Swiss Pilot Launches Free BriefingPal Web App for VFR Preflight Planning
Why It MattersHandbook-based performance calculation moving into a free browser tool narrows the gap between pilots relying on rules of thumb and those using published figures, especially for hot-day and high-elevation takeoffs.
What happened
Swiss pilot Darius Madjdpour has launched BriefingPal, a free web-based application that combines VFR preflight preparation into a single automated workflow. The platform brings together weight and balance data, takeoff and landing distances, routing, weather and NOTAMs.
It draws on performance charts from the Pilot's Operating Handbooks (POH) and Aircraft Flight Manuals (AFM) of more than 100 aircraft types. Supported models include aircraft from Cessna, Piper, Diamond, Cirrus, Mooney, Tecnam and Pilatus, according to company officials.
BriefingPal calculates weight and balance against center-of-gravity envelopes for takeoff and landing. Takeoff and landing performance accounts for pressure altitude, temperature, wind, runway slope and surface type, and is compared with published Takeoff Run Available (TORA) and Landing Distance Available (LDA) figures.
Other features include 3D route visualization with terrain and airspace profiles, model weather forecasts, and GPX export compatible with ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot and SkyDemon. The service also offers standalone calculators for density altitude, crosswind components and fuel unit conversions, along with plain-language METAR and TAF reports. Flight schools and clubs can enter custom fleet weighing reports.
Madjdpour said: "I wanted the preparation I do before every flight in one place and in a few minutes, with the real numbers from the handbook instead of rules of thumb. On hot days and at high-elevation airports the takeoff distance is a safety question. Every pilot should be able to work it out simply and for free."
Industry impact & what to watch
Preflight tools for VFR pilots have tended to split into separate pieces: performance charts in the handbook, weather and NOTAMs in one app, route planning in another. A single free tool that ties handbook-derived performance numbers to the route and the weather shows how that fragmentation is being collapsed at the low-cost end of the market, where pilots otherwise lean on habit and approximation.
The emphasis on hot days and high-elevation airports reflects where the gap between a rule of thumb and the published figure matters most. Density altitude, runway slope and surface all lengthen the takeoff roll, and comparing the result against TORA and LDA turns that into a go or no-go check rather than a feel.
Export to ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot and SkyDemon positions the tool as a front end to the planning apps pilots already use instead of a replacement for them. The custom fleet weighing-report option for schools and clubs extends that into training and club operations, where aircraft-specific empty weights drive the accuracy of the calculation.
