Radar tips

We’ve created a quick overview of the symbols shown on the radar and satellite views in ForeFlight Mobile and ForeFlight Weather.  Check it out if you’re wondering what those circular arrows mean!

Improvements to approach plates

Just a quick technical note about approach plates in ForeFlight Mobile 3 for this post.

We have recently made changes to reduce the file size of the plates.  These smaller plates are available in the Downloads view now – no software update required.

This change has quite a few benefits we hope our customers will enjoy:

• 3x smaller file size means:
  • 3x faster downloading
  • 3x faster installing
  • 1/3 the disk space needed
• Plates can be zoomed in further than before, making smaller parts of the approach easier to see
• Plates load and zoom in/out faster than before, especially on older iPhones

We will continue to make lots of little improvements like this as we move forward!  Every little detail counts!

ForeFlight and WDT Press Release

We’re excited about the things we’re doing with our new partner, WDT.  A press release covering the technology we collaborated on for ForeFlight Mobile 3 is available here.

Android Aviation: ForeFlight Weather 2.0 with Animated Radar and Satellite for Pilots

We’re proud to announce ForeFlight Weather 2.0, available exclusively on Google’s Android platform. Pilots will enjoy this new version with QICP-certified animated HD NEXRAD radar and satellite for airports in the United States.  ForeFlight Weather puts easy-to-use, worldwide weather reports and forecasts in the palm of your hand.

ForeFlight Weather 2.0 gives you smooth and efficient access to raw METARs and TAFs, translations, and winds aloft for airports around the world. Search by airport identifier and view weather information for thousands of airports. Just like in our iPhone apps, you can add “Favorites” for your frequent airports or view “Recents” to see your last searched airports. We also included our signature color coded indicators for current flight rules.

ForeFlight Weather 2.0 is available in the Android Market for $19.99. Android phones like the Verizon Droid, myTouch 3G, HTC Hero, and Motorola Milestone are available in the United States and worldwide.

ForeFlight Mobile 3 Takes Flight on the iPhone

We are proud to announce ForeFlight Mobile 3, the latest edition of our flagship pilot productivity and Preflight Intelligence™ app for iPhone and iPod.  ForeFlight Mobile 3 was redesigned  from nose to tail. With innovations like HD NEXRAD Slip Maps™, future flight plan filing, and a new and flexible download manager, v3.0 lets you plan and visualize your flight faster and easier than ever before. Our improved weather presentation technologies improve pre-flight situational awareness and increase pilot confidence, helping us realize the ForeFlight vision of improving safety and making pilots more productive.  Hundreds of new features and a completely redesigned user interface make ForeFlight Mobile 3 the must-have companion for any student, private, instrument, commercial, airline transport, or military pilot.

New features in ForeFlight Mobile 3:

• Brand new Slip Maps™ with slideable, zoomable maps for weather and charts.
• Flight routes displayed over animated, QICP-certified  HD NEXRAD and satellite.
• Full screen, downloadable, GPS-integrated moving map VFR sectionals.
• Full screen, downloadable, GPS-integrated moving map IFR high and low enroute charts.
• One-tap Intelligent Flight Briefings via DUATS with smart refresh, briefing email confirmations, and archival on ForeFlight servers for extra assurance.
• Redesigned route planning with NAVAID support and wind-corrected flight plans.
• New flight plan filing system with future flight plans more than 24 hours in the future, favorite aircraft, offline access, and automatic import from ForeFlight 2.
• Brand new download manager with downloads of airport diagrams, procedures, and sectionals for the entire United States. Choose to download procedures for offline use one at a time, by airport, or by state.
• Ability to pause, resume, and cancel downloads.
• Redesigned airport interface for faster access to airports, weather, and imagery.
• Global airport database with the best information from the FAA, AOPA Airport Directory, and Universal Weather and Aviation’s UVTripPlanner airport directories.
• Redesigned NOTAMs organized by airport, TFRs, and regional ARTCC.
• Local storage of all airport procedures, charts, briefings, and flight plans so you can view them offline.

ForeFlight Mobile 3 is the culmination of many months of hard work and collaborations with partners.  All of the new features are based on feedback from our passionate user community. We kept the best parts of ForeFlight Mobile 2.4, redesigned the rest from the ground up, and optimized everything. We spent months sweating pixels, testing out on the runway, and designing to fit the pilot workflow – all to create what we believe is the best aviation app for the iPhone.

ForeFlight would like to specially welcome aboard our newest partner, Weather Decision Technologies, whom we collaborated with for the past year to develop the technology that powers our new weather Slip Maps™. Thanks also go to our partners at the AOPA, Universal Weather and Aviation, and RunwayFinder.com helping us make ForeFlight Mobile 3 possible.

