. When a principal requests a destination change minutes before departure, flight planners must recalculate everything, including routes, fuel, alternates, and performance, while the pilots wait on the ramp and passengers grow impatient. In these scenarios, corners can be cut, and critical safety checks overlooked.
Real consequences
Planning errors aren't just hypothetical. At best, passengers experience delays, diversions, or service lapses. At worst, overlooked details like inadequate fuel planning or mismatched performance data can become links in a chain of events leading to an incident or accident. Even the most benign omission or error can have meaningful consequences.
The automation solution
Automation protects against these risks by acting as a persistent, impartial assistant. Rule-based validation systems never suffer from fatigue, never cut corners, and continuously monitor for changing conditions. These tools don’t replace human expertise; they complement it, freeing flight planners and pilots to focus on nuanced decisions that require human judgment.
Building automation in ForeFlight Dispatch
Rule-based verification in ForeFlight Dispatch is simple: define operational rules that align with your standard operating procedures (SOPs), and the system automatically applies them when your flight plan meets those parameters.
When a flight plan falls outside your set parameters, a warning will appear informing you that an operational rule has not been applied.
Types of rules and automation
SOP enforcement: Configure ForeFlight Dispatch to enforce your specific standard operating procedures (SOPs). These might include:
- Required fuel reserves based on a particular route or destination airport
- Avoiding a certain FIR(s)
- Using a custom weight and balance profile for specific tail numbers
Aircraft performance limitations: Automatically check that the aircraft operates within its performance envelope based on the current conditions.
- Maximum takeoff and landing weight
- Runway length requirements based on weather and conditions
- Cruise altitude capabilities
The dual benefit where safety meets efficiency
Today’s high-pressure environments demand safety and speed. Automation in ForeFlight Dispatch enables operations to stop choosing between the two, ensuring a higher margin of safety and passenger satisfaction.
Enhanced safety through consistency
Human performance naturally varies from day to day. However, automation stays consistent regardless of how hard it works. It applies the same rigorous standards to every flight, regardless of time, workload, or staffing changes. This eliminates variability and ensures that every flight plan meets the same meticulous standard.
A recurring theme in NTSB accident reports is the way small oversights compound. Automated systems create multiple layers of protection against those oversights by flagging potential issues before they become problems. If an altitude doesn’t match the aircraft’s performance limits, or if fuel calculations don't account for unexpected holding patterns, these systems catch discrepancies before they become problems.
Efficiency compounds exponentially when your operation leverages intelligent rules and automation with ForeFlight Dispatch. Flight planners spend significantly less time on repetitive tasks, allowing flight plans to be built, filed, and released to your crew more quickly.
An invisible safety net with visible results
Oftentimes, the most effective safety measures are the ones you never notice. Turning your SOPs into rules and automations within Dispatch creates an invisible safety net around your operation that continuously protects your flight crews and passengers.
For flight departments still relying on manual verification or disconnected systems that require duplicate data entry, integrating ForeFlight Dispatch and intelligent operational rules into your workflow is a shift towards safer and more efficient flight operations.
Aviation has always been an industry that must balance safety with efficiency. The safest operations require strict SOPs to protect the flight crew and passengers, but efficiency can be impacted when manual checks and balances are required. With today’s technology and intelligent automation, you don’t have to choose, your operation can have both.
By using ForeFlight Dispatch and letting technology handle the repetitive tasks, your flight planners can focus on what they do best—handling complex situations where human experience truly matters.
In an industry that values safety and efficiency, why continue doing things manually when it’s no longer necessary?