How do I use the Procedure Advisor?

Procedure Advisor
The Procedure button in the top right of the Flight Plan Edit view opens the Procedure Advisor allowing you to add or replace Arrival procedures (STAR), Departure procedures (SID), Approaches, VFR traffic patterns, and Search & Rescue (SAR) patterns in the route. Departures, Arrivals, Approaches, and Traffic Patterns require that at least one airport 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 so you can see details of the different 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 in the list on the left, to see all of 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 you have Pro Plus or Performance Plus as well as 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 has been added you can 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 depicted with a dotted line.

Radar vector segments are depicted with a dotted line.

Textual depiction of RADAR vector.

Once the Arrival has been added you can change it or the selected runway by tapping the colored Arrival oval in the Route Editor and choose 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 including the available IAFs. If you have a Pro Plus or Performance Plus subscription, the plate associated with a given approach will automatically appear on the inset map when you select the approach and will automatically be added to the Map when you close the Procedure Advisor. Choose an IAF by tapping in the list on the left or on the preview Map, then tap Add to Route.

IAF routes are displayed to ease selection.

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

Enhanced approach procedure markers are shown.

If an Approach entry includes a hold, ForeFlight Mobile will automatically insert the correct Direct, Parallel, or Teardrop entry based on the direction you’re coming from.

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 your desired altitude), 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
Tap the Procedure button, then tap Traffic Pattern to display VFR traffic patterns for the airport at the end of the current route. If current winds are available, the runway selections with the best winds are highlighted in the list. Wind direction, speed, and age of observation 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 are displayed, such as Cross Midfield or Straight-in. 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 your 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 certain route edits are made, such as reversing the route.

Search and Rescue
On the iPad, Search and Rescue (SAR) patterns can also be inserted 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, you can perform several actions 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 you want to remove it, tap Remove Hold in lieu of PT. If you need 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 your present position to a point 3nm outside the FAF. This erases any existing IAF and draws a light magenta 30nm extension from the FAF. You can reactivate Vectors to Final anytime to redraw the line from your current position to the point 3nm from the FAF.