In July 2008, ForeFlight Mobile 2 launched alongside Apple’s new App Store to critical acclaim, becoming the highest rated iPhone aviation product in the App Store and a top five seller in the App Store’s weather category. In addition to a comprehensive airport directory, ForeFlight Mobile provides color-coded METARs, TAFs, winds aloft, infrared satellite, NOTAMs, graphical TFRs, FBOs, and flight plan filing.  ForeFlight users are part of a passionate community of aviators that enjoy the benefits of real-time support, quick fixes, frequent updates, and personable service. ForeFlight Mobile 3 builds upon this legacy of excellence, bringing more data, brilliant HD NEXRAD, and visual airport intelligence to pilots around the world.

ForeFlight Mobile 3 is available immediately in the iPhone App Store as a free download and includes the first 30 days of a ForeFlight Mobile Subscription. Subscription extensions can be purchased inside the app, starting at $24.99 (USD) for a three month plan. Upgrading ForeFlight 2 users receive a 50% discount off their first one-year plan purchase.

To celebrate the product launch, special introductory pricing is available for purchases before January 1, 2010, with a 30% discount on one-year plans and even more savings for upgrading pilots. Please see the ForeFlight Mobile web site for more details.

ForeFlight Weather 1.0.8 released!

The latest release of ForeFlight Weather for Android (v1.0.8) offers a handy improvement for our friends overseas — the option to view your weather with metric units!  You’ll find pressure in hPa, temperatures in Celsius, and visibility in meters. Just pull up the menu, go to Settings, and choose metric (hPa, C, m) or imperial (” Hg, F, sm) units.

ForeFlight Weather is compatible with Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0 and runs on a variety of mobile devices.

Coming up next — QICP-certified animated radar and satellite, with indicators for lightning activity, hail and upper-air rotation.

ForeFlight AOPA Summit Meetup

We’re on the ground at AOPA Summit in Tampa and wanted to spread the word about the ForeFlight Meetup later today. Visit us in Booth 1045 or watch the live video online.

Friday, November 6th 1:30pm EST – ForeFlight Meetup 2:30pm EST – AOPA Airports for iPhone

Meet the ForeFlight team, exchange ideas, and learn tips and tricks about the apps.

Even if you’re not at AOPA Summit, we still want you to participate! Watch the live streaming video online at our web site starting at 1:30pm EST.

Please submit a question beforehand by email to team@foreflight.com or Twitter @ForeFlight.

Android Aviation: Announcing ForeFlight Weather 1.0, our first Android app for pilots

Here at ForeFlight, we love iPhones.  We were in the App Store on Day 1 and have been building iPhone apps for pilots ever since.  But not every pilot has an iPhone, so we wanted to spread out to a new set of phones and a new community of pilots.  Today we’re proud to announce that ForeFlight has landed on Android.

ForeFlight Weather 1.0 is a new app available exclusively on Google’s Android platform.  ForeFlight Weather offers smooth and efficient access to raw METARs and TAFs, translations, and winds aloft.  Search by airport identifier and view weather information for thousands of airports.  Just like in our iPhone apps, you can add “Favorites” for your frequent airports or view “Recents” to see your last searched airports.  We’ve also included our signature color coded indicators for current flight rules.  Just one quick glance to see current weather around the world!

Weather 1.0 is pixel perfect, exceptionally intuitive, and carefully crafted for the pilot workflow – just like our iPhones apps.  ForeFlight Weather uses standard Android navigation and searching, so pilots with Android phones will feel right at home.  For the user interface, we combined the best parts of Android with newly crafted elements that carry over the familiar and functional ForeFlight look-and-feel.  Weather 1.0 lives up to the ForeFlight name, and sets the new standard in Android aviation.

ForeFlight Weather 1.0 is available in the Android Market for $19.99.  Upcoming features include radar and satellite imagery. Android phones like the G1 and myTouch 3g are currently available in the United States from T-Mobile, with Verizon and Sprint coming on board soon.

The Finer Points of Flying Launches Flight Training iPhone App

Always committed to employing the latest technologies to further improve ease and access to practical flight training, The Finer Points of Flying (www.TheFinerPoints.net) has joined forces with ForeFlight (www.ForeFlight.com) to develop the iPhone app, VFR Communications.

This five‐chapter instructional course available for the iPhone and iPod touch contains an hour of high‐definition video, computer animation and instruction from Jason Miller, recently nominated FAA flight instructor of the year. Each video provides in‐depth coverage of airspace, including dimensions, charting, airspace entry requirements, and real‐world cockpit footage demonstrating how a proficient pilot communicates efficiently and effectively in complex airspace. This instructional course is perfect for private pilots brushing up before a biennial flight review or check‐out, student pilots that desire a learning tool that goes beyond the content normally presented in a standard instructional flight lesson, or enthusiasts wanting to learn how pilots really communicate when navigating simple and complex airspace. Like nothing you’ve seen before. Filmed in stunning 1080i High Definition and completed with Computer Graphic Imaging and a fresh personality. It’s virtually all the instruction you’ll need. VFR Communications is available at Apple’s App Store at iTunes. The DVD version of the course is also available for purchase at TheFinerPoints.net.

