Sources of Aviation Weather Information
ACS Task III.A tests one specific, practical skill: knowing exactly where to find official aviation weather data before you fly. This lesson covers the FAA's primary weather sources — Flight Service, the Aviation Weather Center, and NOTAMs — along with how these differ from the generic weather apps most people already have on their phones, and why that difference matters for a Part 107 pilot.
Flight Service (1-800-WX-BRIEF and 1800wxbrief.com)
Flight Service is the FAA-contracted briefing service manned-aircraft pilots have used for decades, and it is fully available to remote pilots. Calling 1-800-WX-BRIEF connects you to a live specialist who can read current conditions, forecasts, and any relevant NOTAMs for your route or area. The website version, 1800wxbrief.com, offers the same data self-service, along with graphical products, without needing a phone call. For a Part 107 pilot, Flight Service is most useful for less routine situations — flights near unfamiliar airspace, or when you want a briefer to walk through TFRs and NOTAMs relevant to a specific site.
The FAA Aviation Weather Center (aviationweather.gov)
aviationweather.gov is the FAA's own public weather portal and, for most Part 107 pilots, the single most useful day-to-day source. It publishes current METARs and TAFs (Lessons C and D), graphical forecasts, PIREPs (pilot reports of actual observed conditions), AIRMETs and SIGMETs (advisories for hazardous weather like turbulence, icing, and low-level wind shear), and the Area Forecast Discussion — a plain-English narrative from a National Weather Service meteorologist explaining the reasoning behind the day's forecast, which is often more useful for judgment calls than the raw coded data alone.
Because this site publishes the actual raw METAR and TAF text in standard aviation format — not a paraphrased summary — it is the best place to practice the decoding skills in Lessons C and D, and the source the Part 107 exam questions are written to assume you know how to use.
NOTAMs — not weather, but checked alongside it
Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) are not weather products, but they are typically checked in the same pre-flight briefing as weather because both are time-sensitive and both can make an otherwise-plannable flight unsafe or illegal. NOTAMs cover things like temporary flight restrictions, disabled navigation aids, and airspace changes. Both Flight Service and the FAA's NOTAM Search tool provide this data. This connects directly back to Module 3's coverage of TFRs and LAANC — weather and airspace/NOTAM checks are companion steps in the same pre-flight process, not separate unrelated tasks.
Consumer weather apps: useful, but not the same thing
Popular consumer weather apps (general-purpose phone weather apps, and drone-industry apps like UAV Forecast or Windy) can be genuinely useful for quick visual reference — cloud cover maps, wind speed and direction overlays, and hour-by-hour forecasts in an easy-to-read format. Some are built specifically with drone pilots in mind and layer in useful extras like estimated GPS satellite count. But most of these apps interpolate data between weather model outputs and the nearest observation stations rather than reporting a certified station observation directly, and their wind/visibility numbers do not always match the official METAR for the same time and location.
Worked scenario: Your phone's default weather app shows "10 mph wind, mostly clear" for your flight location. Before launching a commercial job, you also pull the METAR from the airport 8 miles away and see "22008G16KT" — an 8-knot sustained wind gusting to 16. The two aren't necessarily contradictory (the app may be averaging over a wider area or time window), but the official METAR is the standardized, verifiable aviation source, and it's the one that should drive your go/no-go decision and that you should be able to cite if ever asked to justify a flight decision.
| Source | Access method | What it provides | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight Service | Phone: 1-800-WX-BRIEF; web: 1800wxbrief.com | Live briefer or self-service current/forecast weather, NOTAMs, TFRs | Unfamiliar areas, complex briefings, talking through NOTAMs |
| FAA Aviation Weather Center | Web: aviationweather.gov | Raw METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, AIRMETs/SIGMETs, Area Forecast Discussion | Routine daily pre-flight checks; the primary source for this course |
| FAA NOTAM Search | Web: notams.aim.faa.gov | Temporary flight restrictions, NAVAID outages, airspace changes | Confirming no TFR or restriction affects your operating area |
| Consumer/drone-specific weather apps | Mobile app (varies by product) | Visual maps, interpolated forecasts, drone-relevant extras (e.g. satellite count) | Quick visual reference — cross-check against official sources before flight, not a substitute for them |
Four official and semi-official weather source types every remote pilot should know how to use.
View LargerRunning a Pre-Flight Weather Briefing
A repeatable sequence for gathering weather before any Part 107 operation, from routine to complex.
Identify the nearest official reporting station
Find the closest airport with a METAR/TAF-issuing station to your launch site — this is usually the most representative official data point, even if it's several miles away.
Pull the current METAR and applicable TAF
Use aviationweather.gov for routine flights. Note wind, visibility, sky condition, and any remarks about precipitation or unusual conditions.
Check for AIRMETs, SIGMETs, or PIREPs relevant to your area
These flag hazardous conditions like turbulence or low-level wind shear that a plain METAR/TAF may not fully capture.
Cross-check NOTAMs for TFRs or airspace changes
Use Flight Service or the FAA NOTAM Search tool alongside your weather check — the two are typically reviewed together.
Use a consumer app only as a supplemental visual reference
If it disagrees meaningfully with the official METAR/TAF, the official aviation source governs your decision.
| Mistake | Why it happens | Correct understanding | Regulation / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assuming a generic phone weather app is an acceptable substitute for a METAR | The app is already installed and easy to read | Consumer apps often interpolate data; official aviation sources report certified station observations in standardized format | aviationweather.gov |
| Thinking Flight Service is only for manned-aircraft pilots | Flight Service predates Part 107 and is historically associated with general aviation | Flight Service is available to and useful for Part 107 remote pilots, especially for complex briefings | 1800wxbrief.com |
| Checking weather and NOTAMs as two unrelated tasks | They come from conceptually different categories (weather vs. airspace) | Both are time-sensitive pre-flight checks typically reviewed together in the same briefing | AC 107-2A |
Do I have to call Flight Service before every flight?
No. Self-service tools like aviationweather.gov are sufficient for most routine Part 107 operations. Calling Flight Service is most valuable for less-familiar areas or when you specifically want a briefer's help interpreting complex NOTAM or TFR information.
Are drone-specific weather apps like UAV Forecast an FAA-approved source?
No such thing as an "FAA-approved app" exists in the way the term is sometimes used casually. These apps can be useful supplemental tools, but the official data — METARs, TAFs, AIRMETs/SIGMETs — comes from the National Weather Service and FAA sources like aviationweather.gov, and that's the data your go/no-go decision should be based on.
What's the difference between an AIRMET and a SIGMET?
Both are in-flight weather advisories for hazardous conditions. AIRMETs (Airmen's Meteorological Information) cover conditions of moderate severity — like moderate turbulence or icing — that are hazardous mainly to smaller aircraft. SIGMETs (Significant Meteorological Information) cover more severe conditions, like severe turbulence, severe icing, or dust storms, that are hazardous to all aircraft.
Test Your Knowledge
Answer the questions below to check your understanding. Every answer can be found in the lesson above.