Flight Planning and Weather
Prepare well.
Fly informed.
Quick access to weather products, flight planning tools, and local pilot information for your preflight preparation.
Preflight weather planning
Use flight planning and weather links to review conditions, trends, and operational factors before flight.
Route awareness
Evaluate departure, en route, and destination conditions as part of a consistent preflight planning process.
Operational judgment
Good weather habits support better go/no-go decisions and safer aircraft use across the platform.
Weather and aviation resources
| Name | URL | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Flight Planning | ||
| National Aviation Weather | aviationweather.gov | Official aviation weather planning site. |
| SkyVector | skyvector.com | Free online flight planner with aeronautical charts, weather data, and tools for creating and managing flight plans. |
| ForeFlight | foreflight.com | Web and mobile platform for weather and flight planning. Requires paid subscription. |
| 1800WXBrief | 1800wxbrief.com | Official pilot web portal for the Flight Service. |
| TFRs | tfr.faa.gov | FAA map showing active Temporary Flight Restrictions. |
| NOTAMs | notams.aim.faa.gov | FAA NOTAM Search for current notices to air missions. |
| Montgomery County Airpark - Pilot Info | montgomerycountyairpark.com/pilot-info | Pilot information for Montgomery County Airpark (KGAI). |
| Montgomery County Airpark - Pilot's Guide | Pilot's Guide PDF | Montgomery County Airpark pilot guide, including Noise Abatement Procedures. |
| Weather | ||
| Observations | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#obs | Review how weather changed over the past 18 hours. |
| METAR | aviationweather.gov/data/metar | METAR data from Aviation Weather Center. |
| PIREPs | PIREPs near KGAI | Pilot reports near KGAI within 200 NM. |
| TAF | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#taf | Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts. |
| Prog Charts | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#progchart | Graphical forecast prog charts. |
| Significant Weather Chart | aviationweather.gov/sigwx | Significant weather chart products. |
| SIGMETs | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#sigmet | SIGMET advisories. |
| G-AIRMETs | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#gairmet | Graphical AIRMET products. |
| Winds & Temps Aloft | aviationweather.gov/data/windtemp | Forecast winds and temperatures aloft. |
| National and Regional Nexrad Radar Images | ncei.noaa.gov/maps/radar | National and regional Nexrad radar images. |
| National Weather Service Radar | radar.weather.gov | Interactive radar from the National Weather Service. |
| Satellite | weather.gov/crp/satellite | Domestic and international satellite imagery. |
| National Weather Service | weather.gov | National Weather Service official website. |
| The Weather Channel | weather.com | The official site of The Weather Channel. |
| GFA Forecast | ||
| Ceiling & Visibility | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#cigvis | GFA ceiling and visibility forecast. |
| Clouds | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#clouds | GFA cloud forecast. |
| Precipitation | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#pcpn | GFA precipitation forecast. |
| Thunderstorms | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#thunder | GFA thunderstorm forecast. |
| Temperatures | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#temps | GFA temperature forecast. |
| Winds | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#winds | GFA wind forecast. |
| Turbulence | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#turb | GFA turbulence forecast. |
| Icing | aviationweather.gov/gfa/#ice | GFA icing forecast. |
| Others | ||
| DC SFRA | faasafety.gov SFRA course | FAA Safety course for the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area. |
| FAA | faa.gov | The FAA's official website. |
| Sunrise/Sunset | sunrise-sunset.org/us/gaithersburg-md | Complete Sun and Moon Data for the specific day. |