Data sources

Every source named. Every limitation stated.

A readiness score is only as trustworthy as the data behind it — and the honest answer is that different sources behave differently. This page is the registry: what each source is, when it is retrieved, how fresh it is, and where its edges are.

References to government data sources do not imply endorsement. FlightReady supplements — never replaces — an official briefing.

Source registry

Six sources. One record each.

Five external sources and one that only you can provide. Each record states its retrieval behavior and its limitation in the same breath.

NWS Aviation Weather Center

National Weather Service / NOAA

CATEGORYWeather — METAR · TAF · SIGMET · G-AIRMET · PIREP

RETRIEVALRetrieved on demand at analyze time, with short-lived caching and rate limiting. Not a continuous feed.

FRESHNESSEach record is stamped with its issue time and its age at the moment the assessment ran.

ROLE IN ASSESSMENTPrimary input to the weather factor — the heaviest base weight in the composite. Density altitude is computed from the retrieved METAR.

LIMITATIONConditions change after analyze time. An assessment reflects the moment it was run — re-run it before departure if anything changes.

REFERENCE URLaviationweather.gov

FAA aeronautical and airport data

Federal Aviation Administration

CATEGORYAirports · aeronautical reference

RETRIEVALIngested reference database — airport identifiers, elevations, and runway data are read from stored records, not queried live per assessment.

FRESHNESSStatic reference data, updated on ingest — not tied to the analyze-time clock.

ROLE IN ASSESSMENTFeeds the airport factor: field elevation, runway environment, and complexity at both ends of the route.

LIMITATIONReference data can lag official publications. Verify current airport information against official charts and the Chart Supplement.

REFERENCE URLfaa.gov

NOTAMs

Federal Aviation Administration

CATEGORYNotices to Airmen

RETRIEVALRetrieved through the FAA NOTAM API where configured — the API is key-gated, so coverage varies by deployment. See in-app source labels.

FRESHNESSWhen the FAA source is available, NOTAMs are retrieved at analyze time.

ROLE IN ASSESSMENTFeeds the NOTAM factor of the composite score.

LIMITATIONCoverage varies. When the FAA source is unavailable, the app labels the reduced coverage rather than showing an empty list that looks like 'all clear.' Always verify NOTAMs through official channels before flight.

REFERENCE URLfaa.gov

NTSB investigation records

National Transportation Safety Board

CATEGORYHISTORICAL accident and incident investigations

RETRIEVALIngested investigation corpus queried by route-corridor proximity at analyze time, weighted by distance and recency. Never a live feed.

FRESHNESSHistorical by definition — these are completed and ongoing investigations spanning decades, not current data.

ROLE IN ASSESSMENTFeeds the accident-history factor and grounds the briefing's accident context. Surfaced records cite their NTSB report numbers and link to the NTSB CAROL database.

LIMITATIONHistorical similarity does not predict an outcome. Corridor records are context for judgment, not a forecast.

REFERENCE URLntsb.gov (CAROL)

Open-Elevation terrain data

Open-Elevation (open-source project)

CATEGORYTerrain · elevation

RETRIEVALQueried at analyze time to build the elevation profile along the route corridor.

FRESHNESSStatic terrain model — elevations do not change between assessments.

ROLE IN ASSESSMENTFeeds the terrain factor: route elevation profile compared against planned cruise altitude, including mountain-risk analysis.

LIMITATIONIf the elevation service is unavailable, terrain analysis degrades to limited confidence — and the assessment says so instead of guessing.

REFERENCE URLopen-elevation.com

Pilot-entered information

You — the pilot in command

CATEGORYPilot profile · personal minimums · aircraft

RETRIEVALStored in your account and read at analyze time on every assessment.

FRESHNESSExactly as current as you keep it.

ROLE IN ASSESSMENTFeeds the pilot-readiness, personal-minimums, aircraft-readiness, and human-factors factors — the context that makes an assessment yours instead of generic.

LIMITATIONThe assessment is only as honest as the profile behind it. Keep hours, currency, and minimums up to date.

REFERENCE URLNo external source — entered and maintained in your account.

Freshness and failure

Stamped when retrieved. Honest when missing.

Every assessment shows a freshness stamp for each source it used — what was retrieved, from where, and how old it was at analyze time.

When a source is unavailable, the assessment does not pretend. The missing factor’s weight redistributes across the factors that do have data, the confidence score drops visibly, and the affected value shows N/A instead of a fake zero. A missing METAR means unknown conditions — never assumed VFR.

How weights and confidence work →

Degraded source · example

METAR KAPARETRIEVED · 12 MIN OLD

TAF KASERETRIEVED · CURRENT CYCLE

NOTAMSREDUCED COVERAGE · LABELED

TERRAINRETRIEVED

NOTAM FACTOR WEIGHTREDISTRIBUTED

CONFIDENCEREDUCED · SHOWN ON SCORE

Illustrative. The actual assessment labels each source’s state and adjusts confidence accordingly.

Get started

See the sources behind your own route.

A free account runs route risk checks and five full briefings a month — every one with its sources stamped. Curious about the sequence first? See how it works.

Run a readiness brief Read the methodology

Advisory decision support only — not an official weather briefing and not a replacement for pilot-in-command judgment.

See the sources behind your own route.

A free account runs route risk checks and five full briefings a month — every one with its sources stamped. Curious about the sequence first? See how it works.

Advisory decision support only — not an official weather briefing and not a replacement for pilot-in-command judgment.