ForeFlight, in partnership with FlightAware, is now providing live global traffic streaming for all customers with the Internet Traffic feature included in ForeFlight 12.4, released in May 2020.
Integrated with the same traffic map layer used for ADS-B devices, Internet Traffic is available any time you have an internet connection and are on the ground, as well as when connected to inflight Wi-Fi networks from Gogo or Satcom Direct, according to company officials.
You can view call sign, altitude, and more detailed information for any airborne traffic target, and zoom into an airport to see ground traffic at thousands of locations worldwide, they add. The new features allows pilots to analyze airport activity, check on an active flight, and more.
Internet Traffic is available in all ForeFlight subscription plans.
Other new features
ForeFlight 12.4 also includes support for multitasking on the iPad, plus design improvements on both iPad and iPhone to “establish a fully unified and consistent interface across all devices,” company officials report.
“The result is a more efficient layout, a re-imagined compact More menu, support for re-arranging the Tab order, fullscreen layouts for pages like Checklist and Logbook, and the iPad’s FPL “Bubble Editor” now available on iPhone, along with many other iPad-only features,” officials said.
More Menu & Tab Bar Changes
ForeFlight’s tab organization and More menu received some of the biggest upgrades in this release, becoming more accessible, more customizable, and quicker to access, company officials said.
More is now a compact menu that slides in from the right, allowing you to quickly access Downloads, Settings, and other views without leaving the page you’re on, officials add.
The tab just to the left of More always reflects the last page you selected in More, making it easy to jump back and forth between it and your main tabs, they note.
iPhone Upgrades
ForeFlight on the iPhone is now nearly identical to the iPad version in the latest version.
Flight planning on the iPhone is easier thanks to its new Bubble Editor, complete with previously iPad-only features like Altitude Advisor, Procedure Advisor, and quick-access buttons for aircraft, performance profile, and ETD changes, company officials explain.
Show/Hide Aeronautical Map Quick Filters
Free up more space on the map by hiding the Aeronautical Map quick filter buttons. The new setting switch in the Map Settings menu lets you show or hide all six quick filter buttons without changing their states, giving you additional map space on small devices or helping to prevent accidental taps if you rarely use the quick filters. Aeronautical Map settings are still accessible within the Map Settings menu when the quick filters are hidden.
This setting and the Map Quick Filters are not available on the original iPhone SE due to space constraints, according to ForeFlight officials.
Aircraft Type Restrictions in Procedure Advisor
Procedure Advisor now displays aircraft type restrictions for SIDs and STARs so you can quickly identify suitable procedures for your aircraft.
Colored tags for Piston, Turboprop, and Jet aircraft appear beneath procedures that are restricted to the aircraft types shown. These type restriction tags are also shown in the Procedures tab on the Airports view.