Flight Operations 4.1 Pilot User Guide

Website: https://flightoperationsapp.com/ · Support: https://flightoperationsapp.com/support/

Native iPhone and iPad workflow · revised November 5, 2026.

Better planning, better decisions, better pilots.

Start with your profile

Open Pilot Profile. Complete your contact details and personally review/sign the agreement while online. Select your aircraft and verify its performance data against its approved records. Set Local or Zulu time and optional GPS/audio preferences. Turn off Launch sound here to silence the startup double chime.

Under Personal Minimums, choose Open daily card · edit, sign & screenshot for a compact daily reference. Tap Edit to save your weather, wind, runway and landing-fuel limits; fuel reserves are entered in minutes. Tap Sign to draw your signature with a finger or Apple Pencil, then Save signature. Editing the saved answers clears the old signature so you can review and sign the revised limits.

Tap Export PDF to preview a shareable PDF containing your saved limits, signature and date. Enter the recipient's email address and choose Email with Apple Mail to open a draft with the PDF attached. Review it and tap Send yourself. Apple Mail must have an account configured; Save / Share PDF is also available. Unsigned exports are clearly marked as drafts. A signature is a personal acknowledgment, not independent verification or FAA approval. The same saved ceiling, visibility, wind and gust values drive weather checks; no second entry is needed. Planning uses the higher saved day/night ceiling, visibility and fuel-reserve values until daylight is resolved for each leg. Runway guidance uses the greater of the personal minimum and an aircraft-specific minimum. Fuel planning compares a no-wind cruise estimate with the saved landing reserve in minutes; taxi, climb, contingencies and applicable legal reserves still require review.

Expand Detailed AOPA profile & source document for the full Pilot, Weather, Airport, Aircraft, I Will, and Review record fields. Save each section or use Edit all AOPA personal minimums. Unanswered fields remain blank; enter your own criteria, preferably with an instructor. The original AOPA reference PDF is available offline.

The daily card is the single place to enter personal limits. Its ceiling, visibility, steady-wind and gust values supply weather comparisons. Other contract topics still require manual review. Saving these answers does not establish currency, proficiency or flight approval.

Find your workspace

The menu begins with Flight Plan, Departure, Weather and Flight Notes, followed by Destination, Charts and Navigation, En-route Waypoints and Flight Summary. Comms Log is inside Flight Notes. The fixed Notepad button opens notes from any workspace; Hide menu expands the working area. Tab changes restore the previous position.

Choose Reorder menu, drag the handles beside the menu items, then tap Done. The order is saved on this device and Help follows it. Reset to default restores the standard order. Emergency and quick-access controls remain fixed.

1. Plan and refine the route

In Flight Plan, enter origin and destination, choose the aircraft and complete Flight Details, fuel and persons aboard. Airport history is shared between origin and destination. Type of Flight is at the bottom of Flight Details. Select No return planned for one-way planning; return timing/weather checks and return paperwork are then omitted.

Expected Flight Time appears prominently in the route section. It shows hours and minutes calculated as route distance divided by the selected tail’s typical cruise true airspeed (KTAS). This is a no-wind cruise estimate, not a wind-corrected ETA. Enter cruise TAS in Aircraft Configuration if it is missing. Selecting Specify Time starts at the current date and time in your Local/Zulu preference; adjust from there. Reopening an existing plan preserves its selected departure.

En-route Stops opens En-route Waypoints. On Sectional or Airspace, select Add / drag waypoint, drag a route leg or tap a location, then confirm the point. Select Done to return to map panning. Recheck the revised distance, time, fuel, terrain and airspace. DC SFRA notices link training and procedure information; opening a link does not complete training or file/activate a flight plan.

Route Sightseeing offers aerial landmark/terrain candidates, not guaranteed views. Review each route change and its extra time before adding it.

2. Review weather and your limits

Open Weather and Refresh METAR / TAF while connected. Review departure, waypoint and destination source stations and report times. Estimated passage uses planned timing and route/cruise-speed assumptions; it is not a wind-corrected operational ETA.

