FAA’s B4UFLY App Just Got a Major Overhaul—Here’s What Changed

On February first, the FAA rolled out some major changes to its B4UFLY app for recreational users.

Here are the biggest changes:

• B4UFLY used to be offered only by Aloft (formerly Kittyhawk)
• Now, B4UFLY is offered by four new companies—Airspace Link, AutoPylot, Avision, UAS Sidekick
• In addition, the FAA has announced that the new version of the app will have more resources than its predecessor

You might notice that Aloft isn’t on the list of B4UFLY providers any more. That’s because, after about four years of offering the app, Aloft is no longer supporting it.

The consequences of this change? Before, B4UFLY was a monolith—there was only one option and it was provided directly to you via the FAA’s partnership with Aloft.

Now, you have four different providers to choose from, just like you have with choosing who to get LAANC services from. (On that note, all four of the companies now supporting B4UFLY also provide LAANC instant airspace authorizations.)

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What Does B4UFLY Do?

According to the FAA, the primary function of B4UFLY is to show recreational flyers where they can and can’t fly.

Here are the other key features of B4UFLY:

• Information about controlled airspace, special use airspace, critical infrastructure, airports, national parks and military training routes
• Information about Temporary Flight Restrictions for special events.
• A clear status indicator that informs the operator whether it is safe to fly or not.
• For example, an indicator shows that flying in the Special Flight Rules Area around Washington, D.C. is prohibited.
• Informative, interactive maps with filtering options.
• The ability to check whether it is safe to fly in different locations by searching for a location or moving the location pin.
• Links to other FAA drone resources.

How to Choose Your B4UFLY Provider

All four of the new B4UFLY service providers have their apps on iOS and Android. And three of the four have their apps on desktop (Autopilot is the exception).

Here’s a little more information about each company and its app to help you make a choice.

Airspace Link

Credit: Airspace Link

Airspace Link, headquartered in Detroit, MI, develops an all-encompassing, cloud-based drone platform named AirHub.

AirHub is designed to facilitate rule-based guidance and decision-making for drone operations, targeting both government airspace planning tools and delivery compliance for businesses.

Here are the services Airspace Link provides to drone pilots:

• Web applications and API-driven plugins for drone-related activities
• Pilot and government airspace planning tools
• Delivery compliance solutions for business expansion

Get the B4UFLY app with Airspace Link.

AutoPylot

Credit: AutoPylot

AutoPylot, based in Burlington, VT, makes an end-to-end solution for flight planning, in which drone pilots can get mission management data, airspace data, and LAANC authorizations in a single dashboard.

A big differentiator for AutoPylot is that it provides highly detailed and flight-specific information on weather conditions in its app, including data on hourly forecasts and visual wind/precipitation maps.

Here are the services AutoPylot provides to drone pilots:

• All-in-one flight planning
• Drone pilot airspace planning tools
• Drone insurance (via Allianz)

Get the B4UFLY app with AutoPylot.

Avision

Credit: B4UFLY

Avision, based in Santa Monica, CA, specializes in developing airspace and flight management solutions tailored for drone operations.

Its offerings, aimed at public safety, infrastructure inspection, and airport security markets, include a mobile app facilitating airspace advisories, weather updates, mission planning, and FAA LAANC authorizations.

Here are the services AutoPylot provides to drone pilots:

• Flight planning
• Real-time fleet monitoring and activity tracking
• Support for BVLOS operations

Get the B4UFLY app withAvision.

UASidekick

Credit: UAS Sidekick

UASidekick, based in Greenville, South Carolina, focuses on providing services to the aviation industry, especially for drone or UAV operations.

It offers airspace awareness tools that integrate essential data for drone pilots and facilitate communication within the drone industry.

Here are the services UAS provides to drone pilots:

• Streamlined FAA authorization requests
• Flight planning
• Interactive mapping functions and flight logging

Get the B4UFLY app with UAS Sidekick.