Hughes Aerospace is launching its VFR Prediction Flight Safety Tool, a new feature now available in the Hughes App on iOS. Free for Hughes customers and members of the US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST), Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) and Vertical Aviation International (VAI), the tool enhances pilot situational awareness and supports better Go/No-Go decision-making.

In Plan mode, pilots enter FAA location identifiers for airports, heliports or vertiports and the app draws a colour-coded line between them, showing which segments are VFR (green), MVFR (yellow), IFR (red) or LIFR (purple).

A convenient time slider allows forecasts to be projected from now up to 24 hours ahead, with the option to toggle between a VFR sectional or Apple Map background.

“This tool is intuitive, providing pilots with quick, decisive, tailored route-level conditions before takeoff,” says Alyce Shingler, COO of Hughes Aerospace.

By tapping Brief, pilots receive a plain-language weather assessment for departure, en route and destination. Leveraging AI, the tool hypothesises en-route conditions using a sampling of available weather resources, highlighting relevant risks and strengthening the pilot's Go/No-Go strategy.

Additional capabilities include: icing hazard computation; sunrise, sunset and moon illumination forecasts (critical for NVG operations); FAA weather camera links along the planned path; and briefing sharing via text or email with crew, instructors or passengers to build consensus.

“At the US Helicopter Safety Team, our goal is the elimination of fatal accidents,” says Chris Baur, CEO of Hughes Aerospace and industry chairman of the USHST.

“The new VFR Prediction Safety Tool is a compelling new resource in the palm of your hand. By giving pilots clear, route-level insight and alerting them to evolving hazards, it helps prevent inadvertent IMC, a leading causal factor in rotorcraft accidents. And while it's built with helicopters in mind, GA airplane pilots will find it equally valuable.”

The Hughes App also provides moving-map displays, georeferenced charts, NOTAMs, risk assessment tools, FAA weather cameras and a dedicated USHST portal with resources like the Helicopter Peer Pilot Mental Health programme.