ForeFlight Mobile Weather App Review (iOS, Free)

Description

ForeFlight Mobile is the critically acclaimed flight planning, flight support, and electronic flight bag ("EFB") app for pilots. Navigation charts, Internet and in-flight weather, airport facility directory information, moving map, hazard and terrain awareness, aviation documents, and much more.

Built with an attention to detail and backed by a dedicated, fanatical support team, ForeFlight is a best selling aviation app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.

Continued ForeFlight service requires a subscription, available via in-app purchase.

REVIEWS AND PRAISE

- Editor's Choice, Flying Magazine, January 2013
- Editor's Choice, Flying Magazine, January 2012
- App of the Year, Aviation Consumer, July 2011

- Best Selling iPad Aviation App: 2010, 2011, 2012

- "Best app for IFR" - Aviation Consumer

- "One of the most popular and most-respected aviation apps available" - Sporty's Pilot Shop, July 2010

AIRPORT AND FACILITY DIRECTORY

ForeFlight's A/FD provides information about US and major international airports. Data is provided by government authorities, the AOPA, and Universal Weather and Aviation. Critical airport information is displayed elegantly and additionally provides METARs, TAFs, winds aloft, and NOTAMS.

PLATES & CHARTS

ForeFlight provides access to US VFR and Terminal Area (TAC) charts; US and Canadian VNC/IFR en-route charts; area and gulf helicopter charts, and 15,000 US and 2,000 Canadian instrument procedures. En-route charts and over 12,000 terminal procedures are geo-referenced.

WEATHER

ForeFlight's weather is best-in-class. 10 weather Slip Maps(TM) with route overlay, pinch and zoom support, and touch planning support deliver information about conditions along your route quickly and visually. In-flight weather is possible via Stratus ADS-B or XM. Maps include:

- Flight rules
- HD NEXRAD composite radar
- Visible and IR satellite
- Visibility
- Lightning
- Temp and dew-point spread
- Sky coverage
- Wind conditions
- Global winds aloft

TOUCH PLANNING & MOVING MAP

Plan flights by touch to draw a route of flight, bend a route around weather, and add or drop waypoints. 'Direct To' functions get you where you want quickly.

Engage the moving map and see your ship's position on top of en-route charts; use the customizable dashboard to display groundspeed and altitude, track, GPS accuracy, or one of 15 different instruments.

AIRWAYS/SIDS/STARS

ForeFlight supports airways, SIDS, STARS, and providers cleared ATC routes. Use multi-runway SIDS, airway entrances/exits, intersections, airway identifiers, and even the most complex STARS.

FUEL PRICES

ForeFlight provides fuel price information, visually color coded by price, for 2,300+ FBOs in Canada and the US. Pilots can also submit fuel price updates in-app.

FLIGHT PLAN FILING

File flight plans from your iPhone or iPad and get confirmation in seconds. Copies are stored on our servers for safe-keeping; email confirmations and briefings are sent automatically.

DOWNLOAD MANAGER

Select the regions and information you need. Download one area or the whole country from our highly reliable delivery network. Plate and chart volumes install in seconds.

COMMENTS

Submit comments directly from device, wherever you may be, and read comments from other pilots. You may just find a great place for fried pickles.

CREDITS

- Canadian radar coverage is provided by Environment Canada.
- International A/FD provided by Universal Weather and Aviation.

Customer Reviews

• This software is great along with support

  by River Dude

  I'm a Lifeguard pilot we use this for charts etc. Lifeguards pilots don't have a lot of time for briefings and filing with Foreflight I can do it all in minutes .... anywhere. Filing a flight is so easy and you can get a copy of your route in minutes after filing. The support replies back in minutes. I'm impressed.

• iPad 1st generation

  by Texas Express

  Foreflight is an absolutely excellent program. I have used it for three years and am amazed at the quality and dedication this company has to continue buiding a better program. Please note, however, that the more recent updates to Foreflight are not compatible with the 1st generation iPad. The latest iOS that Apple permits on the iPad 1st generation is iOS 5.1.1. The newer updates require a later iOS.