When concerns are found, expand the red VFR NOT ADVISED banner. Each affected location shows observations and forecast intervals. The eye, cloud and wind symbols identify visibility, ceiling above ground and wind. A clock marks a forecast interval covering the planned time. Temporary and probability groups remain separate from prevailing conditions. Original reports and significant-weather/icing details remain available.

Check stale-data labels and nearby-station provenance. A TAF applies at its source airport, not every point along the route. An absent warning, missing report or favorable category does not establish safe or legal conditions. Review Flight Summary, in the menu, and obtain a current official briefing.

Automatic weather checkpoints follow all route legs every 100 nautical miles, including direct flights. Review the reporting airport, its distance from the checkpoint and TAF intervals at estimated passage. Missing or stale reports, separate observation/forecast stations and passage beyond TAF validity require review. These are airport samples, not continuous route coverage.

3. Prepare offline references

Offline Readiness stays expanded in Flight Plan with Download Trip Assets and offline-mode status. The info icon opens detailed preparation controls, transcription status and checklist notes.

Download while online and inspect each result, coverage boundary and expiry. Route downloads cache bounded sectional/airspace coverage; they do not download the entire country. Weather snapshots are not live updates. Live NOTAMs/TFRs, an official briefing and the Apple basemap are not included. Work Offline prevents requests; it does not create missing downloads. Test prepared references before departure.

4. Complete Departure Airport

The top frequency references are weather broadcast, ground, then tower/CTAF. Verify each against current official sources. Record your actual ramp/location, runway and received instructions.

- ATIS / AWOS / ASOS: write time Z, information, wind/gust, visibility, clouds, temperature/dew point, altimeter and expected runway in the labeled open writing area. Choose Type notes instead for text. Saved handwriting is shared with Flight Notes; it does not automatically set a runway or update weather calculations.

- Holding-short call: the prompt uses tower name, callsign, runway and taxi location. Read back instructions actually received, then comply. Ask for clarification if unclear or unable. Remain clear until explicitly cleared to enter; takeoff requires a takeoff clearance.

Continue to Flight Notes at the bottom opens the notes workspace.

5. Use and save Flight Notes

Flight Notes replaces the Scratch Pad name. It contains Departure references, editable note pages and Arrival references. Arrival stays last, regardless of how many note pages you add. Return to the tab to resume the selected page.

Choose Apple Pencil or Handwriting to Text, in that order. Ink accepts Apple Pencil only; typing remains available in the text tab. Undo restores recent edits on the current page, including cleared ink, while the editor remains open. Physical Pencil behavior should be checked on the ground. Save Notes creates a local flight copy containing notes and frozen reference text. Previous Flight Notes lists copies by date and origin/destination identifiers. Saving again creates another copy. Keep a backup of data you need.

6. Prepare Destination Airport

Review TPA first, followed by weather broadcast, tower/CTAF, then ground. An estimated TPA is not a published pattern altitude. Compare the observed category and TAF at arrival time. Verify runway, pattern entry, current tower status and actual position/altitude before making calls. Diagrams and suggested runways are orientation/planning aids, not clearances.

7. Finish and keep records

Use Flight Plan → Review Flight Plan Readiness to review, print or share the flight packet. Flight Notes holds your in-flight notes and departure/arrival references; there is no separate Kneeboard workspace. Return pages depend on your return choice; verify every page. After parking, Complete Flight & Pilot Debrief in Destination prepares a logbook entry; confirm actual times, landings and pilot remarks before saving. Flight Notes archives remain available separately.

Learning and other tools

Pilot Academy starts with Select your level of knowledge: new to airplanes, becoming a pilot, or already a pilot. Follow the relevant basics, weather, Medical readiness, WINGS explanation and Before I Fly resources. External FAA courses may require separate login/completion; app study does not award WINGS credit or certification.

Emergency exposes selected-aircraft imported emergency procedures and manually marked emergency categories. Verify applicability and source; the sample N457SA checklist is an example, not approval for another aircraft.

