ForeFlight adds Flight Profile support for iPhone
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ForeFlight has made great strides over the past few years expanding the capabilities of the iPhone version of the app, allowing it to do almost everything that the iPad version can do. Early on, the smaller screen size of the iPhone didn’t offer enough space for ForeFlight to display features requiring lots of buttons and complex layouts. This limitation is fading quickly though, as the new iPhone Max models are nearly the size of the iPad Mini, allowing them to serve as a primary app display in the cockpit and no longer just a backup.
ForeFlight’s latest update, version 13.8, takes advantage of the iPhone’s larger screen and extends the Flight Profile view to these devices. This Flight Profile’s vertical cross-section view is can be very useful in analyzing the flight from an alternate perspective, showing the effects of terrain, airspace, TFRs, icing/turbulence/clouds forecast on your proposed route and altitude.
Profile View is included in Pro Plus subscription plans and above, while forecast weather in Profile View is included in ForeFlight Performance subscription plans.
What else is new in ForeFlight 13.8
There are a few other things to check out after updating depending on which accessories you use and airplanes you fly:
- Track Log Review Layer Selector – A small update to the Track Log Review interface combines the four flight data buttons (Speed, Altitude, Pitch, and Bank) into a single layer selector in the bottom-left of the Track Log Graph. You can display Pitch and Bank in Track Log Review for improved maneuver debriefing by flying with an AHRS-capable receiver like Sentry.
- New Runway Analysis Aircraft Support – ForeFlight’s Runway Analysis product for jets now supports the Gulfstream G-IV and G-IV/SP and Embraer Phenom 100/100E/100EV models
- GPS Data via Honeywell Apex & Aspen Connected Gateway – Pilatus pilots who fly with a Honeywell Apex FMS and Aspen Connected Gateway can now receive GPS position, ground speed, and track in ForeFlight, building on the support for flight plan transfer from ForeFlight to Honeywell Apex released earlier this year.
I have found the Profile Feature quite valuable during planning and enroute. And it used to work great while connected to a Garmin GDL-52. However, a couple of Foreflight updates ago, they changed something to where it will not work unless you are connected to WiFi or LTE (Cellular) anymore. You can still get the Turbulence, Clouds, and Icing displayed on the Map Display, but not on the Profile display. Very disappointing! I sent an inquiry to team@foreflight and got the usual response that “they were working on an update to bring it back but not sure when” I am a loyal Foreflight Performance Plus subscriber with multiple subscriptions for our flight department, but wish they would address their development mistakes in a more timely manner. Their latest update to put Profile on iPhone was nice, but you can basically only use it on the ground.
I had the same observation. The profile view shows the weather layers (Clouds, Icing, Turbulence) but only when connected to the internet. I thought I read somewhere that you could “Pack” and the weather items would persist while offline and in-flight. Maybe that was in a dream! That would be useful though, recognizing that if you delayed your flight and didn’t re-pack, you could have stale weather data. I have a Flight-Stream 510 and also recall profile view weather layers on the iPad while in flight. I haven’t checked lately though.
Yes, unfortunately it was a dream. It still does not work even if you Pack or re-Pack just before takeoff. Hopefully Foreflight is receiving several inquiries about this Feature that used to work great but no longer does, unless you are connected to WiFi or Cellular.