ForeFlight for simulators

The free software is available online, and can be installed on a computer running the Lockheed Martin or Microsoft simulation software. ForeFlight running on an iPad or iPhone that is connected to the same wireless network as the computer can then receive GPS and other data from the simulator, allowing full use of ForeFlight’s in-flight features (including ADS-B traffic, navigation, and attitude indication).

“Pilots know that the more closely they re-create the mental experience they have in the airplane, the more valuable their training in a simulator can be,” said Flight1 Aviation Technologies President Jim Rhoads, in a news release. “We think it’s so valuable for pilots to use sims with the same tools they use in the airplane that we’re giving the ForeFlight Plug-in to anyone who requests it. We know it will enhance their experience using our avionics simulations.”

Flight1 Aviation Technologies was founded in 2004 to develop PC-based simulation add-ons, and has since also developed hardware components for desktop simulators and aviation training devices. Company spokesman Mike Singer said in an email exchange that Flight1 is working toward FAA approval of simulation systems that would allow pilots to log simulated time. A G1000 simulator with instructor station made by Flight1 have been incorporated in an advanced aviation training device (AATD) made by Elite Simulation Solutions.

Singer noted that the company has evolved from roots writing software add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator, and customers have asked for FAA-approved devices that the company intends to produce in time. Meanwhile, Rhoads contends that there is value for pilots in simulation, regardless of whether the time can be logged.