PreflightAPI Documentation

PreflightAPI is a REST API for aviation data. It provides real-time weather, forecasts, airport information, airspace boundaries, NOTAMs, and flight planning tools — sourced from NOAA, FAA NASR Subscriptions, the NOTAM Management System, and more. One API key, one consistent JSON format, no XML parsing required.

Base URL

https://preflightapi-apim-service-test.azure-api.net/api/v1

All API endpoints are relative to this base URL. Every request must include an Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key header. See the authentication guide for details.

API Conventions

  • REST + JSON — All endpoints accept and return JSON. Content type is always application/json.
  • Versioned — The current API version is v1, included in every URL path (/api/v1/...).
  • Cursor-based pagination — Collection endpoints return a paginated wrapper. Use the cursor query parameter to fetch subsequent pages. The limit parameter controls page size (1–500, default 100).
  • Structured errors — Backend errors return a structured response with a machine-readable code, human-readable message, and a traceId for support. Gateway errors (auth, rate limit, quota) use a simpler format.

Paginated responses follow this shape:

{
  "data": [ ... ],
  "pagination": {
    "nextCursor": "eyJpZCI6MTAwfQ==",
    "hasMore": true,
    "limit": 100
  }
}

Response Caching

GET requests are cached at the API gateway level to reduce latency. Cache duration varies by data type to balance freshness with performance. Cached responses are identical to fresh responses and still count toward your rate limit and monthly quota.

Data TypeCache Duration
Real-time weather (METARs, PIREPs)2 minutes
Performance calculations (live METAR mode)2 minutes
Forecasts & advisories (TAFs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, G-AIRMETs)5 minutes
NOTAMs5 minutes
Winds aloft5 minutes
Documents (airport diagrams, chart supplements)10 minutes
Static data (airports, frequencies, airspace, obstacles)15 minutes
POST endpointsNot cached

Endpoint Access by Plan

Not all endpoints are available on every plan. Requesting an endpoint your plan doesn't include returns a 403 Forbidden response. See pricing for full plan details.

Endpoint CategoryStudent Pilot
Free
Private Pilot
$29.99/mo
Commercial Pilot
$79.99/mo
METARs
TAFs
Airports (search, details & runways)
Communication Frequencies
PIREPs
AIRMETs, SIGMETs & G-AIRMETs
NOTAMs
Airspace & Special-Use Airspace
Obstacles
Bearing & Distance
Winds Aloft
Airport Diagrams & Chart Supplements
Performance (Crosswind, Density Altitude)
Nav Log