There are and have been minor interface problems on the edges of charts in Foreflight but, I believe that most have been resolved with newer chart data input. Hopefully, this will continue to be the case. In the meantime, the latest "feature" release called PACK came along and IMO is a really bad problem. This doesn't mean you should burn your iPad, quick jump to another EFB or march in the streets against Foreflight. But, consider what this wonderful new thing achieves. It puts a little gremlin on your proposed flight path and looks for information which is not downloaded on your machine which they(Foreflight) have decided you might need to complete your trip. This amounts to putting a window, so to speak, on your course and then checking if you have all of the Charts, Notams, Airport catalog info, TFR's and Whatever downloaded. Then compiling a download package for you to enable a button push download of these " missing " items. Doesn't seem to bad you say ? , Seems to be sort of error checking or helping hand ? Well, no, I don't think so. As a matter of fact, it is really more of an encouragement not to have checked necessary items in flight planning and is simply an encouragement to the lazy, careless and worst of all low-time pilot NOT to do the flight planning he/she should do ! It is a much worse thing than the supposed horror of fascination with the magenta line possibly resulting in a less perceptive SEE and AVOID piloting practice. It seems to encourage a "Just let the computer do it" approach. Now all that is required is to pick a route ...JFK to LAX and let pack assure that everything required is downloaded properly. It doesn't matter that there is continuous Prohibited area stretching from Minnesota to south Texas, It's all downloaded and when our intrepid adventurer gets to it he can look up almost anything pertinent when he has (or decides to take) time.
Well, If I have such a strong feeling about this, why don't I complain to Foreflight ? I did, and in fact presumably was able to get it brought to the personal attention of the VP of Product Development. Not that it made any difference, I was advised that "more than one user" had suggested such a capability because they had personally forgotten to download a chart they needed to complete a flight !! And, those experiences, however many of them there were, was the basis for adding this wonderful new capability. In some cases Pack, if used will only add a few hundred MB of downloads and for a reasonably conscientious pilot won't negatively affect his preparation. But, what about the rest ? Pilots misplan their fuel usage, land gear-up and fly smack into weather that is obvious. I don't think this feature adds anything great to Foreflight mobile or Pro. There are many, many features which can be improved to the benefit of all users of Foreflight rather than the few who forget in which state their destination airport is located.
I use and appreciate the many fine features of Foreflight. Hoping this is not the image of a new company evolution. Try PACK and see if you feel there was not something you would have rather had than this.
