Pack Function on Foreflight

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Guy Morton

Filing Flight Plan
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Jul 30, 2020
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I'm a little confused about the Pack function on Foreflight. If I have a Performance Plus subscription, I think all of the stuff is already downloaded in the app. I was hoping that the Pack function would put it all in one easy to access place, operating kind of like the send-to-binders function for departures and approaches.

Am I missing something? Is there a way to quickly access just the "packed" information, or is it redundant with the more advanced subscription?

Apologies in advance if I'm being dense and missing something easy...
 
The purpose of "pack" is to download data locally to the iPad so it is accessible when you airborne and away from internet access. Ads-b in doesn't give you 100LL prices or a full weather briefing, for example.

"Pack" doesn't really do anything for you when you have a good internet connection.
 
I think it does weather along your route of flight and gas prices, among other things.
 
I have noticed that if you have not already loaded the charts for the planned route, Pack will do that (as well as notams, weather, airport data, fuel prices etc)
 
I think pack is more for updated weather and everything you need along your route provided you didn’t download all of the local charts already. But you could email foreflight to get the correct answer instead of our guessings. Haha

I use adsb-in so I get updated weather and radar weather that way in flight (although it can be delayed a good 15 minutes or more and I’ve seen that with my eyes haha). A lot can happen in 15 minutes. You’ll have your charts if you downloaded that state.
 
Weather notams 3d views. I try to remember to pack for each flight. Especially helpful if you decide to divert.
 
Guy Morton said:
I'm a little confused about the Pack function on Foreflight. If I have a Performance Plus subscription, I think all of the stuff is already downloaded in the app. I was hoping that the Pack function would put it all in one easy to access place, operating kind of like the send-to-binders function for departures and approaches.

Am I missing something? Is there a way to quickly access just the "packed" information, or is it redundant with the more advanced subscription?

Apologies in advance if I'm being dense and missing something easy...
Click to expand...
Approach plates and other Charts are stored in the App. But only from States that you have selected to be downloaded and stored. So if you are planning a Flight to/through another State, those Charts must be downloaded. Pack does this. And you are probably going to want to get a Briefing. So it downloads current weather reports, forecasts, Pireps, Notams etc. There is an option in Settings to automatically Pack.
 
I've been meaning to write FF about Packing.
Right now, I have to click Pack about 4 times.
I try it once and it gets part of the data.
I will notice that some items are still not packed so I have to Pack again...and again.
I don't believe it's the signal. I have tried this at home, at the office, at the airport, at the destination airport, or when I have no wifi and I'm using cell data in the truck.
Sometimes I will fully pack then go to maps, and at the top there is a badge indicating...Pack is not complete.
This all happens in a few minutes, and constantly...so I don't think it's anything like the first pack had outdated weather or something.
Maybe others have noticed this, or have an answer, before I write FF.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I've been meaning to write FF about Packing.
Right now, I have to click Pack about 4 times.
I try it once and it gets part of the data.
I will notice that some items are still not packed so I have to Pack again...and again.
I don't believe it's the signal. I have tried this at home, at the office, at the airport, at the destination airport, or when I have no wifi and I'm using cell data in the truck.
Sometimes I will fully pack then go to maps, and at the top there is a badge indicating...Pack is not complete.
This all happens in a few minutes, and constantly...so I don't think it's anything like the first pack had outdated weather or something.
Maybe others have noticed this, or have an answer, before I write FF.
Click to expand...
Maybe their server has limits on how fast it can download all the data.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Maybe others have noticed this, or have an answer, before I write FF.
Click to expand...

I have noticed the same thing recently. I don’t have an answer. It used to pack everything the first time. Maybe an update triggered the packing issues.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I've been meaning to write FF about Packing.
Right now, I have to click Pack about 4 times.
I try it once and it gets part of the data.
I will notice that some items are still not packed so I have to Pack again...and again.
I don't believe it's the signal. I have tried this at home, at the office, at the airport, at the destination airport, or when I have no wifi and I'm using cell data in the truck.
Sometimes I will fully pack then go to maps, and at the top there is a badge indicating...Pack is not complete.
This all happens in a few minutes, and constantly...so I don't think it's anything like the first pack had outdated weather or something.
Maybe others have noticed this, or have an answer, before I write FF.
Click to expand...
@John Collins , whadda ya know bout this?
 
So if you continually pack, is it using up storage space on the iPad collectively? A way to delete it if it is?
 
