Boeing’s Purchase of ForeFlight Seen as a Good Fit with Jeppesen

To many GA pilots, asking whether a pilot's iPad is ForeFlight-equipped has become nearly as generic a question before takeoff as wondering if there will be Kleenex aboard. In early March, aerospace giant Boeing added Houston, Texas-based ForeFlight to its stable of subsidiaries that includes Jeppesen and its entire line of navigation databases, charts, aviation training courseware, pilot supplies and flight-planning services.

Since it opened for business in 2007, ForeFlight has focused on a single mission: creating software that makes flight planning easier. Users have, over the past two years, been able to use Jeppesen’s aeronautical charts through ForeFlight’s popular mobile platforms that now include the option to view any airport in 3-D.

Besides the ability to pan and zoom, the airport 3-D view option includes quick-access buttons that offer pilots a chance to view any airport in the ForeFlight database from the short final approach segment.

The link with the aerospace titan is expected to bring new resources and talents to ForeFlight. Boeing says the acquisition of the app maker aligns with its strategy of “complementing organic investments with targeted, strategic investments that position the company for long-term growth.”

GA pilots, of course, are simply waiting to see ForeFlight’s next crop of cool new flight tools and features.

Tyson Weihs, co-founder and CEO of ForeFlight, said at acquisition time that “We are inspired by the future built at Boeing and what our teams will be able to create by coming together. Our companies share a passion for delivering customers the essential tools that drive efficiency, productivity and safety.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.