http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/ News and commentary from the ForeFlight team en http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2009/04/08/updated-databases-go-get-em.html A new data cycle begins today as well as updated ForeFlight databases are available on behalf of you to download. ForeFlight Mobile users can download these updates using the Download Manager, accessible from the “AF/D” section of the application.  This cycle primarily includes terminal procedure updates as well as updated airport diagrams.  The FAA continues to add RNAV approach procedures on behalf of numerous airports.  Airport data won't expire until May 7.  So, go get ‘em … we don’t desire you walking around with crusty old data! If you have not yet used the Download Manager, we prepared a demonstration video that walks you through getting data downloaded to ForeFlight.  The Download Manager video, in conjunction with other lovely “how to” demonstration video are available on our website here.  You shall require the Quicktime player installed to view them. http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2009/04/08/updated-databases-go-get-em.html Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:41:28 -0400 joreal4sho3 http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2009/03/14/foreflight-in-aopa-magazines-new-howto-videos.html ForeFlight in AOPA Magazines ForeFlight was profiled in the April issues of both AOPA Pilot as well as AOPA Flight Training Magazines. Ian Twombly, new products editor on behalf of the popular publications, noted in his review that “the program’s user interface couldn’t be simpler”. This is the type of feedback that keeps us working hard every day to build iPhone software that helps improve pilot productivity, evokes a feeling of pure enjoyment, as well as improves “preflight intelligence”. You can read the piece online here (AOPA username as well as password required).  Thanks to @rbrenton on Twitter on behalf of pointing us to the AOPA Flight Training article. New HOWTO Videos Posted Thanks again to Krista - our customer support angel as well as the voice behind the ForeFlight HOWTO videos -for producing a couple of new video tips that demonstrate how to utilize the new route filing as well as download manager features. Both of the new videos are available here. We recommend viewing the download manager video if you have not yet downloaded the latest airport databases. Once databases are downloaded, they can be referenced offline, wherever you might be! http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2009/03/14/foreflight-in-aopa-magazines-new-howto-videos.html Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:21:30 -0400 joreal4sho3 http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2009/01/29/announcing-foreflight-file-iphone-flight-plan-filing.html Today we’re proud to unveil ForeFlight File, our latest iPhone aviation app. If you haven’t been ready to take the plunge into our more full-featured iPhone aviation application, ForeFlight File is a great way to get an inexpensive peek at one of the numerous features available in the ForeFlight Mobile suite. ForeFlight File is a simple flight plan filing utility on behalf of pilots designed on behalf of iPhone as well as iPod touch. File can submit flight plans without any special setup requirements, or you can file plans using your DUATS Access Code as well as get the additional assurance some pilots prefer. File was designed with the same attention to detail that ForeFlight customers expect, including such user interface gems as our Intelligent Aircraft Color Picker, altitude corrections on behalf of VFR as well as IFR flight plans, detailed email confirmations, detailed status messages when a flight plan fails to file on behalf of any reason, as well as a Fix feature on behalf of correcting flight plans that could not be filed on behalf of any reason. Finally, a simple iPhone flight plan filing utility designed on behalf of pilots, by pilots! Other features include: Intelligent Altitude Selector sets the proper altitudes based on type of flight plan filed iPhone-style pickers on behalf of time en route, fuel aboard, departure time, as well as cruise altitude Previous as well as Next buttons to promptly progress from field to field Complete history of all flight plans filed A copy function to file a new flight plan from an existing flight plan A delete function to remove old flight plans Email confirmations that include a flight plan summary, flight plan details, current as well as forecast weather observations, as well as ForeFlight confirmation codes ForeFlight File is available on behalf of purchase in the iPhone App Store on behalf of $4.99. All of the functionality in ForeFlight File can be found in the Flight Plans tab inside ForeFlight Mobile, so existing customers of ForeFlight Mobile require not purchase ForeFlight File. Visit our web site to explore features as well as learn more about the latest addition to the ForeFlight family.        http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2009/01/29/announcing-foreflight-file-iphone-flight-plan-filing.