I never use Pack, always thought it was a UX failure. IMO it should automatically cache stuff for the current route so things Just Work(tm).
 
Doug Reid said:
All pack data is deleted when you close your active flight plan.
Click to expand...
What if you don't file? You enter a route, pack, send it to Flights, then get a briefing. Then you delete that flight from Flights. I'd assume that deletes pack data. If you filed, then activate, then close, does that in itself remove the data? Or would you have to follow through with deleting it from the 'Flights' page?
 
If nothing else, it'll delete when you Delete Expired. Idk what happens before that.
 
Doug Reid said:
All pack data is deleted when you close your active flight plan.
Click to expand...

Pack data is not deleted. It may be overwritten if more current data is available, such as NOTAMs, fuel prices, latest weather, but charts remain unless you delete them.
 
John Collins said:
Pack data is not deleted. It may be overwritten if more current data is available, such as NOTAMs, fuel prices, latest weather, but charts remain unless you delete them.
Click to expand...

Any way to manually delete it?
 
Here's an idea; do away with the Pack button.

(Send me a pop-up if I don't have enough bandwidth or no signal at all....to warn me of any issue preventing the packing.)

Otherwise, as soon as I have entered a flight plan, get at it. Pack behind the scenes. (very few people are going to enter a dozen flight plans at once)

Someone doesn't like the idea of data dl's without their knowledge? Put in a switch under Settings to "only pack when I say", for that crowd.

Probably could streamline the Briefing button similarly.

It's not lazy. It's using the tech we currently have available and use in many other applications to make life simpler.
 
BrianNC said:
Any way to manually delete it?
Click to expand...

What can be manually deleted are the charts that were downloaded by packing. You will see them if you go to more>download and view each chart subsection. At the top of each subsection, example VFR Charts, you will see "Packed and Unselected Regions". Slide a finger right to left on that line and then tap Delete. If you wait until the charts expire, you can use the main download delete button at the top of the downloads and then tap "Delete Expired".
 
John Collins said:
Pack data is not deleted. It may be overwritten if more current data is available, such as NOTAMs, fuel prices, latest weather, but charts remain unless you delete them.
Click to expand...

In my defense, I have only used pack when flying within the areas I already have downloaded in charts and plates. You are correct that if you fly outside these areas you have saved, pack will download charts and other data into memory.
Sorry...my bad.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Here's an idea; do away with the Pack button.

(Send me a pop-up if I don't have enough bandwidth or no signal at all....to warn me of any issue preventing the packing.)

Otherwise, as soon as I have entered a flight plan, get at it. Pack behind the scenes. (very few people are going to enter a dozen flight plans at once)

Someone doesn't like the idea of data dl's without their knowledge? Put in a switch under Settings to "only pack when I say", for that crowd.

Probably could streamline the Briefing button similarly.

It's not lazy. It's using the tech we currently have available and use in many other applications to make life simpler.
Click to expand...
There pretty much is a “…only pack when I say…” thing. You can have it do it automatically by selecting Enable Auto Check. I think. @John Collins , is this right? If Enable Auto Check is on, does it automatically Pack? Or does it just tell you you don’t have everything you need, and you still have to push the Pack Button?
 
With the setting off, new data for pack is only checked when you select pack. With the setting on, it notifies the pilot that pack has new data available. In either case, the pilot should pack before flight, if at all possible.
 
I’m on a roll now!
——>
Same for the Briefing button; combine it with the Pack button….. and make them both function invisibly (ie no buttons at all… automagic).

I was reminded of this on the weekend, 8 legs and the iPad only has wifi at the house, so I’m jabbing the darned Pack & Briefing buttons, carefully scheduled between shower/sh*t/shave/feedthecat/dress/etc, at 5 in the morning when it would make much more sense to just open the app and let it update without interaction.

BTW that’s 8 button presses usually for me, per leg x 8 legs = 64 presses plus some scrolling, while I am trying to get out the door.
 
I like the pack button. Sometimes I want to see what a flight to some faraway land will take - time and fuel. I don’t want all the notams and weather for that. If I am actually going to take the flight I planned, I want a pack button to make sure I got everything I needed.
 
I also like the Pack button. I push it once at home to be sure I’ve got all the charts for the flight. I push it again on the ramp, just before stating the engine, so that I’ll have current weather, notams, TFR during the first minutes of flight, when ADSB hasn’t yet collected them.
 
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