Foreflight is now Boeing

Warlock

Warlock

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Warlock
Just announced...wonder where this goes...
 
Dang...Well that means the price is likely going to go up. On the bright side maybe my wife can get an employee discount.
 
EdFred said:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boeing-acquires-foreflight-300807548.html


Get ready to watch those subscription prices soar!
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Not sure, I mean they are already so very much more than everyone else, and Boeing ain’t stupid, I’d imagine if their prices go much north they will see a fall off of users to the numerous other MUCH lower priced EFBs, foreflight is slick, but slick does have a max value people will pay when all the others EFBs offer more or less the same functions for less $$
 
Wow. ForeFlight has 180 employees?

I used to like ForeFlight because it wasn't Jeppsen/Garmin/etc. But I guess if I were the founders of ForeFlight I'd probably want to cash out at some point.

I remember the heady early days of ForeFlight when every few months new goodies were showing up at no additional cost. Good while it lasted, but that could only go on for so long.
 
All good things eventually come to an end. Have to wIt and see what happens.
 
Aw sh. . . jeez.

I don't believe for a minute that FF prices will remain stable because there are other good, lower cost EFBs. I think those other EFB prices will rise.
 
No, what I predict is a large departure of talented employees for other jobs. I don't know any small company that got acquired by Boeing whose employees were happy about it in the long run.
 
A bit of history...Back in the mid-1990's, Jeppesen bought a little software company in northern California. This little company created a great aviation planning application for the Mac. Jepp bought it because it wanted the engine and other software, but almost immediately dropped the Mac software because there wasn't a large enough audience ($$$) for it. Fast forward about 10 years and the huge adoption of the tablet, specifically the iPad. Jeppsen attempted an app, which was not well received nor well-designed, but because the Boeing/Jepp name was attached, corp flight ops went that direction and required it. All of a sudden, Jepp realizes that GA as well as commercial flight ops (and the military!) are going the tablet route for numerous reasons - #1 ease of updates and #2 substantially reduced weight. A 1 pound iPad vs 2x30-40 # on thousands of flights a day is really a $$ issue in fuel costs.

The writing was on the wall when ForeFlight partnered with Jepp for charts, pushed by the various corp flight ops.

I don't see an Android version in the near future. But I do see a possible Surface version, since Boeing is a Windows environment other than specialized situations.

[Disclaimer: I worked for Boeing in the late 90s, at Jepp in the mid-2000's. Many Jepp employees were not happy about being acquired by Boeing but not that many left. Some were replace by long-time Boeing but that was primarily at the upper mgt level.]
 
murphey said:
If someone offered you & your employees $$$$ to buy your company, what would your answer be?
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I was offered 5 years annual revenue for my company and turned it down. That was 15 years ago and I am very happy with my decision.
 
I've never been a Foreflight user, started with Garmin Pilot and now using FlyQ also. Options are good, with Boeing buying Foreflight I think that option will not be as attractive.
 
DesertNomad said:
I was offered 5 years annual revenue for my company and turned it down. That was 15 years ago and I am very happy with my decision.
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That's a middling offer. I would take 10x for my company, right now, as I'm in retirement mode. But cashing in on one's work is certainly not "selling out".
 
I’ve had ForeFlight for almost a year and gotten hardly any use out of it. Maybe 10% of my flights are XC and actually need some kind additional SA vs simply looking out the window. I’ll probably let the subscription lapse after a year.
 
Velocity173 said:
I’ve had ForeFlight for almost a year and gotten hardly any use out of it. Maybe 10% of my flights are XC and actually need some kind additional SA vs simply looking out the window. I’ll probably let the subscription lapse after a year.
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I use Garmin Pilot. I've found I keep it on for every flight, even local now. Both GP and FF have a logbook feature I like, and it keeps track of your flights, which is cool too.

From a recent photo shoot:
32359898957_177ecf910c.jpg
 
Ventucky Red said:
Some companies get to a point where they need some cash infusion to really take them to the next level...
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This is true, as long as the new owner lets them do what they have been doing and continue to pursue the vision.

There have been successes and failures when giant companies took over small ones. I guess we will see which one this is.
 
I bet this will be a good thing for the Jepp side. We use Jepp's FlightDeck Pro at work. A fine product, indeed. However, there are some great features on FF that I'd like to see in FDP. I look foreword to the FDP's UI upgrades. Not that I don't like it, but there is some stuff that is not possible on FDP, that is natural on all the other EFBs. (I'm sure there are some FAA regs that dictate the software architecture) Time will tell. And, I'm sure competition will help all the EFBs.

I'm a Garmin Pilot user in the TealDeal with a Jepp sub, and I think that is slicker than snot. I'd buy FDP for use in the Sierra if it worked like GP. I think that is the point of this little get together.
 
flyingron said:
No, what I predict is a large departure of talented employees for other jobs. I don't know any small company that got acquired by Boeing whose employees were happy about it in the long run.
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It'll turn to crap.
 
I had a number of customers and suppliers acquired by a certain conglomerate. We watched all of their usages go down down down down and then poof, gone. The suppliers that got bought out turned into a giant **** show as well.
 
If somebody offered me 5 times revenue (not profit), I would jump on that and be out of here tomorrow
 
cowtowner said:
If somebody offered me 5 times revenue (not profit), I would jump on that and be out of here tomorrow
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In my case with a very low overhead, revenue and profit are not separated by a huge amount like a "Boeing". I'm sure if Boeing bought my company they'd screw it up. :)
 
I doubt the employees will get much of anything from being bought by a large, soulless company. Tyson and his managers will do good, but rank and file just get a bunch of healthcare/401(k) paperwork and a stifling bureaucracy. (Been there, done that).
 
Does anyone have specific examples of Jeppesen's products or service going downhill after Boeing bought them?

As for prices, I don't remember increases after the acquisition, but maybe I wasn't paying attention. :dunno:

(Not arguing, by the way; I'm just trying to figure out whether I'm going to need to look at alternatives.)
 
I have this idea—now bear with me—let's wait and see.
Sometimes having a larger company buy you out is a "good thing". It's what we strove a quarter-century ago in the software biz.
(Of course, I have "something else" on my Samsung Tab A device, so I have no skin in this, except as it may fuel more development, such as FF for Android.)
 
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