Collaboration Produces 'Intuitive, Affordable Plate
Viewer'
Sporty's has taken the wraps off its new 'Plates' app for
approach charts on the iPad. With Plates, pilots can carry every US
approach plate on every flight, and save over 90% off the price of
paper charts. Imagine a whole stack of approach charts reduced to
the convenience and reliability of a 1.6 pound iPad.
Both Sporty's and ForeFlight were founded by pilots for pilots,
so the companies focused on creating an app that would be at home
in the demanding environment of a general aviation cockpit.
Quick-access features like Night View and the Favorite Plates List
reduce button pushing and save pilots time in the cockpit. If ATC
changes your approach at the last minute, the pilots at Sporty's
and ForeFlight have made sure that you can find the new plate in
just seconds.
A powerful search function helps pilots find the right chart in
just seconds, and the charts for each airport can be viewed in
either a grid or list layout. With the iPad's famous pinch-zoom
feature, users can enlarge the chart with a simple hand motion.
This is ideal for viewing frequencies, altitudes or notes. The
screen can even be locked to prevent accidental zooming.
"As the FAA's largest chart distributor, Sporty's is always
looking for new ways to deliver charts to the cockpit," says
Sporty's Vice President John Zimmerman. "We are thrilled to partner
with ForeFlight, because with Plates, pilots finally have a way to
use electronic charts without sacrificing readability or ease of
use." Keeping the charts updated is refreshingly simple with
Plates, too. The app notifies users when updates are available, and
every chart can be automatically updated with the tap of a single
button. New charts are delivered quickly over the iPad's WiFi or 3G
connection.
Plates includes all AeroNav (FAA) approaches, arrivals,
departures and airport diagrams for the entire United States.
Pilots can print charts directly from the app during pre-flight, or
use it in the cockpit. Plates is a legal replacement for paper
charts for pilots flying under FAR Part 91.
"This is the app for pilots who may have never considered using
an iPad in the cockpit or who want a simple, elegant plates app
that is backed by fanatical support and ForeFlight's reliable
delivery technology," says Tyson Weihs, Founder and Principal
Developer of ForeFlight. "You don't have to be a computer expert to
use it, and the update process is so automatic that it's nearly
invisible."
A fully-functional free 30-day trial is available by downloading
the app from the iTunes App Store.