Weather and NOTAMs
METAR and flight category
Section titled “METAR and flight category”Weather for aerodromes uses these colours:
| Category | Colour | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| VFR | green | Ceiling at or above 3,000 ft and visibility at least 5 nm |
| MVFR | blue | Ceiling 1,000 to 3,000 ft, or visibility 3 to 5 nm |
| IFR / LIFR | red | Ceiling below 1,000 ft, or visibility below 3 nm |
| Unknown | magenta | No data, or data older than 2 hours |
The category is a quick reading, not a weather minimum. Apply your own limits and the regulations that apply to you.
The forecast is shown as an hour-by-hour timeline: flight category, sky, visibility, ceiling and wind for each hour. The decoded change groups (FM, BECMG, TEMPO) and the raw text are shown with it.
Cloud and wind on the card
Section titled “Cloud and wind on the card”- Cloud profile: the reported layers on an altitude scale, with a cloud symbol at each base.
- Wind gauges: a compass with the runway across it, and a speed dial. Choose the runway to see the head and crosswind.
- Weather station: a model-based reading at the aerodrome, an alternative to the METAR. It is a model, not an observation.
Weather along the route
Section titled “Weather along the route”The route’s vertical profile shows cloud layers from the stations near the route and winds aloft at several levels. See Virtual Radar and vertical profile.
Model wind is shown as arrows on the map, in the vertical profile and per leg on a planned route. See Planning a route for how leg wind is chosen. If the wind service is busy, the last good value is shown rather than nothing.
NOTAMs
Section titled “NOTAMs”NOTAMs come from the worldwide NOTAM service. Coverage depends on that source: it is not a substitute for official national NOTAM and AIP sources.
- On the map: regional NOTAMs with a position and radius are drawn as circles you can switch on in the layers.
- Per aerodrome: the NOTAM tab of the aerodrome card.
- Regional list: notices for the whole FIR that have no useful position. Only the FIRs that cover your position, route or aerodrome are included, so a country-wide notice from a far-away country does not clutter your briefing.
- Near your route: lists are narrowed to NOTAMs within about 5 NM of the route. The map still shows everything active while you pan.
- VFR only (on by default) hides NOTAMs marked as IFR-only. Anything with an unknown traffic type is kept. Nothing is dropped silently: lists say how many are hidden.
- Short / Full / Raw: a decoded summary, the full text with validity and schedule, or the ICAO item layout.
- Expand abbreviations decodes ICAO shorthand in the text.
- Tapping a NOTAM dims it for the session so you can see what you have read. It stays visible.
- A banner appears when the NOTAM data is more than 1 hour old.
In flying mode, NOTAM circles that you are about to enter can raise alerts. See Flying mode and alerts.