ForeFlight’s latest update adds airport comments and logbook enhancements

ForeFlight’s latest update adds airport comments and logbook enhancements
iPad Pilot News

The latest update to ForeFlight adds a collection of minor features primarily designed to improve the usability of the app. Specifically, it adds Airport/FBO comments, enhanced track log integration, 3D engine out procedures (turbine), bulk delete tack logs, expanded airport operating hours, Canadian & South African VFR points, logbook date search, and added Runway Analysis aircraft support

Here’s a quick summary of what’s new based on subscription type, with full details included below on how to use the Basic Plus features:

Basic Plus – Airport comments, track log improvements, bulk delete track logs, logbook date search, expanded operating hours, Canadian and South African VFR points

Pro Plus – n/a

Runway Analysis add-on – 3D engine out procedures, Learjet 36A and Premier 1/1A support

Airport/FBO Comments

Pilots have been able to add airport and FBO comments for many years now in the Airports section of the app, which provides valuable insight into what to expect when arriving at an unfamiliar airport. While the comments can be found in the same location on the Airports and FBO screens, ForeFlight improved the usability of this by adding a new “draft” comment feature. This allows you to start typing a review and finish it later:

ForeFlight added a new Comments manager at the bottom of the menu in the More tab, allowing you to review your comment status. This is the place to go to resume work on a draft comment, or see status of previously-published comments. Submitted comments show as In Review prior to being approved or rejected by ForeFlight staff. If a comment is rejected, ForeFlight’s criteria for rejection are shown to help you understand why it was rejected.

Logbook and Track Log updates

There are times when ForeFlight may create multiple track logs for the same flight, originating from Sentry or ForeFlight’s built-in recorder. With this latest update, you now have the option to link multiple track logs to the same logbook entry. When reviewing an draft of final logbook entry, you’ll see a new option to Add or Change Track Logs under the map:

Tap the Add / Change Track Logs button and select the logs you’d like to add for the flight:

The Logbook entry’s map combines all linked track logs into a single flight path, and you can highlight each individual track log using buttons at the bottom left of the map.

Linking additional track logs to a draft Logbook entry will automatically update the time and distance values to reflect the combined totals, while linking more track logs to a published entry will update the USE buttons for times and distances, but will not automatically update the values.

ForeFlight added another convenience feature allowing you to bulk delete multiple track logs at once. When on the Track Logs screen, tap the Select button, choose the track logs you’d like to delete and press the Delete button.

Also new in the Logbook, ForeFlight will return results for specific dates in the Logbook search field. You can quickly find all the flights from a specific year, month or day, by searching for “2016”, “2016-08” (August 2016), or 2016-08-15 (August 15, 2016):

Expanded Airport Operating Hours

The next thing to check out is ForeFlight’s update to the Airport Operating Hours screen, located in the Info tab for each airport. The main update here provides more detailed operating hours for more airports globablly (time zones and custom remarks), so you may not notice a difference when you look at your home airport in the U.S.

3D Engine Out Procedures

This next addition was designed for turbine pilots who have purchased the Runway Analysis add-on and helps visualize alternate engine out procedure (EOP) in a 3D view. These custom engine-out procedures provide one or more flight path options with a series of waypoints for pilots to fly in the event of an engine failure during the takeoff run and subsequent one-engine inoperative climb, where climb performance is reduced and terrain clearance is the top priority. When viewing the list of EOP’s for an airport, you’ll see a new 3D View button to bring up the new visualization.