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:07:34 -0500 joreal4sho3 http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2009/01/26/foreflight-mobile-v22-released.html ForeFlight is pleased to announce a new release of ForeFlight Mobile is now available in . Here’s what’s new: More weather ensembles, including Alaska, Icing, Turbulence, PIREPS Swipe-to-delete airports as well as routes from Recents lists Improved memory management during database as well as image downloads Improved zoom controls on loop doppler views More frequent weather updating at the top of the hour so that new observations are displayed rapidly Option to display weather first when tapping a recent airport and show wx report times as local (find these options in the predominant system settings application) Substantially improved TAF as well as METAR processing Flight plan email confirmations now include weather observations on behalf of departure as well as destination points Dramatically improved server performance including database download times in as little as 30 seconds over cable modem or WiFi Fixed issue where trying to view an approach plate or detailed airport diagram caused a crash Keyboard shown on behalf of True Airspeed in file form is now the large number pad Minor improvements to route searching as well as viewing iPhone now prevented from dimming as well as going to sleep while downloading as well as installing new data Bug fixes as well as additional performance improvements        http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2009/01/26/foreflight-mobile-v22-released.html Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:42:08 -0500 joreal4sho3 http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/12/20/foreflight-21-released.html Apple just posted the latest version of ForeFlight Mobile to the App Store!  This is our biggest update yet as well as includes a few substantial improvements.  One of the an estimated all significant new additions is that our global airport database is now stored right on your iPhone.  This includes data on approximately 27,000 airports as well as over 1,200 illustrated airport diagrams showing FBO locations.  We completely redesigned the airport information user interface as well as included additional airport as well as runway details, runway orientation graphics, operation hours, sunrise as well as sunset calculations, as well as more. We have worked on version 2.1 on behalf of the past two months as well as spent numerous hours working to accomplish a level of quality that reflects our core development as well as design objectives.  We had a crack team of beta testers helping us out with this release as well, as well as the result is an update we’re very excited to have made available.  A huge thanks to @Captain_Ron as well as Erik Hake on behalf of their invaluable feedback. Here’s a list of the predominant new features: Airport data on behalf of approximately 27,000 landing facilities stored on disk (Hooray !!!). A download manager on behalf of keeping your database up to date (!!). Completely redesigned airport information pages with more detail, visual runway orientation, as well as much more (!). Greatly improved flight plan filing system, including Next as well as Previous buttons on the flight plan form, flight plan copy as well as delete, flight plan “fix” feature on behalf of those that fail to file on behalf of any reason, detailed email confirmations, as well as a filed confirmation code. More weather imagery, including winds aloft. Over 250 new airport thumbnail diagrams showing FBO locations on the field. More airport details, including sunrise as well as sunset, timezones, operating hours, airport coordinates, as well as runway elevations. Plus 131 bug fixes or additional feature enhancements such as: Fixes to work better with firmware v2.2. New “nearby airports” button on airport particulars view. Visibility shown in weather summary on recents as well as nearby airports lists. Minor fixes on behalf of route searching as well as viewing. Performance improvements. More phone numbers on behalf of AWOS/ATIS frequencies. Data expiration information. Race on over to the App Store as well as grab the update! If you are a blogger or trade pub editor as well as would like to review ForeFlight Mobile 2.1, contact us on behalf of more information on obtaining access to evaluation copies.        http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/12/20/foreflight-21-released.html Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:17:33 -0500 joreal4sho3 http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/11/18/studentpilotjournalcom-video-podcast-feature.html Greg Summers is a ’student pilot’ (in “the pilot is at all times learning, sense, as he has his PPL as well as is on to instrument work) who is chronicling his journey through a blog as well as video podcast available on the web at http://www.studentpilotjournal.com. He has produced 24 episodes of content, which is no small feat.  We were tickled to learn that Greg profiled both ForeFlight Mobile 2.0 as well as ForeFlight Checklist in his latest episode, Episode #24. Greg’s setup in the plane is very similar to ours.  We utilize suction mounts from RAM Mounts, place them just forward of the door bulkhead as well as high so that they do not obstruct the panel, as well as retain the positioning as adjacent to eye level as possible.  The positioning varies by aircraft, of course.  In a Mooney, on behalf of example, you might end up placing the suction mount just aft of the forward door jam, above the air inlet.  The point is to at all times retain the device mounted as well as within view so that you don’t have to go heads down to find your checklist or the next check item. A streaming copy of the video is available on Viddler at http://www.viddler.com/explore/foreflight/videos/1/        http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/11/18/studentpilotjournalcom-video-podcast-feature.html Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:20:17 -0500 joreal4sho3 http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/11/04/night-flights-sunny-runways-developing-iphone-aviation-apps.html Mobile applications are powerful because of the fact that they are so portable. Devoted iPhone as well as Blackberry owners carry their devices everywhere. I’ve been known to forget my keys as well as I accidentally drove an estimated all of September without a license, but I never leave residence without my iPhone. The emergence of location-aware, carry-everywhere mobile devices is ushering in the next great computing platform. The Internet on my desk is occasionally