A change in the weather ahead can be easy to miss, and ForeFlight has added new features to its popular EFB that automate delivery of adverse weather or route conditions. ForeFlight Mobile version 6.5 includes a flight notification capability, which alerts pilots to new information after a flight plan is filed. The data comes from ForeFlight, and Lockheed Martin’s Adverse Conditions Alerting Service, and creates on-screen notifications if a significant change in route conditions or weather along the filed route is detected.
Settings within the ForeFlight app allow pilots to configure the notifications to synchronize across all devices used (iPad or iPhone).
The company noted in a blog post that co-founder Jason Miller has firsthand experience already:
“A new icing airmet came in shortly after I filed. The notification came right to my iPad and made me aware of the change in weather conditions,” Miller is quoted in the post. “I was able to take the new information into account before leaving the ground. Without the notification, I might have missed it.”
Notifications can include TFR updates, airport or runway closures, urgent pireps, sigmets (convective or otherwise), center weather advisories, and severe weather watches or warnings.
The version 6.5 update also enables a notam advisor, which displays relevant notams directly on airport diagrams and instrument procedures. A red banner appears on the procedure, and details are a tap away.
The recent ForeFlight Mobile update also includes other enhancements, including iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus optimization. Details of the updates and enhancements, along with instructions to configure the notifications, are posted on the ForeFlight website.
