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/v1All 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
cursorquery parameter to fetch subsequent pages. Thelimitparameter controls page size (1–500, default 100). - Structured errors — Backend errors return a structured response with a machine-readable
code, human-readablemessage, and atraceIdfor 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 Type | Cache Duration |
|---|---|
| Real-time weather (METARs, PIREPs) | 2 minutes |
| Performance calculations (live METAR mode) | 2 minutes |
| Forecasts & advisories (TAFs, AIRMETs, SIGMETs, G-AIRMETs) | 5 minutes |
| NOTAMs | 5 minutes |
| Winds aloft | 5 minutes |
| Documents (airport diagrams, chart supplements) | 10 minutes |
| Static data (airports, frequencies, airspace, obstacles) | 15 minutes |
| POST endpoints | Not 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 Category | Student 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 | — | — | ✅ |