iFlightPlanner new flight planning platform for AOPA

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association‘s legacy software powering the association’s online flight planning tool has been replaced by a new platform, iFlightPlanner, available for free to AOPA members. 

While working on the transition to a new planner from the Jeppesen platform, AOPA officials said they listened carefully to feedback from members about what they value most in flight-planning tools. The result is a partnership with iFlightPlanner that combines new technology with a core set of features requested by AOPA members.

iFlightPlanner, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based firm, is providing a unique version of its flight-planning platform that AOPA members will have exclusive access to free of charge, AOPA officials reported. 

“AOPA is pleased to offer members access to a very capable web-based flight planner, customized with many features especially for AOPA pilots,” said Jiri Marousek, AOPA Senior Vice President of Marketing. “Members can use a customized version of iFlightPlanner accessible through any web browser on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. We have been working with iFlightPlanner to offer several new features not previously available, including options free to AOPA pilots that are otherwise only included in paid versions of their products.”

AOPA members can access the new planner through a landing page on the AOPA website. Accessing iFlightPlanner through this portal will verify free access for AOPA members.

Stored flight plans and profiles set up through the previous legacy planner will be pre-loaded into iFlightPlanner. From April 22 through April 30, both the sunsetting legacy flight planner and the new iFlightPlanner will be available.

Because of the required transition period between products, any new data created in the legacy system between April 22 and April 30 will not be migrated to iFlightPlanner, AOPA officials note.

“From day one, iFlightPlanner’s evolution has been driven by member feedback and this new version will be no different,” said Andy Matthews, director of business development for iFlightPlanner. “We encourage AOPA members to share their feedback as they begin using the new planner and help shape new features to further enhance every member’s flight planning experience.”

Features include:

• Google Maps Interface with U.S. aviation charts 
  • Sectional, TAC, IFR Low, and IFR High
  • FAA Airport/Facility data
  • Updated every 28 days with AIRAC cycle
• Weather Overlays 
  • Visual METAR & TAF display
  • Most recent radar & satellite image
  • Graphical AIRMETs, SIGMETs, and PIREPs
• Aviation Overlays
  • Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs)
  • Class & Special Use Airspace (SUA)
  • Current fuel prices by type 
• Planning Features  
  • Favorite airports
  • Stored routes
  • Custom waypoints
  • Routing types  
    • Direct 
    • Custom (User-Defined Route)
    • Low Altitude Airways
    • Low Altitude Airways with SID/STAR
  • Alternate airport filtering and selection
  • Altitude comparison tool
  • Detailed navigation log generation
  • Route rubberbanding
  • Fuel planning features 
    • Fuel reserve and exhaustion indicators
    • Nearby fuel price visualizer
  • Certified Weather Briefings 
    • Auto-populated from planned flight data
    • Standard and Outlook weather briefings
    • Recorded with Leidos Flight Service/1800WXBRIEF 
  • Flight Plan Filing with Leidos Flight Service 
  • Cockpit Resources 
    • Printable Flight Document
    • Downloadable airport diagrams, minimums, SID/STAR procedures 

The decision to sunset the Jeppesen flight planner was a mutual decision, according to AOPA officials. AOPA members will still receive discounts on Jeppesen products, content drawn on Jeppesen’s deep expertise in weather and navigation, and free upcoming training webinars.