• Great app

  by Hvyjet

  All in all an excellent utility. Many great features, easy to use, and lots of options. Like being able to type a route exactly like my ATC clearance. Love the moving map and geo-referenced position on approach plates. Also love the ability for the airport diagram to automatically pop up after landing. Gives incredible situational awareness. Very few complaints, but in reality the weather availability (when used with Stratus) and presentation (compared to other units I've used with XM weather) are not as good. National radar is very slow to load and is "pixelated" until a regional return shows up. Complaints aside- it is fantastic app.

• Good

  by Nate dePutter

  Great app but missing the "open in" option when viewing documents, makes things really cumbersome for document management.

• The Best Available

  by KentMagnuson

  If ever there is an issue with this app and you email Foreflight, most replies are back within an hour. Noone else has this level of support for their app. FAA approved and none are better than Foreflight app and their entire team. Go try all the others and you will appreciate how good this app really is. Nothing else even close in being user-friendly and having useful/avail data for serious flyers.

• Works great!

  by 172RG2

  Works great!

• Sweet!

  by Nathan G. CA

  Nice. Yay Bahamas filing!

• The Best Available

  by KentMagnuson

  If ever there is an issue with this app and you email Foreflight, most replies are back within an hour. Noone else has this level of support for their app. FAA approved and none are better than Foreflight app and their entire team. Go try all the others and you will appreciate how good this app really is. Nothing else even close in being user-friendly and having useful/avail data for serious flyers.

• Quick Fix

  by Flight Aware

  I am impressed with the very fast response to the problem with iPad 1 users.

• 5.5.2. iPad 1 fix

  by Gmascelli

  Thanks FF customer service! One day turn around to fix the map crash issue, amazing.

• Do NOT Upload on Gen 1 iPad!!!

  by SplashUser

  I LOVE ForeFlight, but this newest version just crashes when we go to map view. I'm sure this is just because I'm working on an antique, but I don't want to have to get a new iPad because of a new version... Ugh!

• Must have but lacks in price

  by Best Shot

  I never go on a flight without my iPad. Having fore-flight installed with all of its wonderful features helps a lot while training in a little Cessna. The problem is the georeferencing price is somewhat outrageous. It would be more worth it if the price for the subscriptions were a little cheaper. Flight training isn't cheap and so is having fore-flight

• Fantastic!

  by Dirtk

  I'm a tough sell on rating apps this high but ForeFlight's innovation and service is deserving. Intuitive Navigation, Plates overlayed on Maps - Wow! Proper Notifications of DUATS outages! Replies to help on weekends! All terrific. ....I'm waiting for the IPO.

• Fantastic can't begin to explain this App

  by WAvara

  The ForeFlight team never ceases to amaze me with constant improvements. I can't remember the last time that I used anything else for charts, flight planning, or navigation. I only wish for a simple eraser for the scratchpad, as opposed to clearing the entire page.

• Unmatched!

  by Tootalltim87

  I don't leave home without it. Aces.

• Great

  by Nicknav6

  Best user friendly Application on the market. Would love to see ATIS phone numbers in the airport info page, even though I know you can look it up in the AFD. Would be much more efficient to click to call.

• Amazing...

  by AngrierBird

  This app... If you fly and you don't have it, you're questionable.

• Incredible

  by Pianoman0615

  I've used it on my 1st gen iPad, iPhone 5, and now for the first time today on my iPad mini retina. Incredible on the mini.

• Trial version is horrible so hesitant to purchase

  by Flyboy Instructor

  Title says it all

• Great!

  by Superjazzman

  Using it for a few years now. Canceled all my paper chart subscriptions. Love it!

• Best app out there but don't trust your life on it -- malfunctioned at the worst time

  by Jordan Ah Loy

  I am using a newer iPad mini and have had ForeFlight for a few months now. App was working fine during a flight yesterday but then crashed and would not re-start right as I was shooting an ILS approach... in solid IMC. Luckily my FO had the printed plate out and quickly passed it over to me so I could finish the approach safely. Once we were on the ground I tested a few things and knew foreflight was the only thing malfunctioning as I could use/open/close many other apps normally. Every time I tried to re-start foreflight it would crash again 2-3 seconds later. To fix the issue I had to uninstall and delete the app off of my iPad and re-download it, which resulted in me losing all of my data including saved flight plans, downloaded charts and documents, airplane data, and settings. I felt I could rely on this app entirely until yesterday but unfortunately I may have trusted it a little too much as I will start keeping printed charts nearby again as a back-up. It's a shame since a major perk of this app was being able to save money on buying those. Also frustrating to have to take a chunk out of my day to download and re-enter all of my settings and data into the app again.

