What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Garmin pilot - Foreflight

I use Foreflight and plan to stick with it. Even with the 20% increase, it’s a very small percentage of my total aviation costs.
 
Both

I've been paying for both for the last few years. Foreflight since it is the better app IMHO, and Garmin pilot since I'm an Android phone guy.

The Foreflight price increase made me take another look at the Apple version of Pilot. I like Apple Pilot quite a bit more than the Android one, and though I still prefer Foreflight, not going to renew my Foreflight. Pilot has come a long way since I had last looked at it.

Derek
 
Last product briefing I heard, it was Foreflight by 4:1 or so.

A few years back, Garmin gave in to marketing pressure and became Foreflight compatible to some degree. However, there are some things that only Garmin Pilot can do, like control the XM Radio in the GDL 52 ADS-B/XM receiver.

I've not kept up with all of Pilot's bells and whistles, nor Foreflight's... With a dual screen G3X Touch setup, I don't need a tablet, and my flights are usually dirt simple, using flight following.

One feature that I'm still waiting for is being able to find good stops while en route -- fuel is easy, but easily accessible food on or near the airport is the missing element.
 
I have both. I have the g3x system so I got garmin pilot. It works ok but is not nearly the program Foreflight is.

What I really like about Foreflight is the 3-d view of an airport I have never flown to. It also records your flight - though I havent figured that out yet but being able to watch a flight I made is the main reason I went with FF. It is $300 a year but as a low time pilot, I want all the help I can get.

There are some great youtube videos and FF has their own instructional videos that help with the learning curve. Garmin does too and they are great getting back to me when I have a question but I prefer FF.
 
Long time FF user, but just did a trial GP to compare.

I think Garmin is doing NOTAMS better (displayed on map rather than text only), and some of the planning features are better (being able to scrub along a route and see the weather/notams at each point).

Still prefer FF’s weather presentation, and the inclusion of restaurants, and comments both for airports and FBOs, which I find useful in trip planning. I don’t think their new W&B scheme is as good as the existing one, so hopefully they add back the lost features before it becomes the new normal later this year.

FF has a (feature limited, but still) web version which GP does not, though GP does link with a different online planning site.
 
I've used both and a couple of times I tried to settle on ForeFlight but I keep coming back to Garmin Pilot. FF has more weather imaging options but I still like GP better for use in the cockpit. The 10.7 version just out adds support for Stratux and Bad Elf devices, so Garmin is opening up the ecosystem a bit to other devices.
 
I've used Garmin Pilot on Android devices since the beginning. Some thoughts:
1. GP on an Apple device is usually 2-3 revisions ahead of the Android version.
2. My FF buddy is envious of Pilot's Connext feature for flight plan xfer to our G3Xs.
3. I never use Pilot in flight since I installed my G3X Touch system 2 years ago, so I'm considering not renewing my subscription although it's only $79 for the vfr version. GP is an excellent flight planning tool and Garmin lets you install it on up to 3 devices.
 
Last edited:
I keep Garmin Pilots most basic version just for the fuel price information. GP has the most current fuel prices of ANY app. As we do a bit of CC flying having accurate fuel cost information comes in handy. A single fill up at the better choice airport pays for the GP app for the year.

I use FlyQ for trip planning and filing. Bought a lifetime subscription and really enjoy the app. You may look at that one too. It connects to the Dynon screens through the $35 Dynon bluetooth module.

And in-flight I don't use the iPad at all with two 10" Dynon screens and the reliability issues I have had with the iPad.
 
I have used both pilot and foreflight. I like the runway notification that foreflight offers, but other than that I can't think of a reason to spend $80 more. I have both the Avidyne 440 and 3-G3X touch screens.

I sounds like Foreflight decided to take the "Me Too" route and increase their pricing.

When it comes time to renew I am going back to Garmin Pilot
 
I have used both pilot and foreflight. I like the runway notification that foreflight offers, but other than that I can't think of a reason to spend $80 more. I have both the Avidyne 440 and 3-G3X touch screens.

I sounds like Foreflight decided to take the "Me Too" route and increase their pricing.

