Foreflight now has Canadian IFR charts and plates on Ipad.

[Tanker299]

For now I use the "Topographic maps Canada" 4 inch to the mile maps are better then those 8 inch to mile things anyway. Also does gps and there is a ruler to get distances that works like a string not just straight line. All free maps to download and just load the area you need. Also has strips that have been removed from the CFS and some that were never in it. Also (seems to work only online) is navmonster, They have WAC Vnc's.

[oates76]

Flat plan.com's iPad app is awesome. And they keep bringing out more free features all the time. Highly recommended!

[CpnCrunch]

There is also "Air Navigation Pro" for ipad (and soon Android), but I haven't tried it. Apparently it has maps of Canada including airports.

[AirFrame]

Unfortunately nobody has Canadian VFR charts, and they won't until NavCanada pulls its head out of its backside and makes it a priority. We never should have handed the mapping data (CFS, charts) to them on a platter. It should have been made available freely as it is in the US. At least until the FAA starts charging for it there too...

[D_Thissen]

Does the Canadian ifr also include the us sectionals to use for vfr in southern Ontario?

[PAJ]

Does the Canadian ifr also include the us sectionals to use for vfr in southern Ontario?

Pretty sure it does not. You have to subscribe to the US package to get the US VFR Sectionals.

[Chaxterium]

I just searched the app store on my iPad but I couldn't find the app you guys are referring to. I'd be interested if I could find it. I just see a weather related app which is free.

Cheers,
Chax

[chipmunk]

I just searched the app store on my iPad but I couldn't find the app you guys are referring to. I'd be interested if I could find it. I just see a weather related app which is free.

Cheers,
Chax

That weather related app that you've found is most likely the one. It's called "ForeFlight Mobile Aviation Weather, Flight PLanning, EFB, and Charts" and while that long title threw me off, the app store insists that's the one I have had installed for the last few months and shows up just as plain old "ForeFlight" on my iPad!

It'll show up as free (you get a month or something as a free trial of the US side of things I believe) but then you'll need to buy a subscription within the app for further use.

The following website has the link to the app in the app store as well... just in case.

https://www.foreflight.com/

And some more info about the app here:

http://blog.foreflight.com/

Enjoy - bet it'll look extra pretty on that new retina display! We are "stuck" with the "ancient" iPad 2!

[Chaxterium]

Thanks for the info chipmunk. I just downloaded it and......wow......I am thoroughly impressed!

Cheers,
Chax

[Rowdy]

I just picked up one of the new ipad3 with the 4g and gps receiver! I've got Aeroweather and foreflight loaded.... But I see they lack the canadian VNCs and VTAs. What is a good app for VFR moving map type action? I'd rather have this beautiful screen mounted with a ram mount to the window than one of the dumpy looking bendix av8ors or ridiculously pricey Garmins. It would be a solid backup to the archaic 255 that's already in all of our machines. Sure would be nice to fly the new cxh transits with this!!

[Chaxterium]

I went up for a flight a couple days ago and tried this out airborne. I was extremely impressed. I was flying out of Peterborough so I was able to use the US VFR chart which covered my area. I couldn't believe how cool it was. It showed my aircraft moving across the chart in real time. Amazing! The problem though was getting the chart to load. I had very little 4G service and I was only at 3500ft so is there any way to download the charts within the app?

Cheers,
Chax

[tonyhunt]

The problem though was getting the chart to load. I had very little 4G service and I was only at 3500ft so is there any way to download the charts within the app?

Cheers,
Chax

One of the strengths of Foreflight is the very comprehensive bulk download functionality. Once you install the app, select the regions you need, by state/province, and the types of coverage, IFR Hi, Lo, VFR, etc. Everything can be downloaded using WiFi and is safely stored on the device, ready for flight. I pre-flight the device before a trip, to ensure I have the regions and current data that I need.

Do this while you are in WiFi coverage, at home, at the airport or even sitting at McDonalds. Getting the East Coast US and all Canadian provinces will take a couple of hours, but then you have everything you need for the next 28 or 56 days. Waaay easier than waiting for it to load over 4G while flying! Use WiFi at the airport, or cellular data while in flight to update the weather apps, but not the bulk charts and plates.

When you open ForeFlight, there is a warning if you have updates to download, sometimes there are airport data corrections that occur off-cycle that will take about 2 minutes to download over WiFi. That's why you always pre-flight it before leaving WiFi coverage.

[CpnCrunch]

If you're flying VFR you might want to try one of these:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/air-navi ... 25026?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/air-navi ... 46057?mt=8

(haven't tried them myself, but I think these are the only apps that have Canadian map data).

[PAJ]

Really put ForeFlight through it's paces on the trip to SUN ‘n FUN last weekend. Flight Planning, Charts, Frequencies, Taxi Diagrams all at your fingertips. Truly amazing.

I spoke with them at their booth and complete CFS data and VNC Charts are coming. Apparently the deal has been done and they are waiting for some format changes by Nav Canada (I assume digital re-formatting) so that the data can be incorporated into ForeFlight . Estimate on their part but they hope by the end of the year.

