How is PlaneWX different from my EFB or aviationweather.gov?

Your EFB is excellent for charts, filing, and day-of flying. Aviationweather.gov and Flight Service (including 1800WXBRIEF) give you official weather products. PlaneWX sits beside those tools. It does not replace them. What PlaneWX adds is decision support days out: a WX Score matched to your aircraft and personal minimums, a dynamic FRAT on the FAA PAVE framework, and mentors who see the same briefing you see. You can also share a flight plan into PlaneWX from a supported EFB. You stay PIC. Charts, filing, and official sources stay where they belong.

Is the briefing accurate?

Your briefing uses the same official observations and forecasts every pilot relies on: METARs, TAFs, PIREPs, SIGMETs and model guidance. It can only be as accurate as those forecasts, and every forecast carries some uncertainty. Every weather briefing, from any provider, also has the same built-in limit. It describes one departure time, one route, one altitude and one arrival time. Real flights change. You leave late, get rerouted, or get assigned a different altitude, and each change puts you in weather the briefing didn't look at. That's why PlaneWX can keep updating your briefing for monitored flights as the forecast changes, and why your decision-making continues in the air.

How can I make my briefing more accurate?

Enter the flight the way you'll really fly it: a realistic departure time, the route you expect to file or be cleared, your planned altitude, and the right aircraft profile. If any of those change, update the trip and brief again. Check again close to departure, when the forecasts are freshest.

Yes, in specific places. Weather reports, forecasts, model data and NOTAMs are fetched and decoded by code. AI reads forecaster discussions and writes the plain-language briefing, the hazard summary and most section ratings. It also proposes a starting WX Score and some deductions, such as for convection. Ceiling and visibility are always scored by code. Within 12 hours of departure, your personal minimums and aircraft limits are checked by rule-based code, not the AI. Further out, AI also helps weigh icing and turbulence against your limits. You always make the final call.

What is the WX Score?

The WX Score is a 0-100% metric calculated against YOUR personal minimums and your specific aircraft, not generic VFR/IFR categories. It tells you, in a single number, how well conditions are expected to match your standards. Every deduction is transparent and explained.

What is the PAVE framework?

PAVE is the FAA risk framework: Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, and External pressures. It is the structure behind a serious preflight risk assessment, not a weather product by itself. We walk through it in plain language in our PAVE risk assessment guide. PlaneWX FRAT uses that same framework as a living sit-down assessment near departure. See how PlaneWX FRAT works, including how the briefing and airport context feed the enVironment side.

How far in advance can PlaneWX forecast weather?

PlaneWX provides weather intelligence from 14 days out through departure. Confidence improves as your flight approaches. We are transparent about uncertainty at every time horizon.

What is the mentor system?

PlaneWX connects you with experienced pilots who can review your full briefing (WX Score, aircraft profile, personal minimums) and offer a second set of eyes grounded in shared data, not guesswork. Mentor sits alongside the risk-management loop when you want it.

Is there a free plan?

Yes. Free forever includes full-quality briefings. We limit how much you can use PlaneWX, not how good the analysis is. Details on plans and what each tier includes are in PlaneWX Plans help.

What's the difference between Casual, Pro, and Pro Plus?

Casual is for pilots who fly a few times a month and want auto-monitoring. Pro raises limits and automation. Pro Plus adds Ground Protection, Auto-Brief, Pre-Flight Text, briefed fuel stops, and Labs. Compare current limits and features in Plans help, or start from the pricing section on this page. Personal minimums still drive the WX Score on every plan. If you are setting those for the first time, see personal minimums for weather planning.

What happens after the 14-day free trial?

You keep access on Free, or choose Casual, Pro, or Pro Plus. No card is required to start the trial. Plan details stay in Plans help.

Decision support for general aviation

Fly like it's your job.

Weather tools show you raw data. PlaneWX shows you what matters for your flight and helps you make the call.

PlaneWX is the decision support system for general aviation. It gives pilots professional-grade tools and instills professional-grade habits that make flying safer.

The risk-management loop for pilots without a dispatcher. Beyond the weather briefing.

Start Free 14-Day Trial See How It Works

Brief a real trip. Run the FRAT. Make the call. Debrief. Add a mentor anytime.

Full safety analysis on every plan. Free forever.

Recommended by

"The window from two days to two weeks out has always been very nebulous and difficult to plan a cross-country flight."

Steve Thorne·Flight Chops

Real pilots. Real decisions.

From student pilots to ATP captains.

Video

10 min·2026

Video review from Your Vision Jet Pilot

A third-party video walkthrough of how PlaneWX turns weather products into a WX Score for a real trip.