When it comes time to renew I am going back to Garmin Pilot

Foreflight allows me to sit at home and leisurely create a flight plan on my computer, iPad, or iPhone When I get to the airport, I can then quickly and easily upload that flight plan from Foreflight directly to my IFD440 (or to my Advanced Flight EFIS, if I prefer). Likewise in-flight changes from the cockpit using Foreflight are drag-and-drop simple on my iPad and then easy to re-upload to my PFD.

I don’t have any Garmin avionics so I have no clue if Garmin Pilot allows that kind of flight plan flexibility. Does it?
 
Sky Demon for VFR, Rocket Route for IFR

Sky Demon is by far the best VFR application for Europe, it may well be also for the US if they get some traction. Rocket Route for flight planning IFR is also way superior in my humble opinion than Foreflight but unfortunately Jeppesen plate users have been forced to change to Foreflight due to the discontinuity of Jeppesen FD, so that there is no future for other applications that are not owned by Boeing. It's a sad reality that big business pushes out the far better but smaller completion.
 
Garmin Pilot iOS version now supports Stratux which is excellent news.

Now I can have one Stratux interfacing to Avare WingX and GP at once
 

Attachments

  • 83595385-645E-43F7-9670-20C110B619B4.jpg
    83595385-645E-43F7-9670-20C110B619B4.jpg
    459.8 KB · Views: 81
Last edited:
Features

So true. I'd also kill for a list of GA airports with hotels within walking distance. I have not yet found such an animal online.

One feature that I'm still waiting for is being able to find good stops while en route -- fuel is easy, but easily accessible food on or near the airport is the missing element.
 
Foreflight is pretty much the best option for people with non-Garmin panels. I paid a bit extra for the mid tier. As a VFR-only pilot with a Skyview panel, the georeferenced plates aren't super-useful to me. Terrain clearance/hazard advisor is really the thing I am getting out of the extra $120/year, so I'm probably going to downgrade for the next annual cycle.

One of the best features though is the Comments section for airports/FBOs.
 
Direct to nearest

As far as I can tell so far, FF doesn't have a quick way to find and navigate to the nearest airport in an emergency. I am not sure it is the same as Pilot, but I use a Garmin Aerea 660 GPS, and one of the most comforting features is "find nearest" and a one button "direct to" procedure.
I just got an ipad and FF pro as a redundancy with a sentry ADSB receiver. I like the flight tracking that I can do now with FF, and the automatic logbook entries, but can someone tell me if there is quick direct to nearest function?
 
As far as I can tell so far, FF doesn't have a quick way to find and navigate to the nearest airport in an emergency. I am not sure it is the same as Pilot, but I use a Garmin Aerea 660 GPS, and one of the most comforting features is "find nearest" and a one button "direct to" procedure.
I just got an ipad and FF pro as a redundancy with a sentry ADSB receiver. I like the flight tracking that I can do now with FF, and the automatic logbook entries, but can someone tell me if there is quick direct to nearest function?
One quick way to get direct to the nearest airport is to tap the screen near your present position. That brings up the “add to route” box. If you have “Airports” selected at the bottom of the box, you will see a list of the nearest airports, ordered by proximity. Select “more” to the right of the airport you want, then “direct to” So the process takes 3 taps (or 4, if you don’t already have “airports” selected as the filter). Note that it will show heliports on the list (not terribly useful for a RV) unless you turn off heliports in the Settings for the map view.
 
As far as I can tell so far, FF doesn't have a quick way to find and navigate to the nearest airport in an emergency. I am not sure it is the same as Pilot, but I use a Garmin Aerea 660 GPS, and one of the most comforting features is "find nearest" and a one button "direct to" procedure.
I just got an ipad and FF pro as a redundancy with a sentry ADSB receiver. I like the flight tracking that I can do now with FF, and the automatic logbook entries, but can someone tell me if there is quick direct to nearest function?

Set up FF's 'Glide Advisor' (the irregularly shaped green ring in the screenshot below) which will show you roughly which airports may be reachable. Tap on the nearest one (I've tapped on KUIL in the screenshot below) to bring up the airport's info and then hit 'Direct To'.

Also note in the screenshot below I have 'Nearest Airport' selected to be displayed in the menu bar near the bottom of the screen on the right. In this example it shows the nearest airport to be KUIL at 8.6 NM. The 'Glide Advisor' ring shows that I should be able to glide to that airport.

i-TNbGfBr-XL.png
 
Last edited:
Back
Top