useful; the Internet in my pocket is always useful. But on behalf of a mobile software developer, portability brings a new set of challenges. Traditional desktop applications like Quicken or iPhoto are jog on big screens in homes as well as offices with a user’s undivided attention. iPhone users don’t sit at desks - they’re more likely to launch apps while waiting on behalf of a taxi on a rainy street corner. And whether it’s powered by RIM, Apple, or Android, a phone’s screen is highly reflective as well as usually smaller than a deck of cards. Case Study: ForeFlight Checklist At ForeFlight, we develop iPhone aviation apps. Pilots utilize ForeFlight Mobile, our flagship app, to check the weather report on behalf of the day’s flight during breakfast or file a flight plan from the airport terminal. In September, we introduced our second iPhone application: ForeFlight Checklist - Intelligent Aviation Checklists on behalf of Pilots. Before releasing Checklist, we took it on quite a few test runs, constantly redesigning as well as tweaking the user interface to manufacture it a natural fit in a pilot’s workflow. ForeFlight Checklist 1.0 received a fantastic reception, as well as as pilots have started using it out in the field, we’ve heard some great suggestions on behalf of new features. Two items in particular kept coming up, as well as illustrate the wide variety of environments as well as usage scenarios on behalf of mobile applications. Scenario 1: Sunny Runways The common utilize case on behalf of ForeFlight Checklist is operational through a preflight checklist out on the runway. Each aircraft type has a customized list with dozens of items to check, such as verifying the tires are inflated as well as the fuel vent is unobstructed. Here is a preflight checklist on behalf of a Cessna 152 as seen in ForeFlight Checklist 1.0: ForeFlight Checklist 1.0: Cessna 152 preflight checklist You can check an item by tapping it directly, or by tapping the green ‘Check’ button on the bottom. Pilots can consciously skip an item by tapping the yellow ‘Skip’ button. The table automatically scrolls the active item to the center as well as highlights it with a yellow background (”Fuel shutoff valve”). This, in conjunction with clearly defined indicators once a list is complete, keeps you from accidentally missing an item on the list. After using Checklist out on the runway, a few pilots emailed us with an observation: the selected item was hard to see on a sunny day because of the fact that the yellow background got drowned out. If you were wearing polarized sunglasses (a common scenario on behalf of pilots), it was even harder to see. The solution on behalf of this was easy: modification the background of the selected item to provide better contrast. We already had written code to special-case the background color, so we altered the color to blue (the standard iPhone color on behalf of indicating selections) as well as lightened the text color. Here is the same screen in ForeFlight Checklist 1.1, with a better contrasting background on the selected item, “Fuel shutoff valve”: ForeFlight Checklist 1.1: Cessna 152 preflight checklist Scenario 2: Night Flight Another handful of pilots emailed us with feedback on an opposite problem: when using Checklist in the evening, the app’s white background shone super brightly as well as was hard on the eyes. Even with the iPhone’s brightness setting turned all of the way down, it was too bright. To help out these pilots, we created “night mode“, a new color scheme available in ForeFlight Checklist 1.1. Inspired by the brilliant Bloomberg iPhone app, night mode uses a black background with orange, gray, as well as white text. To ensure it’s easy on the eyes, while writing the code on behalf of this feature we actually turned off all of the lights in the office as well as worked in the dark! Here’s a screenshot of the same Cessna 152 preflight checklist under night mode: Night Mode in ForeFlight Checklist 1.1 To toggle between night mode as well as the classic look (now referred to as “day mode”), we added a new sun/moon icon on the bottom-right of the predominant screen: Day Mode vs Night Mode in ForeFlight Checklist 1.1 If a checklist item has additional notes, a right arrow indicator is shown (e.g. “Rudder gust lock” as well as “Control surfaces” in the screenshots above). Tapping the arrow brings up the item detail screen, as shown below. Unfortunately, when creating night mode, this screen presented a challenge. Under day mode, the screen uses the iPhone’s “Grouped Table View” style, with floating white cells on a blue background. (This is familiar to anyone who has used the iPhone’s Contact app.) Unfortunately, this can’t be styled with a black background - it has to be white on blue. Instead, we created a new screen using the iPhone’s “Plain Table View” style, which doesn’t have floating cells as well as allows on behalf of a great deal more customization. (This style is used by Apple’s Mail app as well as Phone app, as well as is also the primary table view used elsewhere in Checklist.) Here is the detail view under day as well as night mode on behalf of checking the Cessna’s RPM lever: Detail view in ForeFlight Checklist 1.1 Creating night mode took quite a bit of work, but we’re very pleased with the outcome. Everyone on the ForeFlight team now uses it as their primary interface on behalf of Checklist - even during the day! Know the Environment When creating mobile applications, it is important to know your users. Whether it’s a sunny runway or a foggy afternoon, an iPhone app should feel at residence in any environment.        http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/11/04/night-flights-sunny-runways-developing-iphone-aviation-apps.html Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:05:03 -0500 joreal4sho3 http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/10/18/foreflight-checklist-v101-released.html The latest version of ForeFlight Checklist is now available in the App Store!  