I own full subscriptions of Foreflight and Garmin Pilot, and have for many, many, many, many years. As you can imagine I'm tired of paying double to have what I want to plan flights and navigate/fly with. A couple of times before I've attempted to consolidate and have given up. It's happened again but for a new reason.

Between the two I prefer Garmin Pilot for flying and Foreflight for planning, but since I'm doing more trips between the U.S. and Alaska (yes I'm aware that Alaska is technically a part of the U.S. but in reality it is more its own country than it is a state) I decided Foreflight would be my app of choice- and this last flight up (that I just finished a month ago) I did it all on Foreflight (and my mini 4).

You may have read my thread on the problem I've had with the new iPad mini 5's GPS. As stated in that thread I tried it with an external GPS (GDL 39 3D in point of fact) and it worked fine.

What didn't work fine was the weather display. Now I'm not a fan of ADS-B but I can imagine others are, which means you will want to leave ADS-B in connected all the time. Well if you do that, and you are using Foreflight, and you are not within range of a FIS-B signal, you won't have any weather information- and that includes weather radar. The reason is Foreflight won't let you select the weather information source, it is selected for you based on the device you are using. Hook up a device that includes FIS-B (like ADS-B in) and weather can only come from FIS-B. I confirmed this with a call to Foreflight.

Now fair weather fliers, eastern fliers, and flight level fliers probably won't see this issue because they either won't be using weather radar, or they'll be within FIS-B range. But those of us who fly the backcountry, especially those of us who fly in the West and Alaska will be affected.

Garmin Pilot however does let the user select the weather source. So if I want ADS-B in, and there isn't a FIS-B source, no problem, I can switch to another weather source while still keeping the ADS-B in working with the app.

So guess what. I'm back using Garmin Pilot as my preferred flying app, and planning flights with Foreflight (long ones at least).

BTW, I did ask Foreflight to add this capability. They said they would consider my request a "vote" for this capability. They add features based on how many "votes" they have. If you'd like this feature I'd suggest you let them know your feelings.

On another sorta related point: Sirius XM Weather has come out with new (I think) subscription prices. And, the basic version that will talk to Foreflight now costs $10 a month more than the basic version for Garmin Pilot. I'm not sure this is new, because I've always used Foreflight.

But, looks like I'll be switching to Garmin Pilot now, since the difference in XM subscription monthly fee will pay for the Pilot subscription.

Grrrrrr.

MTV

Everywhere I've flown since I first bought my first Mini and my Stratus 2, I've gotten pretty fair ADS-B In weather, and it's gotten better and better as the FAA activated more ADS-B towers. I noticed a couple of days ago that I was actually getting ADS-B on the ground at my hangar, albeit with a warning window that said the signal was weak. Normally, though, I can expect a pretty good signal at pattern altitude (800' AGL). I don't know where the towers are located in relation to the field--just haven't paid attention to their locations when I'm flying. But as long as the service is free, I can't justify XM.

Cary

There is no 978 ADS-B FIS-B in Canada, so no weather data. Canada weather isn't sent up over the US system either.

There a huge WX radar gap on the coastal route as well as the interior past Prince George.

In Foreflight under device settings there is a option to display the ADS-B towers the UAT is receiving a signal from.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

mtv wrote:On another sorta related point: Sirius XM Weather has come out with new (I think) subscription prices. And, the basic version that will talk to Foreflight now costs $10 a month more than the basic version for Garmin Pilot. I'm not sure this is new, because I've always used Foreflight.

But, looks like I'll be switching to Garmin Pilot now, since the difference in XM subscription monthly fee will pay for the Pilot subscription.

Grrrrrr.

MTV

Easy there big guy

The ForeFlight version does have a few more features than the basic version. So there is something there for yer extra 10 bucks, weather its useful to you or not.... well.... who knows.


Kurt

G44 wrote:

mtv wrote:On another sorta related point: Sirius XM Weather has come out with new (I think) subscription prices. And, the basic version that will talk to Foreflight now costs $10 a month more than the basic version for Garmin Pilot. I'm not sure this is new, because I've always used Foreflight.

But, looks like I'll be switching to Garmin Pilot now, since the difference in XM subscription monthly fee will pay for the Pilot subscription.

Grrrrrr.

MTV

Easy there big guy

The ForeFlight version does have a few more features than the basic version. So there is something there for yer extra 10 bucks, weather its useful to you or not.... well.... who knows.


Kurt

What features, Kurt? That's what I'm trying to figure out. I don't mind paying extra, as long as I am getting useful information. I have used Foreflight since it came out, and Garmin Pilot is pretty alien to me at the moment. Not really wanting to change.....but.

MTV

Cary wrote:Everywhere I've flown since I first bought my first Mini and my Stratus 2, I've gotten pretty fair ADS-B In weather, and it's gotten better and better as the FAA activated more ADS-B towers. I noticed a couple of days ago that I was actually getting ADS-B on the ground at my hangar, albeit with a warning window that said the signal was weak. Normally, though, I can expect a pretty good signal at pattern altitude (800' AGL). I don't know where the towers are located in relation to the field--just haven't paid attention to their locations when I'm flying. But as long as the service is free, I can't justify XM.

Cary

Cary,

That'd be great if indeed there were GBTs everywhere. A point: There are precisely SIX GBTs (the ground based transmitters/receivers for the ADS/B system) in the entire state of Montana. And, the system is complete....they have no plan to add ANY new GBTs. So, for example, I operate out of the busiest airport in Montana.....and there is no GBT here.

Go fly in the canyons and let us know how well FIS-B works for you there. Try to get weather from it while you're parked at Johnson Creek, or any other back country airport that's in the mountains.

With Sirius XM weather, I spool up my receiver and the iPad and within minutes I have all sorts of weather information and maps.

If FIS-B works for you, where you fly, good on you. It doesn't where I fly and at the altitudes I typically operate at. Come out here some time and give it a try.

MTV

mtv wrote:

Cary wrote:Everywhere I've flown since I first bought my first Mini and my Stratus 2, I've gotten pretty fair ADS-B In weather, and it's gotten better and better as the FAA activated more ADS-B towers. I noticed a couple of days ago that I was actually getting ADS-B on the ground at my hangar, albeit with a warning window that said the signal was weak. Normally, though, I can expect a pretty good signal at pattern altitude (800' AGL). I don't know where the towers are located in relation to the field--just haven't paid attention to their locations when I'm flying. But as long as the service is free, I can't justify XM.

Cary

Cary,

That'd be great if indeed there were GBTs everywhere. A point: There are precisely SIX GBTs (the ground based transmitters/receivers for the ADS/B system) in the entire state of Montana. And, the system is complete....they have no plan to add ANY new GBTs. So, for example, I operate out of the busiest airport in Montana.....and there is no GBT here.

Go fly in the canyons and let us know how well FIS-B works for you there. Try to get weather from it while you're parked at Johnson Creek, or any other back country airport that's in the mountains.

With Sirius XM weather, I spool up my receiver and the iPad and within minutes I have all sorts of weather information and maps.

If FIS-B works for you, where you fly, good on you. It doesn't where I fly and at the altitudes I typically operate at. Come out here some time and give it a try.

MTV

I might do that sometime. The only time I've flown to Montana in ages was on an Angel Flight to Hardin, and that's been so long ago that I hadn't switched to ForeFlight yet from paper charts!

Cary