New Application Designed For iPad From The Ground Up
ForeFlight unveiled an upgrade to ForeFlight Mobile 3 on
Saturday, as well as a slight name change. If you've been wondering
if ForeFlight Mobile 3 would work on Apple’s iPad, the short
answer is "yes," under the name ForeFlight HD. ForeFlight says the
HD label means ForeFlight Mobile 3 runs extremely well on the new
Apple iPad. True to ForeFlight style, the company has
designed ForeFlight Mobile 3 HD from the ground up for iPad, with
every screen crafted specifically to support this remarkable new
device.
If you already have ForeFlight Mobile 3, all of the new iPad
features come as an update to your existing ForeFlight Mobile 3
app. Simply download the latest version (v3.2.2) on your
phone via the ‘Updates’ tab in the App Store.
This automatically upgrades your current version from ForeFlight
Mobile 3 to ForeFlight Mobile 3 HD. On your iPhone, the app
will run exactly like before. But launch it on an iPad, and
you’ll see ForeFlight Mobile in full HD!
For existing ForeFlight Mobile 3 subscribers, the upgrade is
free. You can run ForeFlight Mobile 3 on one iPhone and one
iPad without needing to buy any additional license or
subscription.
For new customers to ForeFlight Mobile 3, the app is a free
download from the iTunes App Store and includes the first month of
your subscription. This download runs on both your iPhone and
iPad. You can purchase a subscription extension inside the
app: $24.99 for 3 months or $74.99/year. Customers upgrading from
any version of ForeFlight Mobile 2 pay only $49.99 for the first
year of their subscription.
The app allows users to download airport data for 27,000
airports; NACO plates for the entire US; airport data from
UVTripPlanner, the FAA, and the AOPA; plus get HD NEXRAD, satellite
and other weather maps and more.
Since redesigning for iPad was a huge task, ForeFlight first
focused on features that take advantage of the big display: plates,
maps, weather, downloads, and airport data. Some features
aren’t yet available when running ForeFlight Mobile 3 HD on
the iPad, including:
- Routes screen.
- Flight plan filing and briefing.
- Animation for radar and satellite.
- Aircraft management.
ForeFlight says they are working to add those in a future
update. All functionality is still available when running
ForeFlight Mobile 3 HD on the iPhone.
ForeFlight Mobile 3 HD best used for viewing airport
information, terminal procedures, charts, and weather. Since the
WiFi-only version of the iPad has no GPS receiver (and the 3G
iPad’s GPS only works when not in “airplane”
mode), the company recommends against using the iPad as a
replacement for avionics or for navigation.