ForeFlight plans keyboard release

Ryan McBride, ForeFlight’s head of community, recently made a guest appearance during the monthly ForeFlight Workshop series hosted by instructors Brian Schiff, Mike Jesch, and Robert Meder, where he detailed the new features.

Among the top enhancements is a new aviation-specific keyboard. It will include all-capital letters; underlined NEWS keys to signify north, east, west, and south headings; and a dedicated numbers box. Best of all, the keyboard can now be placed almost anywhere on the screen— including in a “floating” mode—which is good news for left-handers who have previously struggled with right-handed logic.

Flight plan and flight profile tweaks are also coming. An adjustable “flight drawer” extends the flight plan box vertically to fit more data onto the associated NavLog. Previously the width and height of the flight plan box was non-adjustable.

Similarly, the profile view can be expanded to make the viewbox taller and better accommodate obstructions, airspace, headwinds, or tailwinds at various altitudes. Speaking of winds, McBride said users will soon be able to estimate head- and tailwinds and how they affect groundspeed changes at various points along a planned route.

Lastly, McBride explained how the recent turbulence updates work via data captured by Sentry portable ADS-B In devices. The internal accelerometer provides the data for encountered turbulence. That info is sent out to pilots using the Sentry device, and optionally, can be purchased as an add-on by pilots using other ADS-B In devices.

McBride said ForeFlight is wary of releasing too many new features just ahead of major general aviation fly-ins, so he anticipates the release in the days immediately following AirVenture. He said users have been asking for these types of improvements, and that the company—now owned by Boeing Co.—listens. McBride said the application is updated “about every month,” and he hopes the latest enhancements will make life easier for those using it.