Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

Is the briefing accurate?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

How can I make my briefing more accurate?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

Does PlaneWX use AI?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 5

What is the WX Score?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

What is the PAVE framework?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 7

How far in advance can PlaneWX forecast weather?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

What is the mentor system?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 9

Is there a free plan?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 11

What happens after the 14-day free trial?

Accepted Answer

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.

Learning Center

Weather Products

What Is a TAF? How to Read a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast

What Is a METAR? How to Read an Airport Weather Report

AIRMET, SIGMET, and CWA: In-Flight Weather Advisories Explained

What Is a PIREP? How to Read and Give a Pilot Weather Report

Winds and Temperatures Aloft: How to Read an FB Forecast

Icing Forecasts: CIP, FIP, Freezing Level, and Icing Intensity

Turbulence Forecasts: GTG, GTG-N, and the Intensity Scale

Weather Radar for Pilots: NEXRAD, TDWR, Reflectivity, and Datalink Delay

Density Altitude Calculator and Guide: What It Is and How to Calculate It

TAF vs MOS, LAMP and NBM

TCF vs ECFP: Reading the Airline System's Convective Forecasts

Weather Knowledge

Decision-Making

Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT): What It Is and How to Use One Honestly

Tips of the Week

What the WX Score actually is