Comms Log is available inside Flight Notes, including when transcription is off. Use Set up Comms to enable optional on-device transcription and configure suitable audio input. The existing listening controls, transcript review, optional audio playback, recording library, export and storage tools remain available. Recording is optional. Treat transcripts as unverified. Night Mode offers manual settings and an automatic screen-brightness proxy; it is not direct access to a raw ambient-light sensor.

Operating limits

Flight Operations does not file, activate, amend or close flight plans; communicate with ATC; grant clearances; or replace approved instruments, checklists, instruction or pilot judgment. Verify weather, NOTAMs/TFRs, frequencies, charts, terrain, airspace and aircraft data using current official sources. Use the app only when workload permits.

Legacy PC/migration documentation is retained in [the archived guide](docs/legacy/PC_AND_MIGRATION_GUIDE.md); its controls do not describe the native 4.1 interface.

Checklist setup is in Flight Plan → Aircraft Configuration for the selected tail number. Configure Garmin imports, manual categories/items, verification and PDF references there. Before departure, use the full-width Perform Airplane Checklist banner above Departure Airport. Checkmarks are separate from setup; use the current aircraft documentation and start a new checklist for each flight.

En-route Options includes Stay over land, on by default and saved with the plan. Automatic airport-to-airport routing checks a bounded continental-US corridor against stored shoreline geography and current loaded restricted/prohibited airspace and TFR geometry. It is limited to 1,500 NM and 12 intermediate points. Missing or expired required airspace data prevents a verified suggestion. Review suggested legs for terrain, altitude, fuel and current restrictions; the shoreline reference is not an aviation chart. Flight following assists coordination but does not authorize restricted-airspace entry. Existing manual waypoints require confirmation before replacement. Copy the Route for ATC identifiers after reviewing the final route. In Departure Airport, the FAA Airport Diagram · Taxi button and origin diagram follow the taxi-instructions writing pad. The same button at Destination opens the current FAA airport-diagram PDF first. Tap Enlarge FAA diagram for a full-screen, zoomable chart. Saved diagrams remain available offline within their valid cycle. Version 3.0 can overlay a fresh GPS fix directly on the verified KFAY FAA diagram for cycle 2611. The calibration is bound to the exact PDF bytes; other airports, different cycles and modified charts show overlay unavailable. Stale fixes (over 5 seconds), reported accuracy worse than 10 m and off-chart positions hide the marker. This is an experimental reference, not certified surface navigation; verify visually. GPS position is also available under GPS position · FAA surface reference where current surface data exists. If coverage is missing, the app reports that instead of substituting a general map.

Use Complete Flight & Pilot Debrief in Destination to add pilot remarks, confirm actual flight details and save to the logbook. The final review requires explicit confirmation; unfinished drafts are preserved. See “Finish the flight” below.

Welcome notes

The short welcome overview opens automatically only for a first launch on a new installation. Existing profiles and previous release-note history suppress it on upgrade. Reopen it from Pilot Profile when needed. Removing the app and its local data can reset first-launch state.

Version 3.0 demo tour

Choose Explore demo flight on the sign-in screen or in Pilot Profile. The offline, disposable tour covers planning and personal minimums, sample weather intervals, checklist interaction, diagram coverage, Flight Notes ink and text, simulated radio transcription, arrival/logbook, Academy, medical/WINGS, offline readiness and sightseeing. Use the topic buttons or Next/Previous. The banner always identifies fictional data. The demo does not request GPS or microphone access, download charts, file a flight, create an agreement, award WINGS credits or save into the real profile/logbook. Exit discards all demo entries. This guided tour demonstrates workflows; it is not a live flight simulator or a real weather briefing.

Help for the section you are using

Tap Help at the top of any workspace section for its purpose and a short numbered list of actions. Tap Done to return to the same section and position. The section picker lets you read instructions for another area without changing your flight. Help in the workspace navigation opens the same section guide. The redundant top Menu button has been replaced by contextual Help; the native workspace navigation and full-screen map navigation remain available.

After landing: ground destination

At the bottom of Destination, search for a cuisine, restaurant, hotel or address. Tap an Apple Maps result to save the destination without copying and pasting. Check reviews on Yelp opens the provider separately. Use Find or change airport pickup to select a nearby FBO or terminal; confirm its street entrance. Google Maps directions and Request Uber use the same saved pickup and destination.