Spent time looking at all the other apps but they all lacked any real Canadian data. Too bad because I saw some interesting stuff.

[ragbagflyer]

....What is a good app for VFR moving map type action? I'd rather have this beautiful screen mounted with a ram mount to the window than one of the dumpy looking bendix av8ors or ridiculously pricey Garmins. It would be a solid backup to the archaic 255 that's already in all of our machines. Sure would be nice to fly the new cxh transits with this!!

A little overkill to fly back and forth across the Straight don't you think? I actually sent my Ipad 3 4G back! It just wasn't filling a 900 dollar hole between my laptop and iphone. Yeah it was very pretty to look at but it left a lot to be desired. I bought it with the hope that I could use it as a functional GPS but the apps just aren't there yet when it comes to Canadian terrain. WingX pro and Air Navigation Pro, while showing potential, are really just made for American tire kickers. For example WingX pro has terrain for BC but most of the southern Gulf Islands are missing! That's downright dangerous in my opinion. Also is has no map data for north of 60.

On the plus side I think the release of Navcanada VFR data for Foreflite is imminent and Foreflight is at least a well constructed app.

The garmin portables, while priced very high are simply the most reliable, up to date, and purpose built option available (and they know it). They could port the software for the newer portables to the ipad if they felt like it, but they have no interest in doing so now or in the near future based on an email they sent me.

[Rowdy]

....What is a good app for VFR moving map type action? I'd rather have this beautiful screen mounted with a ram mount to the window than one of the dumpy looking bendix av8ors or ridiculously pricey Garmins. It would be a solid backup to the archaic 255 that's already in all of our machines. Sure would be nice to fly the new cxh transits with this!!

A little overkill to fly back and forth across the Straight don't you think? I actually sent my Ipad 3 4G back! It just wasn't filling a 900 dollar hole between my laptop and iphone. Yeah it was very pretty to look at but it left a lot to be desired. I bought it with the hope that I could use it as a functional GPS but the apps just aren't there yet when it comes to Canadian terrain. WingX pro and Air Navigation Pro, while showing potential, are really just made for American tire kickers. For example WingX pro has terrain for BC but most of the southern Gulf Islands are missing! That's downright dangerous in my opinion. Also is has no map data for north of 60.

On the plus side I think the release of Navcanada VFR data for Foreflite is imminent and Foreflight is at least a well constructed app.

The garmin portables, while priced very high are simply the most reliable, up to date, and purpose built option available (and they know it). They could port the software for the newer portables to the ipad if they felt like it, but they have no interest in doing so now or in the near future based on an email they sent me.

Totally overkill! But I've got the 'pad with me for other things everyday anyways. A nice slick RAM mount and it sits perfectly up on the pax window.

Just as an aside after three days of flying with it, the basic foreflight setup with the local waypoints entered as user waypoints and it's been flawless. Also heard that we should soon see the Canadian VFR charts.

[skymarc]

I dont really miss the Can VFR charts on FF as I fly IFR all the time and the US VFR charts covers most of southern Ontario and Quebec were I fly most.
It would be nice to have the CFS on FF .

[AirFrame]

On the plus side I think the release of Navcanada VFR data for Foreflite is imminent and Foreflight is at least a well constructed app.

If by "imminent" you mean "they've been saying it's coming for two years," then I agree.

Foreflight, WingX, and Air Nav Pro (which I just got this weekend, and am very impressed with) are all great programs. Limited only by what NavCanada allows us to have in terms of digital data. Which is pretty much nothing, as far as VFR flight goes.

[kayjay]

I've had Foreflight for almost a year now. I've got the full pro subscription for the US as well as the Canadian subscription and i've really put it through its paces. Using the geo-referenced taxi charts as well as approach plates at airports like JFK was absolutely flawless. I've used the flight planning feature in both Canada and the US and the predictions for time and fuel burn have been bang on. Throughout even the past 10 months they've made significant improvements and pilots should look for it only to get better and better. I've used both WingX and Air Nav and although both apps offer some different and unique features, i don't think either of them come close to being compared to Foreflight.

[AirFrame]

I have to post an update, because on the weekend I was pleasantly surprised. I had AirNavPro on my iPhone and iPad, and while I thought it was a good start, I wasn't completely happy. It showed the airports, and the airspace immediately around them, but that was it... No practise areas.

Well, it turns out that was my doing, not a fault of the program... Poking around in the menus I found the settings to turn on the other classes of airspace. Now I have airspace data that appears as complete and detailed as my VTA chart. This is excellent! What I don't know is where they get their data, or how current I could count on it to be. But the only real remaining issue now is that it doesn't have frequencies listed for the "other" airspaces, like practise areas. But I have a basemap (based on OpenStreetmap data, I understand) and airspace overlays on top of that. I can tap airports to create a route, or tap-and-hold to add random points anywhere I want for navigating. It's pretty nice.

And it has the added benefit that both the iPhone *and* the iPad have better in-cockpit visibility than my Garmin... iPhone on the panel, iPad on the kneeboard, and i'm pretty well equipped. Well, in reality, i'm excessively equipped, for just flying back and forth across the Straight.