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ForeFlight Mobile offers the ability to display traffic when connected to the Internet or an ADS-B In receiver. This article describes how traffic is received and the features of displayed traffic.

Internet Traffic

ForeFlight Mobile offers globally sourced traffic when connected to a cellular or wireless network. Internet Traffic can be enabled by selecting the Traffic layer from the Map layer selector menu. Internet Traffic displays airborne and ground traffic worldwide on the map. When receiving traffic over the Internet, an Internet Traffic label is shown in the top left corner of the map just below the timestamp. Airborne traffic targets are teal, and ground-based targets are brown. Tap an Internet traffic target to reveal details about the flight.

ADS-B Traffic

All subscriptions and versions of ForeFlight Mobile support ADS-B traffic when connected to a supported receiver. ADS-B traffic is enabled by default when connected to a receiver and can be disabled/enabled by toggling the Traffic layer in the Maps layer selection menu. ADS-B traffic targets are shown relative to your position, with + or - indicating whether the traffic is above or below. Airborne traffic targets have a TrafficTrend™ vector projected in front of the arrowhead to indicate the target’s expected position in the next 60 seconds. 

Traffic Target Coloring

Airborne ADS-B traffic targets are color-designated as follows:

• Teal icons are airborne targets.
• Yellow represents traffic targets that are within 2 nautical miles and +/-1200 feet or will be within 45 seconds.
• Red represents traffic targets within 1.3 nautical miles and +/-1200 feet or will be within 25 seconds.
• Brown icons are surface targets. 

ForeFlight considers each aircraft’s speed and direction of flight relative to your own, allowing ForeFlight to evaluate potential threats reliably and provide alerts quickly.

ForeFlight highlights traffic targets in yellow and then red when their course will take them within a dangerous distance of your ownship. Red traffic targets that are no longer an immediate hazard will turn yellow for 15 seconds to ensure users have a chance to see the target on the map. 

Hiding Distant Traffic (ADS-B only)

To declutter the map of ADS-B traffic, ForeFlight can hide traffic that is more than 15 nautical miles away from your current GPS location or more than 3,500 feet above or below your current GPS altitude. To hide distant ADS-B traffic, select More > Settings and turn the Hide Distant Traffic (ADSB) switch on. Additionally, toggle Hide Distant Traffic on or off from the Maps page using the Map Settings. When Hide Distant Traffic is enabled, a label is depicted in the bottom-right corner of the map.

Traffic Alerts

ForeFlight can depict alert banners on the Map when near other air traffic in flight. The traffic layer does not need to be enabled to receive traffic alerts.

To enable traffic alerts, select More > Settings > Alerts and enable one of the three traffic alerts described below. ForeFlight can also audibly play the traffic alerts by selecting Speak All Alerts on the Alerts Settings page.

There are three types of Traffic Alerts:

• Airborne Traffic Alerts play if a traffic target is expected to be within 1.3 nautical miles and +/-1200 feet of your position within 25 seconds. If your aircraft's ownship reports GPS altitude, but the traffic target reports baro-corrected pressure altitude, ForeFlight will convert GPS altitude to baro-corrected pressure altitude to better compare with the target. Traffic targets not broadcasting altitude information are assumed to be at the same altitude. They will trigger an alert when the traffic target is expected to be within 1.3 nautical miles within 25 seconds. In the event of an unknown altitude traffic alert, the alert will display (and speak if enabled) the relationship, distance, and “Altitude Unknown.”
• Traffic On Runway Alerts play when your aircraft approaches a runway, and another aircraft is detected on that runway. This alert requires runway data from the airport. Additionally, your aircraft must be descending on a short final approach to the runway with a vertical speed of at least 200 ft per minute, at an altitude of between 200 and 1,000 ft AGL, and at a time or distance within 60 seconds or 2 nautical miles from the runway threshold (whichever is less). Your aircraft must also have a heading within 15 degrees of the runway alignment and within a 3-degree final envelope extending from the runway threshold. The traffic must currently be on the runway. Aircraft holding short of, or otherwise near to, the runway will not trigger an alert. Aircraft diverging from your position (moving away with a greater groundspeed) will not trigger the alert. Internet traffic will not trigger the alert. This alert is inhibited for parallel runways with centerlines less than 830 feet apart.
• Traffic On Short Final Alerts play when your aircraft is on a runway, and another aircraft is approaching on short final. This alert requires runway data from the airport. Your aircraft must be on the ground and within the runway bounds. A traffic target must be approaching within 1,000 feet AGL of your position and within 60 seconds or 2 nautical miles of the runway threshold (whichever is less). Diverging traffic targets and traffic sourced from the Internet will not trigger the alert. The traffic target must also have a heading within 15 degrees of the runway alignment and within a 3-degree final envelope extending out from the runway threshold. This alert is inhibited for parallel runways with centerlines less than 830 feet apart.
  

Types of ADS-B Traffic

When tapping on an ADS-B traffic target, when available, the aircraft’s heading, speed, tail number, call sign, and frequency band used (978 or 1090) followed by ADS-B, ADS-R, or TIS-B will be shown.

• ADS-B indicates information was obtained via Air-to-Air broadcast directly from an ADS-B Out-equipped aircraft.
• ADS-R indicates that the ground station rebroadcasts the ADS-B message it received on the other ADS-B frequency. This service is provided to client aircraft that indicate they do not have a dual-band receiver.
• TIS-B indicates that the information was obtained via broadcast from a ground station. Ground stations provide the TIS-B service for ADS-B Out-equipped client aircraft. 

Verifying ADS-B Connectivity

When connected to an ADS-B receiver, a device tile is depicted on the Devices page. Verify connectivity by selecting More > Devices and tapping the tile. To ensure full functionality, verify ownship detection and ADS-B Traffic reception on the Device information page.