Your Vision Jet Pilot

Podcast

1 hr 4 min·Jul 1, 2026

PlaneWX: Better Weather Decisions, Safer Flights

Mark Wolfgang on how PlaneWX was built, why aviation weather is hard, and where AI fits in your GO / NO‑GO decision.

AeroExploration

Podcast

25 min·Jul 2, 2026

The Future in Flight: AirVenture 2026 and PlaneWX

AirVenture 2026 preview episode featuring Mark Wolfgang on AI-powered weather planning and smarter pilot decisions.

AviNation USA

“I've been beta testing this product for a few weeks now and I'm really enjoying it. It does a very good job of synthesizing multiple weather products and highlighting the key factors to be aware of. It links everything back to the source data so you can verify if anything looks amiss.”

Adam

Private

“This tool has a great flow to it, and tells me what I want to know. I'm by no means a weather geek. I'm looking to assess risk. This looks promising.”

Vas

Instrument Rated

“I just signed up a couple of days ago and super impressed. This is way better than other solutions I use mainly because it interprets the weather and gives me conclusions.”

Sukumar

Commercial

“Very impressive and helpful. Great use of A.I. I can relate to your comments about going to many different websites piecing things together.”

Forrest

ATP

“I've been using this for several weeks. For big trips that are a week away it helps me stay aware of the outlook and sometimes highlights things that I'm not seeing. I like it.”

Roy

Instrument Rated

“I fly an SF50 and own a business that operates in multiple states. I also have 9 years experience as a Nav on C130s in the Marine Corps. This is the best product for long range weather planning. Executive time is valuable — schedules are tight. Having weather outlook 2 weeks out helps drive internal conversations if plans need to change early. It's certainly worth a try!”

Clark

ATP · SF50

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Trusted by serious GA pilots. Partnered with the organizations that support them.

2,200+

pilots in 35 countries

8.7/10

how likely pilots are
to recommend PlaneWX
(1,724 responses)

Up to 10%

off 5X5 insurance with Pro Plus

The Problem

Raw weather still leaves you as the analyst.

Most bad launches are not mysteries. They are late decisions. Hotels are booked. Passengers rearranged work. The airplane is reserved. Then the night before, “we'll see” quietly becomes “we have to launch.” By then you are not deciding. You are rationalizing. PlaneWX is the risk-management loop.

Weather data alone

PlaneWX

Every chart, and you pick the right one

The prog chart closest to your departure time

You sort and interpret it all yourself

Less preflight workload, more attention on the decision

Displays raw METARs, TAFs, PIREPs

Weather Briefing with a WX Score

Generic VFR / IFR categories

Your minimums and your aircraft

You invent the risk picture alone

FRAT on the FAA PAVE framework

No structured GO / NO‑GO step

You make the call. PlaneWX informs.

No habit loop after the flight

Self Debrief looks back at every trip

This is the difference between a data display and a decision support system.

The risk-management loop

Four steps. You make the call.

WX Score briefing, FRAT, GO / NO-GO, Self Debrief. Mentor is optional, alongside the loop.

Weather Briefing

WX Score

A briefing scored against your aircraft and personal minimums. Personal minimums are structural: the WX Score cannot generate without them, and they appear on every briefing.

FRAT

PAVE risk assessment

A living flight risk assessment on the FAA PAVE framework, pre-filled from your briefing and trip context so you are not inventing the environment under pressure.

GO / NO-GO

PIC decision

PlaneWX never recommends go or no-go. The pilot makes the call. Staying is a legitimate outcome, not a failure.

Self Debrief

Close the loop

After the flight, or the flight you skipped, your Self Debrief looks back at the FRAT you ran for that trip.

Mentor (optional, alongside the loop)

Not a fifth step. When you want a second set of eyes, mentors see the same briefing and FRAT you see. Shared context, not a phone description.

PlaneWX sits beside your EFB. It does not replace charts, filing, or official weather sources. It does not tell you what to do. Outputs are decision-support tools. The pilot in command remains solely responsible for the flight.

How It Works

From raw data to a clearer picture

Under the hood of every Weather Briefing: retrieve, personalize, synthesize, then put the picture in front of you so you can decide.

Retrieve

Code

Every METAR, TAF, PIREP, advisory, model product and NOTAM along your route is fetched, decoded and filtered by code.

Personalize

Rule-based within 12 hours of departure

Within 12 hours of departure, your personal minimums and aircraft limits are checked by rule-based code, not the AI. Further out, AI helps weigh some limits, like icing and turbulence.

Synthesize

AI reads the forecasters' written discussions and regional summaries, then writes the plain-language briefing for your route: the big picture, the hazard summary, and most section ratings. It also proposes a starting WX Score and deductions, such as for convection. Ceiling and visibility are always scored by code.

Inform

You get your WX Score, the reasons behind it, and the hazards along your route, so you can make your GO / NO‑GO call as PIC. For monitored flights, the briefing keeps updating as the forecast changes.

