How a call is made
From six raw forecast models to one clear, honest answer.
Blend the best weather sources
We pull HRRR, ECMWF, GFS, ICON, GEM and the NWS forecast for the exact launch — plus the nearby airport’s aviation TAF for the next day or so. The best model for the range leads the headline; the agreement between them all sets the confidence, so you get one straight answer instead of checking six sites yourself.
Check the wind window
Each site has an ideal and a marginal wind-direction arc. Wind outside the window means cross, tail or rotor — and caps the call no matter how light it is.
Score speed, gusts and thermals
We score base wind against the site’s sweet spot, penalise gust spread and over-the-ceiling gusts, and read thermal strength and cloudbase from CAPE and the temp/dewpoint spread.
Look aloft and add daylight
Ridge-height (80 m) wind catches a windy day a calm surface hides, and the call is gated to actual daylight. The result is a verdict, a 0–100 score and a suggested pilot rating.
It’s an automated estimate from public forecast models, not a go/no-go decision. Always check the sky and fly within your rating.