Preview the content of both at http://www.thefinerpoints.myshopify.com. Click on VFR Communications DVD for a sneak peek. For members of the press: Press evaluation copies of the iPhone app, VFR Communications are available at the compliments of The Finer Points of Flying. The promo code to be used at the App Store checkout will be sent to you in a separate email with instructions on using it. Please evaluate and enjoy!

About The Finer Points of Flying: The Finer Points of Flying produces mobile media programs hosted by accomplished flight instructor and professional musician, Jason Miller. The Finer Points blends straight‐forward fundamentals of flight instruction with the charm and levity injected by on‐point storytelling and music. The series has won critical acclaim from viewers and many of the nation’s aviation luminaries alike for its use of captivating

video, motion graphics, and computer animation to convey concepts from a wide and varied range of aeronautical subjects in an enjoyable and easily comprehended way.

The Finer Points of Flying (TFP) and ForeFlight are excited to announce the launch of VFR Communications, a new flight training iPhone and iPod touch app for pilots. The new app, designed and developed by ForeFlight, is available for download today on the iTunes App Store. VFR Communications is the first app to provide pilots access to full-length educational video content on an iPhone or iPod touch.

This five‐chapter instructional course contains an hour of  video filmed entirely in 1080i High Definition, computer animation, and charismatic instruction from Jason Miller, recently nominated FAA flight instructor of the year. Each video provides in‐depth coverage of airspace dimensions, charting, airspace entry requirements, and real‐world cockpit footage that demonstrates how a proficient pilot communicates efficiently and effectively in complex airspace. This instructional course is perfect for  student pilots that desire a learning tool that goes beyond the content normally presented in a standard instructional flight lesson, for private pilots brushing up before a biennial flight review or check‐out, or for enthusiasts wanting to learn how pilots really communicate when navigating simple and complex airspace.

VFR Communications is available for purchase today for $19.99 on the iTunes App Store. A DVD version of the course and a preview is available online at TheFinerPoints.net.

If you haven’t yet discovered Jason Miller, run – don’t walk – over to TheFinerPoints.net and walk through his collection of audio and video training sessions. If you like what you see, support his efforts through the purchase of his new app or a DVD. He is a fresh, talented, charismatic, and hard working educator that brings something magical and unique to flight training.

About The Finer Points of Flying

The Finer Points of Flying produces mobile media programs hosted by accomplished flight instructor and professional musician, Jason Miller. The Finer Points blends straight‐forward fundamentals of flight instruction with the charm and levity injected by on‐point storytelling and music. The series has won critical acclaim from viewers and many of the nation’s aviation luminaries alike for its use of captivating video, motion graphics, and computer animation to convey concepts from a wide and varied range of aeronautical subjects in an enjoyable and easily comprehended way.

iPhone Helps Save a Life

When we first started developing software for the iPhone, we had no idea just how many people would find what we built useful and valuable.  Over the past year, we have founds ourselves amazed at the ways the iPhone and mobile aviation software has helped improve situational awareness and safety. Every day we get encouraging and supportive emails from customers around the world: from helicopter pilots carrying rig workers to platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, to Red Bull air racers checking weather before a lap around the pylons. An email we received last night from a surgeon was most unexpected.

The email we received was perhaps the most heartwarming, tear-jerking, and unexpected emails from an unexpected customer.  The first paragraph read:

I am sure that every day someone uses your software and its makes their
flight safer.  Indirectly, it helps saves lives.  Yesterday your
software directly saved a life.  I want to thank you for this.

Dr. Ira Kirschenbaum, the Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in Bronx, NY, downloaded the free version of ForeFlight Checklist and modified the standard templates for three major surgical procedures: total hip replacement, total knee replacement, and arthroscopy of the knee.  In preparation for a recent surgical procedure, Dr. Kirschenbaum ticked off each of the steps in his pre-op checklist – except one:

When I got to one of the checks looking at a particular laboratory
I checked the lab result and noted it to be outside of parameters for
what would be considered normal.  It did not receive my check on
ForeFlight Checklist.  I called over the anesthesiologist and brought
this up to his attention.  This led us to look deeply into the chart and
we noted an undiagnosed liver problem that would have placed the patient
at high risk for this surgical procedure.  All this done before the
‘flight’ started.  A life was saved.

As software developers, this is both humbling and inspirational.  The iPhone is truly an evolution that is changing the way people work, interact, and interface with software.  We are grateful and excited to be a part of the change.