Why this matters. Weather data is handled by code, and close to departure so are your limits, the same way every time. AI turns it into a plain-language briefing. You make the call.

Core Feature

The WX Score: weather risk, finally quantified

Right now, your weather judgment lives entirely in your head. You mentally juggle ceilings, winds, icing, turbulence, currency, and fatigue under pressure, often at the last minute.

The WX Score externalizes that work. The workload of weather risk assessment lives in software, not your memory, not your gut.

0-100% metric calculated against YOUR minimums, not generic VFR/IFR
Ceiling, visibility, crosswind, turbulence, icing, all weighted
Different scores for each aircraft you fly
Every deduction is transparent and explained
Updates automatically for monitored flights as weather evolves, 40+ times over 14 days

WX ScoreSR22T · KPAO to KSBA

Good conditions for your minimums

Ceilings

Visibility

Crosswind

Turbulence

Icing

100

Convective

Illustrative example. Your score reflects your aircraft and minimums.

FRAT

Weather alone is not the whole call

FRAT turns risk into a conversation with yourself. PlaneWX FRAT uses the FAA's PAVE framework (Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, External) and stays dynamic: it reads the WX briefing, airport complexity, day or night, unfamiliar destinations, and risk stacking. Not a static one-time form.

Pilot

Currency & recency
Fatigue & physical condition
Experience with route / conditions
Mindset: are you flying pressured?

You complete this. PlaneWX prompts the right questions.

Auto-filled

Aircraft

FIKI / de-ice capability
TAS and service ceiling
Autopilot & weather radar
Aircraft-specific minimums

Pre-filled from your aircraft profile.

Auto-filled

enVironment

WX Score (synthesized risk)
Icing & turbulence consensus
Convective activity
14-day trend visibility

Fully pre-filled. This is what PlaneWX does.

External Pressures

Time pressure
Passenger / family expectations
Business commitments
Trip Watchers: share data and reduce pressure

Trip Watchers takes the pressure off the conversation.

⚠️The Pattern That Kills

1.Plans made weeks in advance. Hotels booked. Family waiting.
2.Weather monitored, but TAFs only cover 24 hours. "We'll know the night before."
3.Morning of departure: conditions marginal. Bags are packed. Commitments made.
4.The pressure to launch is immense. The decision feels impossible.

This is when accidents happen. Not because pilots lack skill. Because they're forced into decisions when the stakes are highest.

✔️How PlaneWX Changes This

Know 7+ days out. WX Score trends visible before you commit to anything.
40+ automatic updates for monitored flights. Watch conditions evolve. No scramble the night before.
Alternative windows. Friday looks bad. Thursday afternoon shows 85%.
Trip Watchers. Stakeholders see the same data. Rescheduling is shared.

The safest pilots aren't the ones who can fly in anything. They're the ones who never put themselves in that position.

Everything the decision requires

Every layer of the decision support system, from Weather Briefing to Self Debrief, with Mentor alongside.

Personalized WX Score

A 0-100% risk metric calculated against your minimums and your aircraft, not generic VFR/IFR thresholds.

14-Day Planning Horizon

Monitor WX trends from 2 weeks out. See GO / NO‑GO options early, before bags are packed and commitments harden.

Multi-Model Analysis

HRRR, GFS, and ECMWF consensus across 3 to 7 sample points along your route, with confidence scoring on the agreement.

FRAT on PAVE

The FAA PAVE framework pre-filled from your trip context. Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, External pressures, all in one view.

Ask a Mentor

Optional layer alongside the loop. Experienced pilots see your full briefing: WX Score, aircraft profile, minimums. Shared context, not verbal descriptions.

Trip Watchers

Family, passengers, and schedulers see the same live data. Rescheduling becomes a shared decision, not a confrontation at 6 AM.

Corridor Watch

Route-specific intelligence at departure, waypoints, and arrival. TFRs, NOTAMs, and icing overlays along your exact path.

Synoptic Intelligence™

NWS forecaster narratives synthesized into regional summaries that explain the big picture, not just the numbers.

Multi-City Optimizer

Planning a multi-leg trip? Enter all your stops and PlaneWX finds the optimal departure sequence based on weather windows.

Start with full Pro Plus. Free for 14 days.

No credit card required. Every pilot gets full-quality briefings. After your trial, choose the plan that fits how you fly. Pro Plus adds automation while you're on the ground and when you file.

Safety is not a premium feature.

Every briefing (free, Casual, Pro, or Pro Plus) uses the same AI engine, the same weather models, and the same scoring methodology. We limit how much you can use PlaneWX, not how well it works. Paid plans unlock automation and scale, not the quality of the analysis that keeps you safe.

