7 Best Weather Apps for Pilots to Outsmart the Storms
The best weather apps for pilots offer real-time radar, METAR/TAF decoding, NOTAM alerts, and route-based weather planning—all essential for safer preflight and enroute decisions. This guide breaks down seven of the most trusted and pilot-approved weather apps used in general aviation and flight training. You'll get specific use-case comparisons, detailed app features, and practical reasons to integrate these into your planning routine. 1. ForeFlight – The Industry Gold Standard ForeFlight is the most comprehensive weather and EFB app used by both student pilots and professionals. It offers a full suite of aviation weather products, real-time radar, icing forecasts, TFRs, and FAA-certified briefings. You can overlay radar on your planned route and review SIGMETs, METARs, TAFs, and PIREPs at the tap of a finger. For IFR training, the icing and turbulence layers, combined with ADS-B weather via Sentry, make this app indispensable. ForeFlight’s intuitive interface and integration wit...