Foreflight Cloud Coverage unreadable

[NoHeat]

Foreflight’s preflight briefing has replaced the old Area Forecast with a graphical “cloud coverage” image for a region of the US.

The trouble is, I can’t figure out how to make it big enough to read the tiny text. Especially the text I care about most, white on blue, which indicates cloud tops. I can’t zoom by unpinching fingers.

Any suggestions, other than viewing it on a different site on a browser?

 

[AggieMike88]

http://aviationweather.gov/gfa

 

[airbornejohnny]

My radar is a decent (and free) app I’d suggest. There’s different options for how much you want to see, and it also shows airmen’s sigmets and convective sigmets. It isn’t official like duats but is helpful to see accurate radar...give it a try.

 

[timwinters]

There are a lot of things these days in foreflight that either aren't legible and/or don't fit on the screen. The more bells and whistles they add, the more quirks it has. I just hope they don't get to the point where it's no longer reliable and I lose faith in it as a primary VFR navigation source.

They're getting close, but they're not there yet...

 

[Tantalum]

My radar is a decent (and free) app I’d suggest. There’s different options for how much you want to see, and it also shows airmen’s sigmets and convective sigmets. It isn’t official like duats but is helpful to see accurate radar...give it a try.

+1 for My Radar. I use it too.. it's not official so keep that in mind as "reference only" but I have found it to be remarkably accurate and helpful

 

[NoHeat]

http://aviationweather.gov/gfa

As I mentioned, "Any suggestions, other than viewing it on a different site on a browser?" I want to read it on foreflight. Two reasons: I can view it again while in flight, and I can brief faster if it's mostly in one place in a particular sequence.

But thanks anyway, I'm sure there's some reader who doesn't know about the relatively new .gov site for cloud heights.

 

[jordane93]

My radar is a decent (and free) app I’d suggest. There’s different options for how much you want to see, and it also shows airmen’s sigmets and convective sigmets. It isn’t official like duats but is helpful to see accurate radar...give it a try.

+1 for MyRadar. My only complaint is that it seems to show more intense precipitation than reality. I use it a lot at work because I can plug in my flight number, see the route, and plan where we’ll probably have to deviate around some of the bad stuff.

 

[airbornejohnny]

+1 for My Radar. I use it too.. it's not official so keep that in mind as "reference only" but I have found it to be remarkably accurate and helpful

It’s especially helpful in graphing the areas of the inflight weather hazard areas heading to places I’ve never been...

 

[airbornejohnny]

Foreflight’s preflight briefing has replaced the old Area Forecast with a graphical “cloud coverage” image for a region of the US.

The trouble is, I can’t figure out how to make it big enough to read the tiny text. Especially the text I care about most, white on blue, which indicates cloud tops. I can’t zoom by unpinching fingers.

Any suggestions, other than viewing it on a different site on a browser?

Ok, 2thoughts then.
First, try taking a screenshot after you open the map. There probably will not be much clarity, but you could try it.
Second, why not overlay the satellite in whatever chart you’re using on your flight? Maybe I don’t understand completely, but I hope this helps.

 

[AggieMike88]

I can view it again while in flight

Screen shot works for this... I use that many times on many products in order to have it available during the flight. And you can even stuff them into FF's Document section.

 

[BGF_Yankee]

I can read it just find in Landscape mode. I hate to ask, but did you try just rotating the iPad 90°?

 

[NoHeat]

Screen shot works for this... I use that many times on many products in order to have it available during the flight. .

Ok, that does get the job done, as a work-around. Thank you. While viewing FF's briefing, a screenshot of that cloud cover page can indeed then be viewed in the Photos app, where a reverse-pinch allows me to zoom so that I can read it. This would work in flight without an internet connection.

As for the other poster's suggestion that I rotate my ipad to landscape, yes I tried that on both my ipad and mini ipad, and I am still unable to read the white-on-blue cloud height labels in FF's briefing. I am glad you can read it, but I cannot.