• Ipad1 problems

  by Zimfabwey

  Thank You Foreflight!!! Quick Fix for iPad1 users.

• Crashes

  by Naflative

  I am still using an iPad 1 and since upgrading it crashes as another user has said. Please fix the problem because it is a wonderful and useful tool for pilots. Fix works, super company, super staff, y'all rock

• Ipad 1 Map Crash!

  by W. Blau

  Click on map and watch Foreflight disappear.

• Jan 2014 update

  by 6packmiller

  New version...when map selected program crashes. No map visual.

• Owner.

  by Coddleme

  I downloaded new version and now machine crashes when I go to map version so basically this program is now worthless to me! Gary Dinkel

• New version crashes

  by Onoff178346209

  Agree with splash user. Crashes on Ipad 1. No mention of this in system requirements.

• Still not working

  by Flying Bryan

  I paid ForeFlight about $100 when they started out and the deal was a ONE TIME fee but after they used mine and others money to get going, but they changed the game and left us out cold with a app that would not even show weather. Oh they did offer a one time $20 discount (no thanks I already paid my lifetime fee). I held up my end of the deal paying them and they took my money alone with hundreds if not thousands of other pilots. Stay away from shady company's like this.

• Getting too greedy

  by FlydogAZ

  I previously had rated this app 5 stars, but this latest update is very disappointing. I had been looking forward to annotations, which should be a core feature in any electronic approach plate, but the developers have decided to charge an extra $75 for a Pro subscription to use this feature. Time to start looking at alternatives.

• Wonderful

  by Jasser0520

  So easy and useful. Also much cheaper than buying paper charts.

• Fantastic

  by Eric Botello

  This has everything you need for planning, and it works great in the plane. No need for constantly buying updated charts and publications! Well done, foreflight.

• Very good nav app

  by Jalaberte

  Great for planning, but drain the battery very rapidly compared to other apps.

• The best aviation app there is!

  by foodservicepilot

  I don't know how pilots fly without this app! It makes everything so much easier, from checking the weather to planning to instrument approaches. Every update adds new features.

• Great!

  by ATP Aviator

  Words can truly not accurately put in perspective how amazing this app is. It truly is a must have for any pilot!

• Yes

  by iFLYlol

  'Nuff said

• Excellent!!!

  by EricB2010

  By far the most complete and updated Aviation App on the market. Charts, wx, plates, Flt Planning, and so much more. These guys continue to add enhancements, truly making it an all-in-one solution that won't disappoint. iPad suggested for the screen size, but definitely usable on all iOS platforms.

• Great app

  by SolarMike

  I have using this app for about 2 years and it continues to get better and better! I have tried others and this is the easiest to use and learn!

• Good

  by Caatherly

  Tried it on the ground. Glad I didn't fly today. 4 stars because it needs a help section.

• Great app on the leading edge

  by citizenworld

  They're constantly releasing new features and have a very active development team. This app is fantastic and seems to do everything I need as a VFR pilot. I can only imagine that if I needed the plates and many other IFR focused features, I would be even happier. Try it out!

• Best app ever!!

  by Lisa Hodge

  This is an amazing app! Great for pilots. I had entered a wrong key in the email address section and didn't know my password. Contacted support heard back in five minutes and it was fixed!! Great support and amazing app!!

• Really helpful

  by Myozin

  Love it

• I only fly with Foreflight - paper charts a thing of the past!

  by AppDoc

  I've been a happy customer of Foreflight since it's inception. I'm a CFII, MEI, & rotorcraft. I've wanted a comprehensive replacement for paper charts and the AF/D. I've followed the Foreflight revisions, with appreciation, yet often longed for what seemed like obviously neglected features. I've had a steady email dialog with Foreflight about issues and desired features. Some took a while, but almost all have been ultimately implemented. The release of version 4 marks a major turning point in my book. I now fly airplane VFR or IFR solely with my iPad running Foreflight! With the addition of clickable airspace, and full AF/D listing, I feel as though I have all of the materials that I need to fly comfortably. The new plates feature allows me to group my plates together as I always have done prior to a flight with paper charts. Bravo Foreflight for an incredible update to an already great product. I look forward to seeing what you can do to wow me next!