Place search results appear inside Flight Operations. Yelp reviews and Google Maps driving estimates open in the providers’ apps/websites. Manual street-address entry remains available. Pickup and destination are saved with the flight; changing the arrival airport clears them. A closed tower does not change the saved pickup. Confirm the FBO entrance and opening hours before booking.

Map size and broadcast time

Charts and Navigation follows Destination in the default menu. Tap Expand map to fill the screen; use Restore size in the top corner to return to the normal workspace. Map controls remain available at the top.

In Departure and Destination, use the labeled open ATIS / AWOS / ASOS writing area to record the broadcast, including its Zulu time. Choose Type notes instead for text entry. These notes are shared with Flight Notes; handwriting is not automatically converted to weather calculations or runway assignments. Verify the report date and age. Help’s section list follows the left-hand menu order.

Ground instructions and tower call

In Departure, enter only the ground instructions ATC actually issued. What to Read Back appears immediately below those entries. Verify the draft, repeat runway and hold-short instructions, and add any assigned frequency; a saved frequency alone is not an ATC assignment. Ground contains turn direction, heading, altitude, squawk and departure frequency. Save the frequency in the ATC editor to confirm it was assigned and include it in the ground readback. Tower contains the holding-short call and notes for the actual tower response. Handwritten taxi notes are not automatically interpreted. Closing the ATC number pad restores your position in the form.

The initial tower call uses the tower name, spoken tail number, holding-short runway and taxiway location. Fill in the actual location before calling. Read back ATC’s response and comply with the clearance received.

iPhone Workspaces and after-landing transportation

On iPhone, begin at the main menu and choose a section. Swipe right from the left edge, or tap the return hint, to return to the main menu. Each workspace keeps its existing saved information.

In Destination → After Landing, save the FBO street entrance address and your restaurant, hotel or other ground destination. Tap Request Uber there or directly in the Flight Notes toolbar, including before landing when connected. Both saved locations are passed to Uber; the airplane’s GPS position is never used as the pickup point. If either location is missing, the button opens setup first. Confirm Uber resolved both places correctly, then choose pickup timing and confirm the fare/ride in Uber. Opening Uber does not book or schedule a ride.

Ground instructions and readback guidance follow the departure ground call. At the destination, Ground frequency references and the FAA taxi diagram follow the ground taxi call wording.

Start your free trial

Eligible new subscribers receive a 14-day free trial, followed by the monthly price shown by Apple. The offer and trial button appear after Apple confirms eligibility. Confirm the renewal terms on Apple’s purchase sheet. Face ID or Touch ID authorization follows the device’s iTunes & App Store settings; Apple may still request a password. If Apple’s Passwords popup does not open, cancel and retry, or find your login in the Passwords app and enter it into Apple’s sheet. Flight Operations never receives your Apple password.

Map following, obstacles and runway lengths

Tap the map’s crosshair to center on the airplane and follow at a 5 NM span. Dragging pauses following. A fresh GPS fix is required. Open Obstacles to download the FAA file while online; the app retains a route region with roughly 60 NM padding for offline reference. Download again when changing routes or leaving that region. Labels are feet above ground (AGL); tap a symbol for the obstacle top in feet MSL. At most 250 nearby symbols are displayed, but the scan checks all saved records in range.

The 50 NM advisory follows current ground track, not future turns or climbs, and requires valid GPS altitude. It screens a 2 NM corridor on each side plus a 1 NM position allowance, using a 1,000 ft buffer plus reported altitude and FAA obstacle uncertainty. Unknown obstacle accuracy also requires review. Source data older than 48 hours or a download older than 24 hours is marked stale. This is not terrain avoidance, legal obstacle clearance, or a substitute for the aircraft altimeter. Missing warnings do not establish a clear route.

Airport Operating Reference shows FAA total runway lengths and declared takeoff run / landing distances where published. The shortest listed distance is compared with the higher saved aircraft or personal runway minimum. Missing aircraft limits and expired data are called out. Total runway length is not necessarily usable landing distance; calculate actual AFM performance for the aircraft and conditions and check current NOTAMs.

