Top 10 Dispatch Feature Releases of 2021

ForeFlight Dispatch just keeps getting better, with dozens of updates this year adding powerful new flight planning and collaboration features for flight departments big and small. Here are our Top 10 new Dispatch features from 2021.

1. Integrated Weight and Balance

In conjunction with its release on ForeFlight Mobile for Business and MFB customers, Dispatch now allows you to integrate weight and balance planning directly with your flight planning after setting up W&B profiles for your aircraft. Access the W&B tab on the Flight page to add passenger and payload details.

2. Integrated Runway Analysis

Dispatch now supports the new Runway Analysis feature for supported jet aircraft that you have purchased a license for. Click the Runway Analysis tab to configure the calculation for takeoff, landing, and alternate landing. Email sales@foreflight.com to purchase Runway Analysis licenses for your account.

3. Route Rubberbanding

Manually adjust your route line simply by clicking and dragging it in Dispatch’s route map. Click and drag existing waypoints in your route to substitute them with other waypoints, or click and drag between waypoints to insert a new one. After releasing the line a popup displaying a list of nearby airports, waypoints, and more allows you to select the new route element.

4. New Operational Rules & Improved Interface

Control the details of flight plans across your account with new Operational Rule types available in Settings > Operational Rules.

  • Taxi Fuel – Set a default taxi fuel based on a flight’s aircraft, type, or departure airport.

  • FBO – Set a default FBO for a particular destination airport. This rule requires you to first select a destination airport to determine which FBOs are available, after which you can select one and/or define additional conditions based on aircraft, type, or departure airport.

  • Avoid Country – The Operational Rule equivalent of the new Route Constraint, allowing you to automatically apply the constraint-based on a flight’s departure or destination airport, aircraft, or type. You can also select countries to avoid without specifying any rule parameters to apply the Avoid Country constraint to all flights planned across your account.

Also, the user interface for adding and editing Operational Rules in Dispatch now more clearly defines the available parameters and logical operations, and provides a plain-language preview of the rule for added clarity.

5. Detailed Flight History

The Flight History feature now provides far more detail about what specific changes were made to a flight plan by anyone on your account. Click “Details” to the right of each flight event to see the full list of changes made.

6. Auto Routing

Dispatch’s automation capabilities take another step forward with the new Auto Route Settings Dispatch’s automation capabilities take another step forward with the new Auto Route Settings section in the Automation Settings tab. When enabled, Dispatch will automatically assign an optimized route to new flights that do not yet have a route. An additional setting allows you to define how many hours before ETD a route should be generated and assigned to a given flight plan.

7. Airspace & Country Crossings

View and export a detailed list of all airspaces and countries your route crosses with the Airspace Crossings tool, available in the Route Tools dropdown at the top of the Route Builder page. By View and export a detailed list of all airspaces and countries your route crosses with the Airspace Crossings tool, available in the Route Tools dropdown at the top of the Route Builder page. By default, this highlights all airspaces your route passes through on the map and displays the complete list of airspace crossings on the left, with details like time en route, lat/long positions, waypoints (if the crossing is associated with one), and more. Click the toggle in the top-right to enter Country mode, which similarly highlights all countries your route crosses on the map and displays crossing details on the left.

8. Dispatcher Notes

Flight planners can now provide pilots with custom notes containing relevant flight information via the NaFlight planners can now provide pilots with custom notes containing relevant flight information. The “Dispatcher Notes” field in the ATC Data tab and the Flight Release confirmation window supports up to 5000 characters that will be automatically included in both the Navlog and email sent to crew members when the flight is released.

9. Per-Flight Navlog Selection

Rather than enforcing the same Navlog template for every flight on your account, Dispatch now Rather than enforcing the same Navlog template for every flight on your account, Dispatch now allows flight planners to manually select any Navlog template – either Standard, International, or a custom-built template – while editing a flight. The Navlog shared with crew members will use the selected template when the flight is released.

10. Turbulence Avoidance

Enable cutting-edge new features prior to their general release by enabling the Preview Features sEnable cutting-edge new features before their general release by enabling the Preview Features setting at the bottom of the Planning Settings page. Preview features are marked with a red “Preview” label. The first Preview Feature, Turbulence Avoidance, is a new option in the Route Builder that causes Dispatch to attempt to avoid either moderate and severe or only severe turbulence as it generates the Recommended Route.

Stay up-to-date with all of ForeFlight’s Dispatch Releases by visiting foreflight.com/products/dispatch.

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