PreflightAPI Aviation Data API
✓ Official Vendor SpecMaps GeolocationPlaces SearchapiKey16 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Access aviation weather (METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, SIGMETs), airport data, NOTAMs, navigation aids, obstacles, and E6B calculations for VFR flight planning from FAA and NOAA sources.
Use for: I need to get the current METAR for an airport, I want to check NOTAMs along my flight route, Find airports within 50 nautical miles of a position, Get the TAF forecast for my destination airport
Not supported: Does not handle flight plan filing, ATC communication, or aircraft performance calculations -- use for aviation data retrieval and E6B computations only.
The PreflightAPI Aviation Data API provides VFR flight planning data from 7 FAA and NOAA sources including real-time METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, SIGMETs, G-AIRMETs, NOTAMs, airport details, airspace boundaries, navigation aids, obstacles (625,000+ structures), runway information, communication frequencies, route briefings, and E6B flight computer calculations. All 16 endpoints support proximity-based geospatial queries with configurable radius in nautical miles.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the PreflightAPI Aviation Data API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the PreflightAPI Aviation Data API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with PreflightAPI Aviation Data API.
Retrieve real-time METAR surface observations and TAF forecasts by airport or coordinates
Query PIREPs and SIGMETs along flight routes for turbulence and icing reports
Search airports by state or proximity with detailed facility information
Access NOTAMs by ICAO identifier or geographic radius for flight planning
Look up VOR, VORTAC, NDB, and DME navigation aids near a position
Query 625,000+ FAA-charted obstacles within a specified radius
Calculate crosswind components and density altitude using E6B endpoints
Use Cases
Patterns agents use PreflightAPI Aviation Data API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Pre-Flight Weather Briefing
Compile a weather briefing for VFR flight planning by retrieving METARs for departure and destination airports, TAFs for forecast conditions, PIREPs along the route for reported turbulence or icing, and active SIGMETs and G-AIRMETs. The API aggregates data from NOAA and FAA sources into structured JSON responses.
Get METARs via GET /metars?icao=KJFK, TAFs via GET /tafs?icao=KJFK, PIREPs within 100nm via GET /pireps?lat=40.6&lon=-73.8&radius=100, and SIGMETs via GET /sigmets to compile a departure briefing
Route Planning and Obstacle Clearance
Plan a VFR route by querying airports, navigation aids, and obstacles along the flight path. The API returns airport details with runway information, nearby navaids for position fixing, and all FAA-charted obstacles within a specified radius to verify terrain and obstacle clearance at planned altitudes.
Search airports within 25nm via GET /airports?lat=40.6&lon=-73.8&radius=25, get obstacles via GET /obstacles?lat=40.6&lon=-73.8&radius=10, and retrieve navaids via GET /navaids?lat=40.6&lon=-73.8&radius=50
NOTAM Review for Flight Safety
Review active Notices to Air Missions for departure, enroute, and destination airports before flight. NOTAMs contain critical safety information including runway closures, temporary flight restrictions, navigation aid outages, and airspace changes that directly affect flight planning decisions.
Retrieve NOTAMs for departure airport via GET /notams?icao=KJFK and destination via GET /notams?icao=KBOS, then check for runway closures or TFRs in the responses
AI Agent Flight Planning via Jentic
Enable AI agents to compile pre-flight briefings and answer pilot queries about weather, NOTAMs, and airport conditions through Jentic. Agents discover PreflightAPI operations via intent search, load schemas, and execute geospatial queries to return structured aviation data.
Search Jentic for 'get aviation weather for airport', load the PreflightAPI METAR operation schema, and execute GET /metars?icao=KJFK to return current conditions
Key Endpoints
16 endpoints — the preflightapi aviation data api provides vfr flight planning data from 7 faa and noaa sources including real-time metars, tafs, pireps, sigmets, g-airmets, notams, airport details, airspace boundaries, navigation aids, obstacles (625,000+ structures), runway information, communication frequencies, route briefings, and e6b flight computer calculations.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
GET
/metars
Retrieve METAR weather observations
GET
/tafs
Retrieve Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts
GET
/airports
Search and list airports
GET
/airports/{icao}
Get airport details by ICAO code
GET
/notams
Retrieve NOTAMs by airport or area
GET
/obstacles
Query FAA-charted obstacles by position
GET
/briefing
Get composite route weather briefing
GET
/e6b/crosswind
Calculate crosswind component
GET
/metars
Retrieve METAR weather observations
GET
/tafs
Retrieve Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts
GET
/airports
Search and list airports
GET
/airports/{icao}
Get airport details by ICAO code
GET
/notams
Retrieve NOTAMs by airport or area
GET
/obstacles
Query FAA-charted obstacles by position
GET
/briefing
Get composite route weather briefing
GET
/e6b/crosswind
Calculate crosswind component
Why Jentic?
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
PreflightAPI subscription keys are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Agents receive scoped access via the Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key header without handling the raw key.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search by intent (e.g., 'get current airport weather METAR') and Jentic returns the matching PreflightAPI operation with its full input schema including ICAO, lat/lon, and radius parameters.
Time to first call
Direct PreflightAPI integration: 1-2 days for auth setup and geospatial query handling. Through Jentic: under 30 minutes using search, load schema, and execute.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using PreflightAPI Aviation Data API through Jentic.
What authentication does the PreflightAPI Aviation Data API use?
The PreflightAPI uses subscription key authentication via the Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key header. You receive a subscription key when you sign up for a plan at preflightapi.io. Through Jentic, this key is stored encrypted and agents access it without handling the raw credential.
Can I get real-time METAR data for any airport?
Yes. The GET /metars endpoint accepts an icao query parameter for specific airports or lat, lon, and radius parameters for proximity-based searches. METARs are sourced from NOAA and updated as new observations are published, typically every hour or when conditions change significantly.
What data sources does PreflightAPI aggregate?
PreflightAPI aggregates data from 7 FAA and NOAA sources covering surface observations (METARs), forecasts (TAFs), pilot reports (PIREPs), significant weather advisories (SIGMETs and G-AIRMETs), airport facilities, obstacles, and navigation aids. All data is structured as JSON for programmatic consumption.
What are the rate limits for the PreflightAPI?
Rate limits depend on your subscription tier. The API supports pagination with cursor-based navigation (nextCursor parameter) and a configurable limit parameter (1-500 results per request, default 100). Check your subscription plan at preflightapi.io for specific rate details.
How do I get a route weather briefing through Jentic?
Install the Jentic SDK with pip install jentic, then search for 'get aviation route weather briefing'. Jentic returns the PreflightAPI GET /briefing operation with its schema. Provide departure and destination ICAO codes as query parameters to receive a composite weather briefing along the route.
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