Garmin Pilot Web Enhances Flight Planning With Advanced Weather Features

On Wednesday, Garmin rolled out new weather features to its interactive flight planning platform, the Garmin Pilot Web.

The flight planning service offers free and subscription-based plans that include high-resolution maps and charts, airport information, aeronautical data, and weather overlays designed to give operators as much information as possible when planning their next flight. 

As part of the new features, Garmin said in a news release that users can now view future weather radar forecasts and surface visibility to see how potential storms may impact their flight path and what visibility will be like at the surface. Users will also have increased ability to gauge the danger of potential storm systems through the Storm Tops and Echo Tops features, allowing pilots to view the tops of storms and see the altitude of the highest precipitation to better understand storm intensity. 

According to Garmin, a new overlay has also been added that displays at what altitude the freezing level is occurring, so pilots can be prepared for, or avoid, the conditions entirely.

In addition to the weather updates, Garmin notes that users will now be able to view leg distance and fuel requirements when their route is overlaid on the map, providing a smoother process for planning each leg of a trip. 

The Garmin Pilot Web was unveiled in April as a web-accessible companion to the Garmin Pilot app. In-depth flight planning through the web service is available at no additional cost to Garmin Pilot app users. Included in the platform is an “Aircraft” tab that allows pilots to add and edit the performance markers of the aircraft they are currently flying.

Basic flight planning is free to all users. 

“The Garmin Pilot mobile app has always been known for incredible maps and weather overlays, and we’re excited to bring those capabilities and more to the web,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin vice president of aviation sales and marketing, in an April news release. “If you are not already familiar with Garmin Pilot, I encourage you to give Garmin Pilot Web a try when planning your next flight. With its free, at-a-glance tools, you will find it can greatly simplify your online flight planning workflow.”