Recent destination searches and weather reasons

Destination Search retains the last three named searches locally. Tap a previous search to run it again and select another airport. Airport codes and named searches remain separate histories.

Expand VFR NOT ADVISED for a numbered list of reasons. Each weather factor identifies the actual condition, applicable saved limit, station and observation or forecast interval. TAF change groups stay separate. Information gaps and stale reports are explicitly identified; compare passage time, altitude and route with each factor and obtain a current briefing. Reviewing a factor does not waive legal minima or aircraft limitations.

Tap anywhere inside a saved-entry field (including Ramp / Location) to open its entry panel. Type a new value or tap a saved choice; use Done or Next to finish. Saved-choice rows also respond across their full width.

Tap any displayed TAF interval for supporting forecast details: source station, issue and validity times, wind direction/speed/gusts, visibility, cloud layers, weather codes and the full original TAF. Close with Done to return to the unchanged timeline.

When Destination Search finds airports near a confirmed restaurant, attraction or address, choosing an airport also saves that place under Destination → After Landing → Ground Destination. Google Maps directions and Uber use the same editable saved place. Changing to a different airport without selecting a place clears the old ground destination.

After selecting an airport, tap Airport details & runway photos · AirNav to open its AirNav page inside the app. The same button is in Airport Operating Reference. Review runway details, airport operations, services and available photos. Internet is required; photo availability and currency vary. Verify the airport identifier and current official data before using the information.

Shared arrival reference and FAA runway cycles

Flight Notes has dedicated Departure and Arrival pages, with page arrows at the ends of the top toolbar. These pages show airport identity, frequencies and current published FAA pattern altitude when available; a missing TPA stays missing. ATIS/AWOS capture is a labeled open writing area: write the report freely beneath the reminder line for time, wind, visibility, clouds, temperature/dew point, altimeter and expected runway. The same saved pad appears in the corresponding Departure or Destination page. Apple Pencil-only writing rejects finger and palm strokes. Undo restores recent ink edits. Optional typed notes and previously entered report values remain available below the pad. Handwriting does not automatically change structured weather calculations or runway assignments. Pilot entries remain distinct from online observations. Arrival stays the last page; Save Notes archives worksheet text and handwriting with the note pages.

Tap Arrival notes in either workspace to enter the verified radio name, published pattern altitude in feet MSL, assigned runway, arrival notes, and NOTAM details. Entries are shared and saved with the flight. Changing destination clears the arrival notes and closure review. Saved Flight Notes include a dated reference snapshot.

F45 is the FAA location identifier for North Palm Beach County. The legacy KF45 search alias is accepted, but displayed as F45. Do not assume adding K creates an ICAO identifier.

Runway lists and schematic endpoints now come from the same FAA NASR cycle (October 29–November 26, 2026, 09:01 UTC boundaries). Missing or expired FAA runway data does not fall back to the older third-party runway list. Expired geometry is withheld. The official FAA diagram remains the visual reference; schematics do not depict all markings, displaced thresholds or taxiways. Update the packaged FAA data each release cycle.

The app does not fetch live runway-closure NOTAMs. In Arrival notes, open FAA NOTAM Search for the displayed airport, review effective times and restrictions, record the notice details, and mark closed runway ends. Mark both ends for a full runway closure. Unmarked runways are not confirmed open. Record your review time. Wind comparisons require a recent pilot review (within two hours), on-field METAR and matching runway geometry, and exclude pilot-marked closed ends. This freshness gate is an app rule, not a regulatory briefing validity period. Recheck amended NOTAMs and actual conditions; partial closures require a usable-distance/performance check.

Arrival notes → Weather opens the existing observed/ETA forecast comparison, including source times, nearby stations and gaps beyond TAF coverage. The Flight Notes header labels stale/unverified and nearby METARs instead of presenting them as current on-field conditions.