I priced annual when the app was new. It isn't anymore. This locks today's rate for two years. Grateful for your support. It's why I keep putting my heart, soul, and wallet into PlaneWX.Mark Wolfgang, founder

Lock today's price for 2 years

Pro Plus

For pilots who want PlaneWX working between flights: parked-aircraft watch, briefings on file, and early access to tools still in development. Decision support only; you stay PIC.

Everything in Pro, plus:

Ground Protection
We watch the weather at your parked aircraft and text you before hail, wind, or freezing rain arrives.
Auto-Brief
File a flight plan and your briefing is waiting before you ask for it.
Pre-Flight Text
Your WX Score by text 30 minutes before departure, with a link that opens the briefing without a login. Requires a verified phone number.
Contract Fuel Pricing
Your negotiated vendor prices, applied to every fuel stop recommendation.
Briefed Fuel Stops
Your fuel stops get NOTAM-screened, so a closed runway (or an outage of the fuel you actually burn) rules a stop out before you plan around it.
On-Demand Refresh
Take complete control of your briefing refresh schedule. Refresh your briefing anytime you want. *15-minute cooldown between refreshes (5 minutes in the last hour).
5x5 Insurance Discount
Eligible for up to 10% off your aircraft insurance premium through our partner 5x5. Terms are set by 5x5.
5X5 does not receive your PlaneWX weather briefings, scores, flight decisions, FRAT/PAVE responses, or self debrief information. For an aircraft 5X5 already insures, 5X5 can see only whether that aircraft is enrolled in PlaneWX Pro Plus and, at renewal, a utilization figure used solely to confirm PlaneWX Member Credit eligibility. PlaneWX never shares your name, email address, or customer list with 5X5.
PlaneWX Labs
Early access to features still in development. Altitude Profile cross-section, Route Map Forecast models, and Pilot Self Debrief.

$249/year

$20.75/mo effective (save $111 vs monthly)

Also includes higher limits than Pro: 25 monitored / 500 saved flights, 10 aircraft, unlimited saved routes, and 25 Corridor Watch routes.

Start Free 14-Day Trial Lock 2 years: $498

Free

Full-quality briefings for occasional flyers

$0/forever

Get Started

2 monitored flights
2 saved flights
1 aircraft profile
15 briefing refreshes per week
Full WX Score breakdown
Synoptic Intelligence™
PAVE Risk Assessment
Flight Window Explorer
Access to mentors

Casual

Auto-monitoring for pilots who fly a few times a month

$7.99/month

or $59.99/yr (4 months free)

$5.00/mo effective

Start Free 14-Day Trial Lock 2 years: $120

5 monitored with auto-updates
10 saved flights
3 aircraft profiles
Unlimited briefing refreshes
Auto-refresh briefings
Email weather alerts
Trip watchers (4/flight)
Access to mentors

Pro Monthly

Auto-monitoring & advanced tools for frequent flyers.

$14.99/month

Start Free 14-Day Trial

10 monitored with auto-updates
100 saved flights
5 aircraft profiles
Unlimited briefing refreshes
Auto-refresh briefings
Email weather alerts
Trip watchers
Multi-City Optimizer
Corridor Watch (10 routes)
Access to mentors

Pro Annual

4 months free

Best value (save $60.88 vs monthly)

$119/year

$9.92/mo effective

Start Free 14-Day Trial Lock 2 years: $238

10 monitored with auto-updates
100 saved flights
Everything in Pro Monthly
Unlimited briefing refreshes
Save $60.88 per year
Cancel anytime

All plans include WX Score, PAVE Risk Assessment, Synoptic Intelligence™, mentor broadcast, and 14-day planning.

Frequently asked questions

Built by a pilot

Founder's Story

Mark's flight log showing extensive cross-country flying

“I built PlaneWX because I needed it.”

PlaneWX was founded in 2025 by Mark Wolfgang, an experienced technology entrepreneur and General Aviation pilot.

After selling his Information Security consulting company in December 2022, Mark retired and bought his first airplane, a Diamond DA40 NG. He earned his Private Pilot's license in just six weeks and started flying his wife and dog around the country.

After completing an accelerated IFR program in five days, Mark discovered the complexities of weather planning for instrument flying. He grew frustrated having to tell his wife, “Yeah, we should be good. I'll let you know after the TAF comes out tonight.”

Now flying a TBM 900 with over 1,000 hours total time, Mark built PlaneWX to solve his own problem. What started as personal frustration became a mission to help every pilot answer the question: “Is this flight going to happen?”

Mark Wolfgang is a Commercial Instrument pilot with single and multiengine ratings, and a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Read the full story on our About page: how PlaneWX started, why safety stays free, and the mission behind Synoptic Intelligence™.

Watch the founder's story