Just subscribed to the $200 level of Forelfight… Had been previously using FltPlan Go, which basically has all the same features, but is maybe slightly less user friendly.
Chart overlay, taxi overlay are all included in FltPlan Go. These are the most helpful, cool features that the $200 level Foreflight unlocks. Honestly stick with FltPlan Go and once you get familiar maybe invest, but honestly there’s not much more functionality, other than a spiffy GUI, the tracklog function (view your previous flights in Google Maps, and in the app), and the web UI which shows maps etc.
With 4,500+ hours on VATSIM I find that FltPlan Go and LNM and great free tools. Also in the US if you fly a lot of VFR and need airport diagrams you can find airport directories published by the state in addition to the FAAs chart supplements. The ones published by the state have diagrams of virtually all airports (even those without instrument approaches).
@JWATTS0275 - As @LesOReilly4451 mentions, don’t check this box in FltPlan. Start there and you should be fine playing with the functionality. Will teach weight and balance and flight planning. You can always upgrade later if you really want to.
Is there a site with a tabulated feature comparison of all the EFBs?
I’ve been using Garmin Pilot with PilotEdge mainly because I’m working on getting current again, but it also makes Flight Simulator amazingly immersive. Just wondering if I’m missing out not using ForeFlight or an ipad.
For the OP, Garmin Pilot has a thirty day trial, and I believe Pilot Edge does as well. Talking to real controllers, using real tools, and then just letting the sim move your plane and draw the graphics is a pretty incredible experience. Definitely worth at least trying.
Not that I’m aware of. Foreflight is what 99% of real world pilots use and also has a 30 day trial. I personally bought an iPad just for the trial and purchased it.
If you’re flying in the US, you can’t beat FltPlan Go if you have an old Kindle or Tab A laying around… I had 4… But having used it for 3-4 years just wanted to step up.
Yes, VFR is purely straight line
Try and fly straight line here anywhere (this is Luxembourg and a part of Belgium, arguably Belgium are the champions of prohibited and restricted areas, but most of Europe is more or less like this)
Sorry but when we learn to fly planes and do our “Flight Plan” yeah we draw our tracklines and our deviation lines… We mark checkpoints for fuel and time comparisons…
However you are not plotting airways and radials… Yes you use your tack lines to make sure that you account for Wind correction angles… But sorry… we drew straight lines… You would have a set heading point that you fly to and then “set your heading from that point”…
That is not what our conversation was about… but okay champ …
please show me how you learned to fly VFR for your pilots license… That is how we learn here where sure we have Restricted air space… but most of the time that is why you pick a set heading point that keeps you out of it… And sure you might have another point that you will set heading again… to maximize straight lines… Otherwise you will have trouble calculating winds aloft and thus your durations and fuel burn.
Basically look up real PPL flight planning methods and get back to me…
I think what folks were pointing out is that there are lots of ways to plan and conduct a VFR flight, and as it relates to this conversation, having a real EFB like ForeFlight can be a massive help and also make the simulator much more usable and immersive.
I’ve been using Garmin Pilot to fly VFR Flyways and not bust the Bravo airspaces at St. Louis, LA, and San Diego, and indeed it’s been a huge help and greatly extended the capabilities of Flight Simulator.
Lots of not straight lines on the flyway, coast, river, or road you’re following. The EFB helps enormously with situational awareness. Can you accomplish the same stuff with free tools? Sure. Are they as full featured, easy to use, and “real”? Probably not. Does that justify a subscription cost? That’s up to the user I think. For me it definitely is.
FLTPlan GO is a fully featured tool and is free… But is only for north America…
It will provide all of that data… Will Garmin Kill it off one day… Probably since once they have all of the integration with the Fltplan platform complete… But sure seems like a lot of money spent to buy that company if not for the fact that FLTPLAN has been the leader in planning and filing if flight plans in the US for a long time…
I’m just trying out FltPlan Go now, and ForeFlight is next on the list before I settle on something that I’ll be using long term. So far I find it a bit more cumbersome and “amateurish”(?), but it could be I’m just not used to it yet, so I’ll give it several more flights. There are things I didn’t like about Garmin Pilot either, so I’m eager to try ForeFlight. I need to actually buy an iPad first though.
with an ASPEN Pro PFD and Garmin GNS-480 the functionality of FTLPlan GO did not have have anything “missing” from the needs… I can file in the App both VFR or IFR. Synthetic Vision? On the PFD… But it connects Bluetooth to the GTX-345 and I get all the ADS-B in features and traffic…
UI is definitely something they were going to start working on but were acquired by Garmin … very little has been done for the application except for those customers that leverage their other Platform integration… It will be gone one day… Garmin is not going to continue to give it away for free.
Flight plan times – altitude winds and all info has been bang on… Hard to tell someone here who want this for a simulator to pay that kind of money for foreflight… Might as well just put that money into Navigraph and use Fltplan Go…