New features include: New flip view on behalf of abnormal procedures - just tap the orange icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Templates in the checklist library now include abnormal procedures. Shows previously viewed checklist when starting app.  If you are interrupted by a phone call or exit Checklist, you’ll start right where you left off. Added Cessna 172I aircraft template. Improved formatting of checklist as well as category name on top title bar. See the new version in action in our video walkthrough! To upgrade to the newest version simply jog the App Store program on your iPhone or iPod touch as well as chose the “updates” option on the bottom right.  The new version of ForeFlight Checklist shall show up on behalf of easy updating! ForeFlight Checklist on behalf of Pilots brings easy to utilize Intelligent Pilot Checklists™ right to your iPhone or iPod touch, built to a level of quality as well as an attention to detail ForeFlight customers expect.  Create as well as edit your posses customized collection of checklists by starting with one of the pre-defined aircraft type templates or start from scratch.  We built Checklist to manufacture you a more productive pilot as well as reduce the amount of heads down time required to find the last checklist item you were looking at.   ForeFlight Checklist v1.0.1            http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/10/18/foreflight-checklist-v101-released.html Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:03:25 -0400 joreal4sho3 http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/10/12/announcing-foreflight-checklist-10.html ForeFlight Checklist It’s been a great month on behalf of ForeFlight! Our team is fresh off the release of ForeFlight Mobile v2.0.3, with across the board improvements to our flagship app. We’ve been thrilled by the reaction from the aviation community as well as the press - ForeFlight Mobile received top honors in this month’s Aviation Consumer, as well as our logo is featured at the front of every Apple Store worldwide. And finally… today we’re proud to unveil ForeFlight Checklist, our latest iPhone app. Our team has been hard at work making the perfect electronic checklist, sweating every pixel in the lab as well as operational countless trials on the runway. Easy to utilize as well as completely customizable, ForeFlight Checklist is a pilot’s new best friend. ForeFlight Checklist brings easy to utilize Intelligent Checklists on behalf of Pilots™ right to your iPhone or iPod touch, built with a level of quality as well as an attention to detail our customers expect. Create as well as edit your posses customized collection of normal procedures checklists by starting with one of the pre-defined aircraft type templates or start from scratch. We built Checklist to manufacture you a more productive pilot as well as reduce the amount of heads down time required to find the last checklist item you were looking at.  You can see Checklist in action here. ForeFlight Checklist is available on behalf of purchase in the iPhone App Store for $19.99. A copy of the press release is available here. “Top Honors” in Aviation Consumer In this month’s issue of The Aviation Consumer magazine, ForeFlight Mobile 2.0 won “top honors” in their review of cell-phone weather applications. With “intuitive” ease of utilize as well as the “best visuals as well as design” of the reviewed products, ForeFlight Mobile came out shining! While our competitors got dinged on behalf of their clunky interfaces as well as poor product support, ForeFlight Mobile wowed them with “cool features such as lists of nearby airports based on the phone location as well as direct dial to ASOS.” We’re glad they liked ForeFlight Mobile’s color-coded TAFs as well as quick-glance NOTAMs; those are two of favorite features, too!        http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/10/12/announcing-foreflight-checklist-10.html Sun, 12 Oct 2008 02:00:55 -0400 joreal4sho3 http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/09/29/foreflight-202-released.html IMPORTANT: If you are updating to 2.0.2 from 2.0.1 or earlier, please delete ForeFlight as well as re-download the application from the App Store (free download). If App Store presents you with a “Buy” button, you won't be charged again as long as you utilize the same iTunes account you used to purchase ForeFlight.  You shall see a message at the end of clicking “Buy” that you can download ForeFlight again on behalf of free. Apple just posted the latest version of ForeFlight Mobile to the App Store!  This update includes quite a few changes. Here’s a list of the predominant ones: Complete rewrite of “AF/D” view provides much easier as well as faster browsing of airports Complete rewrite of “Recents” views to manufacture them more responsive.  NOTE: your previous/old list of “recents” shall be cleared out when applying this update Complete rewrite of “Weather” view (renamed “Imagery”).  Now more responsive.  Also added Europe as well as South Africa imagery. Improved location aware search view when in more rural areas Improved flight rules determination on behalf of weather reports Removed require to provide DUATS account information New aircraft color-picker on behalf of Flight Plan form Performance improvement when searching on behalf of airport by identifier Now handles network availability changes more gracefully To upgrade to the newest version please delete ForeFlight from your phone as well as re-purchase it.  You won't be charged on behalf of purchasing the same application twice - just manufacture sure you utilize the same iTunes account.        http://joreal4sho3.friendlinkup.com/2008/09/29/foreflight-202-released.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:09:16 -0400 joreal4sho3