Fltplan.com app vs foreflight?

[nwopilot]

Hi everyone,

How is it that the Fltplan.com app is free? And the foreflight app costs $170 a year? Can someone describe the major differences? I just downloaded the flt plan app and it looks a lot like foreflight to me.

Thanks!

[esp803]

Foreflight is a much more polished piece of software. I use Fltplan.com, I think it's because it was android compatible before foreflight.

E

[CpnCrunch]

For VFR I use Air Navigation Pro.

[7ECA]

Firelight is the only NavCanada approved app available for navigation and flight planning purposes. No need to carry around paper copies of the CFS, VNCs, VTAs, etc (except for backup purposes of course).

The app has very regular map/publication updates, so everything is kept current. A very polished, well supported app for sure. The only issue is the lousy exchange rate these days, that $149.99 annual subscription, is closer to $200 with the weak looney.

[AirFrame]

There's no need to carry around paper copies of the CFS, VNC's, VTA's, etc. anyway, except as backups.

Foreflight is indeed a more polished app. FltPlanGo is actively being developed, hopefully it will end up as good as ForeFlight. In the meantime, FltPlanGo is good enough for VFR flight.

[nightbird]

ForeFlight has a better user interface. Fltplan is free and you get not only canadian but also american plublications, Mexico and the caribbean also I believe.
I like flight planning with fltplan.com, specially the navlog function in the fltplan go app.
Once you get used to it its great, I used foreflight for a year and decided not to renew the subscription, I've been using fltplango for about 6 months now and I love it, you can use for ifr or vfr, I fly a turboprob for a living and never pull the paper charts out, so much easier with fltplan, you can flight plan using best altitude for winds, file etc. within 5 min, plus it's hard to beat free.

[DanWEC]

7ECA, just curious, where does one find that Foreflight (Damn, I had to type that at least 4 times due to autocorrect!!) Is "NavCanada Approved" and in all honesty, how does that matter? They don't make the regs.

Foresight (Jesus there it goes again) is better than fltplan go, but dollar for dollar.....

Cheers
Dan

[7ECA]

There's a popup that lets you know its NavCanada approved, blah blah blah, never actually taken the time to read it closely.

All I found on NavCanada's site is this:

http://www.navcanada.ca/EN/media/Pages/ ... ory-2.aspx

And ForeFlight's site has this under the FAQs:

http://www.foreflight.com/support/canada/#84

[whistlerboy02]

The interface between Fltplan.com and their Go App is awesome and I use both and all the free Geo-referenced charts. The info is easier, faster to access, and more complete using the Ipad. We have paper everything on-board the Jet
I am playing with the ADSB receiver (Dual) with limited results. Its nice to have the Metar for my destination 400 miles out. The weather radar overlay is useless because by the time it loads by ADSB I am way past it. ADSB is only good for US Metars and Taf's so for Canadian destinations i don't usually turn ADSB on( it runs slow on my IPAD 2).
A friend runs Foreflight/XM package for about $1000 a year and its way better..... but its his primary he has no paper backup.

[SuperchargedRS]

I use both, foreflight for most everything, FltPlanGo for filing and helping pick altitudes and fuel burns.


I use foreflight for planning, checking weather, getting waypoints for airways for GNS boxes.

The synthetic vision is great for a additional level of situation awareness in MVFR / near canyons / flying low level floats and stuff like that.

The geo referenced approach plates are great, plus automatically switching to taxi diagrams once you're wheels down, complete with audio warning "approaching runway 01" "entering runway 01" is a cool little backup feature.

[CpnCrunch]

The synthetic vision is great for a additional level of situation awareness in MVFR / near canyons / flying low level floats and stuff like that.

That's awesome. I was wondering when Foreflight were going to introduce synthetic vision...it looks like they just released it a month ago. It looks like it would be great for enhanced situational awareness for serious single pilot IFR/night flying.

[SuperchargedRS]

The synthetic vision is great for a additional level of situation awareness in MVFR / near canyons / flying low level floats and stuff like that.

