A collaboration between NextGen avionics manufacturer FreeFlight Systems and mobile flight-planning tool provider ForeFlight will integrate ForeFlight’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) app with FreeFlight’s certified ADS-B systems, the companies announced.
FreeFlight Systems’ certified RANGR ADS-B In systems will become part of the ForeFlight Connect program, providing users with “an accurate and complete ADS-B weather and traffic picture.”
Through the collaboration, ForeFlight Mobile will become “the preferred electronic flight bag application for use” with FreeFlight’s “installed, certified, and rule-compliant” RANGR ADS-B systems, the companies said. Ground and flight testing is being conducted ‘to ensure a seamless” pilot experience.
In a joint statement, the companies’ chief executives cited strategic advantages of the arrangement.
“Our customers have been asking for this integration, and we were honored by the opportunity to work with ForeFlight to achieve it,” said Tim Taylor, president and CEO of Waco, Texas-based FreeFlight Systems. “Through this partnership, we will continue to work toward providing customers with the most elegant and complete ADS-B solution available on the market today, for a fraction of the cost.”
Tyson Weihs, ForeFlight’s CEO and co-founder, said, “With a connection established between ForeFlight Mobile and a RANGR system, customers can affordably equip their aircraft well in advance of the 2020 [ADS-B equipage] mandate and immediately realize the benefits of FIS-B weather and TIS-B traffic.” Flight Information System-Broadcast and Traffic Information Service-Broadcast information services are enabled by ADS-B ground stations.
ForeFlight Mobile will work with any certified FreeFlight Systems product that can receive data, including the FDL-978-RX, FDL-978-XVR, FDL-978-XVRL, and FTX 250 systems, the announcement said.
