ForeFlight Illustrated

You probably know that ForeFlight is the most popular aviation app in the universe, but just why is it so big? We'd count the ways, but we'd quickly run out of space. The app is that good. Suffice it to say that the mapping and flight planning, the weather and traffic and hazard awareness integration, and the sweet user interface all add up to an app that users, including us, love to love.

But as cool as ForeFlight is today, it might be even better tomorrow, heck, maybe by this afternoon, because the company is constantly updating its app with new tweaks and add-ons, as well as some not so little ones. Recent additions such as Logbook, which is just what it sounds like, or ForeFlight Web (shown at top), which is a powerful Internet-enabled flight-planning utility that rivals the leader in that market, developed by FltPlan.com, are both products that could stand on their own as paid apps. With ForeFlight, it's instead merely a value-added delight.

That's one of the most powerful things about the app: It's always changing, which in some industries isn't always a good thing, at least as the details of change are getting sorted out. But with ForeFlight, it's not like that. The app tends to change in ways that are additive, bringing new power and ease of use while not fundamentally changing the way that users interact with the app. Not that ForeFlight is perfect, but it does all the important things in ways that are easy to figure out on first try and to remember the next time.

One of those recent improvements is Logbook. When I spoke with company co-founders Jason Miller and Tyson Weihs about the feature, they told me they were hoping users would warm to it and over time make it a popular feature.

They were in for a surprise. After just three weeks, Weihs said, the new logbook feature had amassed more than a million entries. Now, more than two months since launch, acceptance is taking off.

The feature has a number of sub-features that make logging easier than ever, and for those of us with fat logbooks, you can backfill or even capture a portable document (PDF) of those pages.There's no optical character recognition, at least not yet, but the ability to work in all of your old pages adds immeasurably to the experience.

Logbooks are a required part of what we do as pilots (though many pilots are surprised by just how light the regulatory requirements for logging are). With ForeFlight, just keep the app running, and Logbook will do a lot of the rest while giving you the ability to quickly review and add relevant details in a snap.

The feature will actually log your flights automatically (and if you leave it running in the back of the plane, it will log the next pilot's flight, too, I'm assuming). If you were to do nothing else but enter a flight plan and go flying, ForeFlight would create a log entry for you with route of flight, departure and destination, number of landings and more. For filling in your own entries, or adding to automatic ones, it makes it easy by giving you extensive and well-organized auto-fill and menu options to click and go.

It's also something instructors can use, allowing them to issue endorsements and sign away, with the signature encrypted in the cloud. And with more than 60 quick-fill endorsement options, no need to type in the text yourself---just pick "tailwheel endorsement," for example, fill in the details, and you're good to send your signee off for some fun flying.

It's customizable, too, so you can create a logbook look, feel and functionality that fit your kind of flying.

And did I mention that it could save a lot of work? The thing I like best about it is that it will automatically keep track of currency for everything from night landings to hold procedures. You can enter Hobbs times to jibe your logbook with the meter on the plane, you can add passengers and remind yourself (or your accountant) that they were business associates along to close a big deal, or family members tagging along to spend a day at the shore.

One of the coolest features is the ability to add photos. Who doesn't snap shots while we fly, and now you can easily add those photo files to the log of your flights for a record that's truly unforgettable. Who wouldn't wish they had pics associated with their first solo, one from giving one of your kids or a grandparent their first ride, or one that captures the look of relief and joy following that successful checkride. Like most other ForeFlight features, Logbook is cross-platform; it will work with your iPhone, iPad or even ForeFlight Web.

The Logbook feature is available with ForeFlight Basic Plus and Pro Plus. To learn more, visit foreflight.com.