Airport locator and Help

In Flight Notes, tap the location-circle icon to open Find airport. Arrival is selected initially; switch to Departure if needed. A simple track-up graphic places the airport around the airplane and displays its clock position and distance in nautical miles. Clock position is relative to GPS ground track, not aircraft heading. It is hidden when a fresh, precise fix or reliable moving track is unavailable. The graphic is not to scale and contains no terrain, traffic or airspace. Back to notes returns to the same notes page.

Help identifies the installed version and build, provides topic instructions in menu order, and includes troubleshooting and data limitations. Include that build, affected airport and report times when reporting a problem.

Pilot weather perspective explains available METAR observations in plain language. Stale or unverified observations are not described as current conditions. METARs do not locate weather cells or safe gaps; review forecasts for the relevant interval, radar, advisories and an official briefing. The compact online weather panel in a notes worksheet never replaces pilot-written observations.

Finish the flight

Once safely parked, open Destination and tap Complete Flight & Pilot Debrief at the top or bottom of the page.

1. Write how the flight went: successes, surprises, issues and lessons learned.

2. Confirm the actual departure and destination (including diversions), tail number, date, actual duration in decimal hours, role and day/night landings. Planned duration is never recorded automatically.

3. Review the summary, confirm the flight is completed, and tap Complete Flight · Save to Logbook.

The saved confirmation links directly to the Logbook. The entry retains the pilot debrief, handwritten/typed note pages and departure/arrival worksheets. Completing a flight does not clear the active plan. Save draft & close preserves the unfinished debrief; Resume Flight Debrief shows its route and date so an earlier pending flight is not silently replaced. This supplemental record does not establish which time you are legally entitled to log.

Watch alerts (version 4.0)

Open Help → Watch alerts and choose Enable alerts on the iPhone paired with your watch. Notifications supplement the visible airspace advisory: Class B/C/D lateral boundaries up to 10 NM ahead, published floor/ceiling, and a reminder to verify entry requirements. Aircraft altitude is not compared to the shelf. The same approach notification is suppressed for 15 minutes; reaching the lateral footprint can produce a separate notification.

Apple Watch: enable Flight Operations under Mirror iPhone Alerts in the Watch app. Apple normally sends notifications to the iPhone while it is unlocked, and to an unlocked worn watch when the phone is locked. Garmin: use a compatible watch paired through Garmin Connect, enable Smart Notifications, and enable Notification Center for Flight Operations in iPhone notification settings. Focus and connectivity can suppress either device's notifications. This is notification mirroring, not a native watch app; an iPad does not relay its alerts through your iPhone.

Choose Send simulated test, then lock the iPhone during the eight-second delay. Confirm the explicitly labeled test arrives on your watch. This verifies the notification path only. Live monitoring currently requires the app in the foreground with fresh GPS; it stops in the background. Do not rely on watch delivery as an airspace warning system.

References: Apple notification routing and Garmin Smart Notifications.

Build 94: published TFR look-ahead and compact controls

Weather begins with TFRs · Next 7 Days. While online, the app screens published FAA graphical restrictions near the entire route, with a margin around the 35 NM corridor. Expand the restriction count to see each notice, its overall UTC window and the FAA detail link. Notices without route geometry are listed separately for location review; unknown schedules remain visible. This is not a prediction of unpublished TFRs or a clearance check. Read individual activation periods, altitude limits and exceptions in the full notice. Refresh before departure; the open panel refreshes every five minutes.

Help, appearance, settings and profile controls now share the fixed top header. Arrival pattern altitude uses current FAA published values when available or the pilot’s entered value; missing values stay blank. Routine runway-review status is collapsed under Runway review details. Actual closed-runway warnings remain visible.

Aircraft meters

Departure and Destination each have Hobbs and Tach fields. Tap a field for the numeric keypad, enter the displayed reading including its decimal, then tap Save. Save and Clear stay visible in a fixed bottom bar while the keypad scrolls if needed. Clear empties the entry; Save confirms removal, while Cancel leaves the saved reading unchanged. Outbound and inverted routes keep separate departure and arrival readings for the selected tail. No meter is inferred or copied to the return leg. Readings are saved with the trip and included in the Flight Notes attached to a completed flight. Start a new flight to clear the previous trip’s readings.