Skip to main content
Buy Now

SUPPORT CENTER

Welcome to our Support Center. Answers to many of your questions can be found in our helpful guides, videos, and searchable database of questions and answers.

How do I add my own plates using the "Bring Your Own Plates" (BYOP) feature?

This article describes how to import your airport plates and other PDF files to ForeFlight Mobile using the Bring Your Own Plates (BYOP) feature. This article is broken up into the following sections:

What is BYOP?

If you have custom airport diagrams, departure procedures, and other types of plates not included in ForeFlight’s default list, you can use ForeFlight’s Bring Your Own Plates (BYOP) feature to import them as PDF files and associate them with specific airports. Those PDF files become part of the airport’s available plates throughout ForeFlight Mobile on your device.

To import your own plates, follow the instructions in this article.

NOTE: This article requires the use of a computer with iTunes or Finder installed. If you do not want to use either app, you can create a "byop" folder containing your PDFs and place it into a Content Pack.

 

Naming Your Files

On a PC or Mac, copy all your PDF files to an empty directory or folder and rename each one using the following format: 

      AirportCode_Category Name_Procedure Name.pdf. 

Note that each file must be a PDF and have an underscore (_) between separate parts of its filename. These parts are described below:

AirportCode

This required value should match an airport ICAO code, for example, "KLAX". 

CategoryName

This optional value determines how the PDF is displayed on the Airports view:

  • If this value is labeled, ForeFlight will store the PDF in a category subfolder on the airport's Procedure tab. This could be a predefined category like "Airport", "Departure", "Arrival", or "Approach", or a new category that you create.
  • If this value is labeled "Taxi", ForeFlight will display the PDF when you tap the Taxiways button in the top right corner of the Airports view.
  • If this value is omitted, the PDF will be sorted by default into the airport's "Other" category on the Procedure tab.

ProcedureName

This required value can be whatever is desired for the procedure name. Procedure names can contain spaces and other special characters. Listed below are some examples of valid names:

  • KDFW_Taxi_Three.pdf: The "Three" plate opens on the Airports view when displaying KDFW and tapping the Taxiways button or when tapping Procedure > Airport.
  • KLAX_Arrival_ARR1.pdf: The "ARR1" plate opens on the Airports view when displaying KLAX and tapping Procedure > Arrival.
  • KRMY_Airport_APT 1.pdf: The "APT 1" plate opens on the Airports view when displaying KRMY and tapping Procedure > Airport.
  • KRDU_Airport: The "Airport" plate opens on the Airports view when displaying KRDU and tapping Procedure > Other. Unlike the above example, "Airport" is treated as the procedure's name, not its category.

When you are done, compress your PDFs into a Procedures.zip file.

 

Creating a Procedures.zip File

Once the naming convention above has been applied to all the PDFs to be imported, compress them into a Procedures.zip file.

IMPORTANT: Do not place PDF files in a folder named "Procedures" before compressing them into a ZIP file. Instead, use one of the following two methods depending on the computer's operating system:

  • If using a Mac, click here.
  • If using a PC, click here.

Creating Procedures.zip on a Mac

STEP 1. Select all the files to be imported inside Finder or on the Desktop.

STEP 2. Right-click and select Compress from the pop-up menu. A file named Archive.zip will be created when multiple files are compressed.

compressing-custom-plates-into-zip.png

Compress Custom Plates into a ZIP File

STEP 3. Rename the file to "Procedures.zip". (Any other filename will cause an import error.)

renaming-zip-archive-to-procedures.png

Rename Archive.zip to "Procedures.zip"

STEP 4. When finished, import the ZIP File to ForeFlight Mobile.

 

Creating Procedures.zip on a PC

STEP 1. Use a program like WinZip to create a ZIP file of all the files to be imported.

STEP 2. Name the ZIP file "Procedures.zip". (Any other filename will cause an import error.)

STEP 3. When finished, import the ZIP File to ForeFlight Mobile.

 

Importing the ZIP File to ForeFlight Mobile

The process for importing the Procedures.zip file to ForeFlight Mobile varies depending on the device's iOS version:

  • For devices running MacOS 10.15 or later, use the Finder method.
  • For devices running MacOS 10.14 or earlier, use the iTunes method.

Importing with Finder (MacOS 10.15+)

STEP 1. Connect the Mac computer to the ForeFlight device with an Apple USB cable. 

STEP 2. On the Mac computer, open the Finder app.

STEP 3. In the Finder sidebar, under Locations, click the name of your ForeFlight device. If the device does not appear under Locations, open Finder Preferences, and check the box next to "CDs, DVDs, and iPods.”

STEP 4. If prompted, accept the prompts to "Trust this iPad" on the Mac" and "Trust this Computer" on the iPad.

STEP 5. In the new Finder window, click Files to see a list of file locations on the device. ForeFlight will be listed.

STEP 6. Drag and drop the Procedures.zip file from the Mac directory to the ForeFlight icon in the Finder window.

STEP 7. In the Finder window, click Sync.

STEP 8. When finished, disconnect your device from the computer. Proceed to the next section to find your new plates in ForeFlight.

importing-procedure-zip-in-finder.png

Using Finder to Import Procedures.zip to ForeFlight

 

Importing with iTunes (MacOS 10.14 or earlier)

STEP 1. Connect the Mac computer to the ForeFlight device with an Apple USB cable.

STEP 2. On the Mac computer, start the iTunes app.

STEP 3. In the iTunes window, click the name of your ForeFlight device.

opening-device-itunes.png

Opening ForeFlight Device in iTunes

STEP 4. Click File Sharing > ForeFlight.

file-sharing-itunes.png

Using iTunes to Activate File Sharing

STEP 5. Drag and drop the Procedures.zip file from the Mac directory to the ForeFlight Documents list in the iTunes window.

STEP 6. When iTunes finishes syncing, click Done.

STEP 7. When finished, disconnect your device from the computer. Proceed to the next section to find your new plates in ForeFlight.

 

Finding Your Plates in ForeFlight

Once the Procedure.zip file has been successfully imported into ForeFlight Mobile, follow these steps to locate and open them:

STEP 1. On your device, launch ForeFlight Mobile.

STEP 2. Tap More > Airports.

STEP 3. In the Airports view, display the airport that you associated your plates with.

STEP 4. Tap the Procedure tab.

STEP 5. Locate the plates in the appropriate procedure category.

KTEB_BYOP.PNG

Finding BYOP Files in the Airports View

 

Last Updated: