ForeFlight has added new features for helicopter operators to its iPad/iPhone app and is demonstrating these and other details this week at Heli-Expo (Booth 8625). Among the new capabilities are “advanced weather tools, briefing, filing, custom content, and powerful hazard awareness features,” according to the company. ForeFlight is also giving away a Sentry portable ADS-B In receiver each day at the show.
Flight operations can create custom content containing important information and share mission-critical files with flight crews using ForeFlight’s Documents and Files system. Documents can be organized in Cloud Documents, and they are then accessible by iPad and iPhone users. In the Flights section of ForeFlight, files can be attached, viewed, and annotated “to keep all resources related to a flight in a single, easily accessible location,” according to ForeFlight.
With custom content, pilots can click on a heliport or waypoint associated with the information to view, for example, a landing zone database that can include PDFs containing images and text. ForeFlight said this feature is ideal for firefighting, mountain flying, law enforcement, disaster relief, search and rescue, survey work, and other missions. Additional custom content can include georeferenced procedure plates, static raster charts, and vector maps.
The 3D Preview and 3D Airports features in ForeFlight allow pilots to preview a route in the app, helping to visualize runway and obstacle lighting and obstacles. Profile View has been enhanced and includes terrain, obstacles, airspace, and forecast weather layers.
Search-and-rescue missions, survey flights, and other types of operations can benefit from ForeFlight’s ground track and breadcrumb features. Users can also add markers on a route for later sharing and perusal. Address databases for U.S. states are downloadable so they can be accessed without a connection to the internet.