EFB Integration
Open airports and routes directly in ForeFlight Mobile or Garmin Pilot with one tap from 5-by-5.
Overview
5-by-5 integrates with the major U.S. Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) apps so you can hand off a route or airport without re-typing identifiers. When you’re booking a flight or reviewing a logged one, tap Open in EFB and pick your preferred app — the destination loads instantly.
This is a launch-only integration, not a full sync. 5-by-5 doesn’t read EFB flight plans, and the EFB doesn’t read 5-by-5 bookings. Think of it as a one-way “open this in” shortcut.
Supported EFBs
| EFB | Platform | Airport Deep Link | Route Deep Link | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ForeFlight Mobile | iOS, iPadOS | Yes | Yes | Shipping |
| Garmin Pilot | iOS, Android | Yes | Yes | Shipping (best-effort scheme — verify on first use) |
| AvPlan EFB | iOS, Android | Coming | Coming | Planned (Australian market) |
| OzRunways | iOS, Android | Coming | Coming | Planned (Australian market) |
We’ve reached out to AvPlan and OzRunways for documented URL schemes. We’ll add them once the URL schemes are confirmed and we ship the next native app build.
How It Works
When you tap Open in EFB from a 5-by-5 screen:
- 5-by-5 detects which EFB apps are installed on your phone
- If only one is installed, it opens that one directly
- If both are installed, a chooser appears asking which to use
- The selected EFB launches with the destination loaded
If neither is installed, the chooser still shows both options. Tap one and you’ll either open the App Store / Play Store to install, or see a message that the app isn’t available.
Where to Find It
The Open in EFB action appears in several places throughout 5-by-5:
- Booking detail — open a booking from the calendar, tap the destination → opens that airport in your EFB
- Booking with route — if you’ve entered a multi-leg route (e.g., KRNT-KORS-KRNT), the chooser opens with the full route pre-loaded
- Flight log entry — open a logged flight, tap the route → opens it in your EFB so you can review the airports
- Maintenance items with airport references — if a maintenance item mentions a specific airport (e.g., for an annual inspection), tap the identifier
The action is identifiable by the small EFB icon next to airport identifiers throughout the app.
URL Schemes
For the curious, 5-by-5 uses these documented URL schemes:
ForeFlight Mobile
ForeFlight publishes a unified URL scheme:
- Single airport:
foreflightmobile://maps/search?q=KRNT - Multi-airport route:
foreflightmobile://maps/search?q=KRNT+KOLM+KORS
Full reference: foreflight.com/support/app-urls
Garmin Pilot
Garmin Pilot’s scheme is community-documented but not officially published by Garmin. We use:
- Single airport:
garminpilot://airport?id=KRNT - Route:
garminpilot://maps?route=KRNT.KOLM.KORS
If the route format ever stops working (Garmin may change it without notice), use the Single airport action instead and enter additional waypoints inside Garmin Pilot directly.
Tip for the route to work cleanly: Use ICAO identifiers (4-letter codes like KRNT, KORS) rather than FAA 3-letter codes (RNT, ORS). ICAO works in both EFBs; FAA codes are sometimes ambiguous.
Setup
There’s nothing to set up. 5-by-5 detects which EFB apps you have installed and adjusts the chooser accordingly. If you install ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot for the first time after using 5-by-5, both will start appearing in the chooser within a few seconds.
Privacy
5-by-5 does not share data with the EFB beyond the airport identifier or route you tap. No flight history, member info, or aircraft data is passed through.
The EFB has no way to call back into 5-by-5 either — these handoffs are one-direction.
Troubleshooting
”ForeFlight didn’t open” or “Garmin Pilot didn’t open”
The app isn’t installed, or you’re on a device that doesn’t support the scheme (Garmin Pilot on iPad sometimes behaves differently than on iPhone). Install the EFB from the App Store or Play Store and try again.
”ForeFlight opens but doesn’t load the route”
Double-check that you’re on an up-to-date version of ForeFlight. Older versions used a different /maps/airport/ format that has since been retired. Updating to the current ForeFlight Mobile resolves this.
”Garmin Pilot opens to the home screen instead of the airport”
Garmin Pilot’s URL scheme is best-effort — it’s not formally documented. The scheme may shift between versions. The fallback is to open Garmin Pilot manually and enter the airport. Let us know at support@blueskyapplications.com if you see this so we can chase Garmin for an updated scheme.
What’s Coming Next
- AvPlan EFB and OzRunways integration for Australian pilots — awaiting documented URL schemes from those vendors
- Custom EFB ordering in the chooser — pin your favorite to the top
- Two-way booking sync with at least one EFB — a longer-term integration if EFB vendors expose write APIs
See Scheduling & Calendar for where the EFB launch appears in the booking flow, and Flight Logging for the logged-flight context.