That's awesome. I was wondering when Foreflight were going to introduce synthetic vision...it looks like they just released it a month ago. It looks like it would be great for enhanced situational awareness for serious single pilot IFR/night flying.

It's a recent update, they charge 25 bucks a year for it, which isn't a lot, but when you're already paying so much it would have been nice to add for free IMO.

[airspeed250]

Sorry for an off-topic question; is there an app for Windows based tablets with Canadian charts and CFS?

[plhought]

Sorry for an off-topic question; is there an app for Windows based tablets with Canadian charts and CFS?

I haven't found anything as well (fellow Surface/Windows Phone user). If your are going slow enough, low enough, and still have cell coverage you can access fltplan.com through their normal webpage.

I'm pretty much limited to using fltplan.com for downloaded airport diagrams and a couple CFS pages which I download for offline access.

[CpnCrunch]

There's a popup that lets you know its NavCanada approved, blah blah blah, never actually taken the time to read it closely.

All I found on NavCanada's site is this:

http://www.navcanada.ca/EN/media/Pages/ ... ory-2.aspx

And ForeFlight's site has this under the FAQs:

http://www.foreflight.com/support/canada/#84

There's a similar popup in fltplan go saying the IFR charts are approved by Nav Canada for IFR subject to the limitations in the CARs. (Unfortunately it's not showing the disclaimer any more, so I can't tell you which CAR you need to reference).

[7ECA]

Just had the ForeFlight notice popup, here is what it is all about:

Nav Canada Data Notice

Limitation of use - Visual Flight Rules (VFR):

Use of this Application on portable electronic devices, is permitted for navigation purposes of VFR flights, subject to Part VI of the Canadian Aviation Regulations, subpart 2, standard 602.8, which states that: No operator of an aircraft shall permit the use of a portable electronic device on board an aircraft, where the device may impair the functioning of the aircraft's systems or equipment; (2) No person shall use a portable electronic device on board and aircraft except with the permission of the operator of the aircraft.

Limitations of use - Instrument Flight Rules (IFR):

Use of this Application on portable electronic devices, is permitted for navigation purpose for IFR flights, subject to Part VI of the Canadian Aviation Regulations, subpart 2, standard 602.8 as outlined above and the applicable guidance materials contained in the Transport Canada Advisory Circular (AC) No. 700-020 Electronic Flight Bags.

[CpnCrunch]

Having been using FltPlan Go for the last few months while doing my instrument rating, it seems to work very well for IFR. The only issue is that it doesn't have the IFR terminal charts, so I'll just keep a paper chart for that.

One tip I recently discovered: if you're wondering where the heck the VFR terminal procedures are for airports like YCD and YYJ in Fltplan Go (they're not in the CFS entry for the airports in question), you need to look in the Binder and download the 'VFR terminal procedures, BC' pdf (or whatever province you want).

[Cessna driver]

Sorry for an off-topic question; is there an app for Windows based tablets with Canadian charts and CFS?

I haven't found anything as well (fellow Surface/Windows Phone user). If your are going slow enough, low enough, and still have cell coverage you can access fltplan.com through their normal webpage.

I'm pretty much limited to using fltplan.com for downloaded airport diagrams and a couple CFS pages which I download for offline access.

update: fltplan go is now available to windows, its a work in progress but the basics are there, updates are weekly

[Posthumane]

While I love fltplan go (been using it on android for a while), one thing to keep in mind is that the android version and the iOS version are not the same. Android development seems to be a few months behind the iOS version, and some features that are listed in the user manual for iOS (such as rubber banding for route planning) are missing from the android version.

Some features need to be polished still. Adding an intermediate waypoint on the android version is a bit annoying: You need to go to edit route, place the cursor between two existing waypoints, then type in the desired point or hold the point on the map until the option to add it to the route comes up. Not a big deal, just not as nice as dragging the line.

Having a "protractor" tool in additonal to the ruler tool would be nice, so you could quickly check not only the distance but also the bearing between yourself and a point on the map (or two arbitrary points).

[JasonE]

I find Fltplan is flaky on my android tablet, but generally works. I often have to reset the task when switching menus in flight. I only fly VFR.