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ForeFlight

Configure ForeFlight to display LiveTraffic‘s traffic

ForeFlight is currently the only Output Channel of LiveTraffic: LiveTraffic can feed ForeFlight to show the user's plane and traffic. Here's a screenshot what it looks like.

In LiveTraffic‘s Settings you need to enable the output channel ForeFlight. LiveTraffic then waits for ForeFlight devices to broadcast their presence in the network and as soon as it receives such info starts sending data to the device(s). Usually, your own position and the planes created through tracking data ("traffic") will appear soon in ForeFlight.

LiveTraffic Settings

Find them in Settings > Output Channels > ForeFlight:

Settings > Output Channels > ForeFlight
Setting
Default
Description

ForeFlight

Disabled

Sends data in ForeFlight format to feed the ForeFlight EFB app.

Send user's position

Enabled

Broadcasts user's plane position (GPS) and attitude (ATT) data in ForeFlight format (if ForeFlight output channel is enabled, too).

Send traffic

All

Broadcasts traffic data (TRAFFIC), i.e. position information for all the live traffic planes shown (if ForeFlight output channel is enabled, too). "None": Don't send traffic. "All": Send all traffic. "Only non-TCAS target traffic": Only send traffic that is not also a TCAS target, see below for background.

Send traffic every

3s

Repeat interval for traffic broadcasts

Avoiding Conflict with X-Plane

X-Plane also offers a native feature to send data to "Mobile Apps", including ForeFlight. If you prefer using X-Plane's native feature from its Networking settings, then you are recommended to reduce LiveTraffic's settings to the following minimum to avoid conflicting or duplicate data send from X-Plane and LiveTraffic:

Minimal ForeFlight output settings avoiding conflict/duplicates while X-Plane also sends data to "Mobile Apps"
  • Deactivate Send user's position because X-Plane will send it already.

  • Set Send traffic to "Only non-TCAS target traffic", because X-Plane will send TCAS target traffic already. If LiveTraffic has TCAS Control, then TCAS target traffic are essentially the 63 closest aircraft that are also made known to X-Plane for features like TCAS anti-collision warnings, wake turbulence, and other multiplayer features.

Status

In the Status / About window, you can see the status of the ForeFlight channel and to which devices it currently sends data:

Status / About ForeFlight connection, sending to two clients

ForeFlight's Configuration

In ForeFlight, make sure the device "LiveTraffic", which appears as soon as the app receives the first broadcast from LiveTraffic, is enabled. This is usually the case and it should also not disable itself, but just to be sure:

ForeFlight: Settings > Devices > LiveTraffic: Enabled

To see other traffic than only the user's plane also enable the layer called "Traffic".

ForeFlight: Aero & TFRs: Enable "Traffic"

Other Data may display, too

Generally, ForeFlight can receive data from various sources in parallel. Before blaming LiveTraffic for bad (or good, for that matter) data make sure it's the only feeding application.

You can disable RealTraffic's broadcast in the RealTraffic app. Open "Advanced Settings" and disable the option "Enable GP/FF | Send data to GP/FF App", then click "Save".

Or you can try disabling the "PSX" device within ForeFlight. However, as the "PSX" device might appear sporadically only this is simpler written than done.

ForeFlight Data Format

If you are a developer you could actually make use of the broadcasted data for other purposes than ForeFlight, see here for more information.

For my own development and testing purposes, I have created a little Python script ForeFlight_Sim.py that simulates a ForeFlight device in that it broadcasts its existence so that LiveTraffic "sees" it and starts sending data. Then the script receives and prints the data without any interpretation.

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