How do I use the Procedure Advisor?

The Procedure button in the top right of the Flight Plan Editor view opens the Procedure Advisor to allow for adding or replacing the following in a route:

Arrival procedures (STAR)
Departure procedures (SID)
Approaches
VFR traffic patterns
Search & Rescue (SAR) patterns

Departures, Arrivals, Approaches, and Traffic Patterns require at least one airport to be entered in the Route Editor. SAR patterns can be entered without an airport in the Route Editor.

Example of the Procedure Advisor

Departure or Arrival

Tap Departure or Arrival to see an inset map of the different STARs and SIDs available from the airport. The inset map can be panned and pinch-zoomed to see details of the various options. If the departure or arrival has an aircraft type restriction, it is indicated by a colored tag:

Piston, Turboprop, or Jet

Tap a name on the list on the left to see all the transition options for that procedure.

Departure procedures are listed in the Procedure Advisor.

Option to select a transition

Then tap the Transition (and runway if required) and tap Add to Route to insert that procedure into the route. If the subscription on the account is Pro Plus or Performance Plus with Jeppesen coverage (purchased directly through ForeFlight or via a linked Jeppesen account), georeferenced SIDs/STARs will also be shown in the Procedure Advisor.

To close the Procedure Advisor window and return to the Maps view, tap Close or tap anywhere not on the Procedure Preview window. Once the Departure or Arrival is added, change it or the selected runway by tapping the colored Departure oval in the Route Editor and choose Change Departure or Change Runway.

NOTE: Legs that cannot be depicted on the map, such as Radar Vectors, are shown with a dotted line.

Radar vector segments are depicted with a dotted line.

Textual depiction of RADAR vector

Once the Arrival has been added, change it or the selected runway by tapping the colored Arrival oval in the Route Editor and choosing Change Arrival or Change Runway.

Approach

Tap Approach to see the available approaches for that airport. If a current METAR is available, the runways with the most favorable winds are highlighted in the list. If a NOTAM affects an available runway, a red tag is displayed. Tap the View Alert NOTAM banner at the top of the runway list to view the relevant NOTAM or NOTAMs.

Runway closure NOTAM alerts are shown

Expanded information about the NOTAM can be viewed.

Tap an Approach to see the preview, which includes the available IAFs. If the account subscription is Pro Plus or Performance Plus, the plate associated with a given approach will automatically appear on the inset map when selecting the approach and will automatically be added to the map when closing the Procedure Advisor. Choose an IAF by tapping in the list on the left or the preview map, then tap Add to Route.

IAF routes are displayed to ease the selection

If the account subscription is Performance Plus, the Enhanced Approach Procedure Markers will show the IAF and FAF with unique icons. The waypoint labels include the crossing speed and altitude restrictions for each point. Once the Approach has been added, change between approaches or IAFs by tapping the Procedure Advisor button again and selecting a new Approach.

Enhanced approach procedure markers are shown.

ForeFlight Mobile will automatically insert the correct entry (Direct, Parallel, or Teardrop) based on the arrival direction if an approach entry includes a hold.

Example of a parallel entry

Example of a teardrop entry

Example of a direct entry

Visual Approach

Visual Approaches are available in both the Approach and Traffic Pattern menus. Open Procedure Advisor by tapping the Procedure button, select the Visual for the desired runway, specify the Traffic Pattern Altitude in MSL or AGL (either from the selection list or by entering the desired altitude), and then add the Visual Approach (with or without Traffic Pattern entry) to the route.

A visual approach can be selected

After adding the Visual Approach, a TPA (in MSL) pattern entry waypoint marker is added to the route.

TPA (in MSL) pattern entry waypoint marker in the route

Traffic Pattern

to display VFR traffic patterns for the airport at the end of the current route, tap the Procedure button, then tap Traffic Pattern. The runway selections with the best winds are highlighted if current winds are available. Wind direction, speed, and observation age are also shown at the bottom of the list (scroll down if necessary to see the winds). If a NOTAM affects an available runway, a red tag is displayed. Tap the View Alert NOTAM banner at the top of the runway list to view the relevant NOTAM or NOTAMs.

Traffic Pattern options are listed, and the route is displayed after the selection is made.

After selecting a runway, the available pattern entry options, such as Cross Midfield or Straight-in, are displayed. For non-towered airports, the entries are sorted based on each runway’s pattern side (right or left). Additionally, entries are highlighted that make the most sense for the route’s direction of flight. Tap an entry to add it to the end of the current route (or to replace one already in the route). Traffic patterns are automatically removed from a route when specific route edits are made, such as reversing the route.

Search and Rescue

Search and Rescue (SAR) patterns can also be inserted on the iPad using the Procedure button (when the Enable Search and Rescue setting is On). For more details about SAR features, see the Search and Rescue Supplement in Documents > Drive > ForeFlight.

Search and Rescue patterns can be previewed.

Procedure Actions

Once an approach has been added to the Route, several actions can be performed by tapping the green approach oval in the Route Editor and choosing the desired action: Change between Approaches or IAFs by tapping Change Approach or Change IAF. If a hold is automatically added as part of an approach but is unwanted, tap Remove Hold in lieu of PT. To re-add the hold to the approach, tap Add Hold in lieu of PT.

Example of Procedure Actions

Tap Vectors to Final to plot a direct-to route from the present position to 3nm outside the FAF. This erases any existing IAF and draws a light magenta 30nm extension from the FAF. Reactivate Vectors to Final anytime to redraw the line from the current position to the point 3nm from the FAF.