FAA gives its B4UFLY drone app a post-Aloft upgrade, and new life [Update]

Though initially considered destined for the ash heap of history when its principal tech partner left the project, the essential drone pilot’s situational awareness and airspace restriction reference tool, B4UFLY, is getting new life from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through an updated version of the app set for release next month.

The FAA announced a new version of B4UFLY set for release February 1. Not only did the agency say the app will offer “more resources to choose from;” it also noted it has signed on four new partners to continue developing the smartphone, tablet, and desktop tool for checking the position and any airspace restrictions of surrounding areas prior to launching drones.

Though members of that quartet of new allies in future management of B4UFLY were not identified, their recruitment by the FAA offers reassurance to users that the app will continue supporting their drone activities.

February 1 Update

Mystery solved, and drone flights ready for clearing.

On February 1, the FAA revealed the oddly withheld names of its four new B4UFLY partners as Airspace Link, AutoPylot, Avision, and UASidekick.

The regulator notes the updated version of the app is available in iOS and Android versions, with those companies also providing a desktop alternative, with the exception of Autopilot.

That longevity came into doubt last month when longtime tech partner Aloft introduced its own UAV flight planning tool, Air Aware. With that representing its exit from the FAA app it helped develop and distribute since 2019 – and the launch of an alternative offering even broader services – Aloft said at the time the rollout “effectively replaces the B4UFLY app.”

It turns out the decision whether the historic situational awareness asset is shoved aside and forgotten or not remains with drone users – whom the FAA is now encouraging to stay the aerial course by offering the updated version of B4UFLY. 

In making its announcement, the FAA offered the following details of what drone pilots can expect from new (for some features, anyway) and improved 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.