Reviewed October 19, 2026. Different providers can redistribute the same NOAA reports; another API is not necessarily an independent forecast.
| Provider | Data and free access | SafeFLY status |
|---|---|---|
| NWS API | US grid forecasts, observations and alerts. Free; no key currently required; rate limits apply. | Grid forecast already connected. Alerts not evaluated. |
| Iowa State IEM | METAR archives, MOS, radar, TAF and PIREP services. Free for lawful use, including commercial. | Radar connected. MOS and alternate METAR/TAF access identified for future integration. |
| Open-Meteo | Model wind, gust, visibility and pressure-level data. Up to 16 days depending on model. Free noncommercial API: no key, 10,000 calls/day; commercial access needs a paid plan. | Optional endpoint outlook connected; does not change go/no-go. |
| CheckWX | METAR/TAF and station metadata. Free Trial plan: 200 calls/day. Account and API key required. | Candidate backup; not connected. |
| AVWX | Aviation report API with free and open-source plans. Token required; verify product access and quotas in its account portal. | Candidate backup; not connected. |
Overview loads chart imagery dynamically. IFR Low/High: remotely served tiles rendered from FAA vector PDFs by Airside. VFR/TAC: original FAA GeoTIFF imagery streamed into browser memory over LA/Orange County at close zooms. No chart-image files or application disk cache are created.
Full-resolution VFR region: 33.5–34.4°N, 118.9–117.3°W. The first load downloads a large FAA source file; later visible tiles are rendered from it in memory. One source chart is retained at a time and released on layer change.
Dynamic IFR rendering: Airside chart service / processing details. Third-party service; chart edition metadata is not supplied, so verify currency with FAA. Official FAA overview tiles remain underneath and cover other areas.
TFR overlay: FAA V_TFR_LOC feed, refreshed every five minutes. Includes published/scheduled restrictions. It is an overlay only and does not change the minimums result. Consult the official NOTAM for times, altitude and exceptions.
Outside the full-resolution VFR region, the FAA overview service retains its own resolution limits. Chart data lives in request buffers and browser memory only. No local image archive is required. App build time is distinct from chart edition and TFR retrieval time.
FAA chart downloadsFields follow the AOPA VFR/IFR Personal Minimums Contracts: ceiling, visibility, winds, crosswind, gusts and recency. IFR profiles apply the same limits at departure, destination and en route stations — set ceiling/visibility to your own margin above approach minimums.