Accurate Drone Forecast

Based on

30,417,419

flights

Q. How do I use OK TO FLY?

To determine if it's OK to Fly, we break down each day by the hour.
Each hour forecast is assigned one of these 3 colors:

Blue	Good to fly - no issues in the forecast

Orange

Pay attention, risk is elevated

Red	High risk, be sure to verify conditions

Click an hour to view more details about the forecast for that timeframe - this will open a matrix of info boxes.
Some boxes will have the

icon, which means, you can click those to learn even more.

Q. What are 'Sats' and how is the satellite forecast so accurate?

Satellites ('Sats' in short - GPS and GLONASS) allow the drone to find its exact location, and help it fly home if needed. Satellite reception is critical for safe drone flying, especially when flying in areas with hills or mountains. Satellites orbit the earth constantly and their position in the sky keeps changing.

For each hourly forecast, we calculate the position of each satellite relative to your location, and check the ground elevations around you, to determine if those satellites are hidden or blocked in your location.

Based on that high-resolution actual ground elevation data, we are also able to determine the forecasted satellite count at different heights above the take-off location - helping you plan the flight properly.

In real time we test thousands of elevation points for each forecast hour, so we can accurately predict safe GPS conditions. For a full 15-day forecast, we evaluate over a million elevation points around your location!

Our satellite forecast is accurate to +/- 1 satellite over 90% of the time.

Q. How do you forecast the wind at different heights?

Using 3D aerodynamic models of each aircraft type, Airdata UAV provides high-res Inflight wind data at different heights (read more about this here).

Using the wind data from millions of flights in 220 countries, we developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that can accurately predict wind at different heights.

Clicking the

icon will show the forecasted wind and gusts at each height above take-off, helping you plan the flight, and the return-to-home altitude properly.

Q. What are "Pilots Nearby" and "Pilots Planned"?

The pilot count is based on other users who are currently using OK to FLY services.

The count of "Pilots Nearby" is shown under the current forecast ("NOW"), whereas "Pilots Planned" is shown for all future time slots. We are currently working on the ability to provide pilots a "check-in" option to let others know you will be flying in the area.

Q. What is the Kp index?

The Kp Index measures geomagnetic disruption caused by solar activity around the world, on a scale from 0 (calm) to 9 (major storm).

The higher the Kp index, the more likely the drone is to have problems.

Quiet

Unsettled

Active

Stormy

Major Storm

Kp of 0 - 4	Generally safe
Kp of 4 - 6	May experience minor GPS issues
Kp of 6 - 7	May lose a single satellite lock and may cause inaccurate location readings, radio/control interference possible
Kp of 7+	Unsafe. You may lose multiple satellite locks. Higher chance of inaccurate location readings, severe radio range impact, and onboard electronics interference

Q. What is "Precip Prob"?

This is the probability of any kind of precipitation, including rain, snow, hail, or sleet.

Credits

On-ground weather forecast is provided by

Kp Index forecast is provided by GFZ and NOAA

Satellites, in-flight wind and gusts, and nearby pilots forecast data are provided by