• Fore Flight Ver 7

  by Casper III

  A flight instructor friend of mine introduced to this app to me. He demo some of the things it's capable of doing. I'm learning all kinds of things it does. I'm having fun with it.

• Awesome but need to fix a bug

  by Instpilot

  Awesome app! Flat out worth every penny but since I updated iOS 7 it is crashing and shutting down during reading documents and reviewing flight plans. They need to really dig in and make sure 7 works well. Sure don't want it to crash while on approach in IMC! Giving it a low rating so they hopefully get busy, quick!

• Foreflight

  by gwheyer

  This is a great app! To a pilot it is essential to safe flight. But as most companies grow they get greedy! All your devices are not covered as they were in the beginning. You are not rewarded for your patriotism while Foreflight was small ! 1 phone 1 iPad ! They cut me off when I upgraded to ios7. Changed the game while I had a active subscription.rot in hell

• Never fly with out it

  by Robert Lilljedahl

  This app has changed aviation! I will never fly with out foreflight on a iPhone or IPad.

• Great app

  by Heyhhsjjdmsbbau

  I understand the disappointment of the users wanting annotation while not wanting to go pro, but the geo referenced approach plates and taxi diagram are features of the pro subscription, annotation just gives pro yet another feature to consider when upgrading. That being said, this app is great. Having tried out the garmin app, aopa flyq, and foreflight, I decided on foreflight for its support, reliability, and functionality. I have not been disappointed yet. Whenever a bug pops up I have confidence that the foreflight team will be fixing it soon. I fly in the busy LA airspace and the moving map does wonders for peace of mind for avoiding airspace. To date the app has not failed me in any way. Highly recommend to those looking for a little more functionality or who fly to new airports often that they consider the upgrade to Pro subscription.

• Pro version

  by flyerY

  I agree with the previous review. I had been anticipating the annotations feature, but I have not subscribed to the pro version. This is going too far and I fear ForeFlight will continue to disappoint its users by releasing features that will only work on the pro version. I will not be renewing my subscription next year. ForeFlight, get your business model together!

• Best tool to streamline aviation!

  by OshCFII

  Foreflight has it all. All the desired features plus excellent user interface to tie them all together. I've been using ForeFlight for quite some time, and would not care to go back to the days of paper charts, rulers and (only) Flightwatch for weather updates. This is the type of App that can drive purchase of an iPad all by itself.

• dont bother. a lot of marketing but no substance

  by williamCD

  i downloaded the top four aviation apps and i would rate this one as poor. very limited compared to W.... X app or G.....n app i would not recommend. user interface is not ergonomic. very inefficient storage (uses a lot of memory) and limited features.

• Perfect EFB

  by twinhellfire11

  Great interface for preflight planning and enroute situational awareness.

• Metar colors?

  by Aircraft Owner

  Great app guys, love the new plate on map overlay feature. I have one suggestion that would make this 5 stars. The Avidyen MFD shows VFR as blue, MVFR green. Can you make the metar colors an option so the user can choose the colors? This will cause less confusion for us Avidyen users.

• Beyond description.

  by Alt-rocker

  Before long, this very powerful, important and useful tool will likely tell you the height and weight (and probably astrological sign) of all occupants of aircraft in your area. Bravo.

• Better and better

  by Dseaman601bs

  I have used Foreflight as a pilot since it first appeared. It was great then, it's fantastic now. The program is upgraded regularly through the year with amazingly helpful additions. The current version is so good, you wonder how it can get better. The support is second to none; emails are generally answered within 10 minutes. If you are a pilot looking to be safer with an array of helpful options and situational awareness, you owe it to yourself and your passengers to spring for this app. The cost:benefit ratio is all benefit. Amazing product.

• Best flight app

  by Liquidsx

  I don't leave home without it.

• Nothing beats it

  by PPPPlop

  Flew from east coast to west coast using foreflight as my main weather source, flight planning software, and in flight guidance. Extremely easy to use and fast. Recommend it to all my pilot friends.

• Every update gets rid of all my bookmarks.

  by Adam Johnson

  Afraid to update because then I'd lose all my bookmarks.

• Info

  by boeneu

  Tells you everything you want to know and even what you didn't know you could know

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