canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/preflightapi.io/preflightapi

# PreflightAPI Aviation Data API

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.

## For AI 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.

## Scope

Does not handle flight plan filing, ATC communication, or aircraft performance calculations -- use for aviation data retrieval and E6B computations only.

## Capabilities

- 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

### 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.

Example prompt: 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.

Example prompt: 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.

Example prompt: 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.

Example prompt: 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

| 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 |

## Key resources

- **Weather** — METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, SIGMETs, and G-AIRMETs from NOAA sources
- **Airports** — Airport details, runways, and communication frequencies
- **NOTAMs** — Notices to Air Missions with geographic filtering
- **Navigation** — VOR, NDB, DME, and TACAN navigation aids
- **Obstacles** — 625,000+ FAA-charted structures with position and height
- **E6B** — Flight computer calculations for crosswind and density altitude

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the PreflightAPI Aviation Data API by hand means setting the Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key header against api.preflightapi.io/api/v1 and threading ICAO, coordinate, and radius parameters yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import the PreflightAPI Aviation Data API from the API Directory, store the subscription key once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** PreflightAPI takes the airport ICAO and coordinates as lookup parameters and exposes only read operations, so scoping is by operation: you limit the agent to the operations it needs, such as fetching METARs, TAFs, or a briefing. E6B computations are included only if you add those operations.
- **Credential handling:** Your PreflightAPI subscription key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'get current airport weather METAR' or 'look up NOTAMs for an airport', and Jentic returns the matching PreflightAPI operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **n8n API** — Workflow automation for scheduling recurring pre-flight data pulls
- **Mixpanel API** — Analytics platform for tracking flight planning application usage
- **Jotform API** — Form builder for pilot reporting and flight plan submission forms

## FAQ

### 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.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the PreflightAPI Aviation Data API?

Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, you decide which PreflightAPI operations your agent may call and which credentials it may use. Since every PreflightAPI operation is read-only, you scope by operation: you can allow only what the agent needs, such as fetching METARs, TAFs, NOTAMs, or a route briefing, while leaving out others. The E6B crosswind and density altitude calculations are reachable only if you include those operations in the set you permit.