About ClearToFly

ClearToFly is a free, high-resolution weather visualization tool for manned VFR aviation — general aviation pilots (Motorflug), glider pilots (Segelflug, vol à voile), and ultralight pilots flying in Central Europe. It is not a drone-flight service, and it is not an aerospace maintenance / MRO business.

What ClearToFly gives you

Maps

• Significant Weather — dominant weather phenomenon per cell (fog, drizzle, rain, snow, thunderstorms, freezing precipitation). The single most useful layer for marginal-VFR decisions. How to read it →
• Ceiling — cloud base height above ground, GAFOR-coloured (red/pink Mike-X below 1,000 ft, yellow Charlie 1,000–3,000 ft, green above 5,000 ft). How to read it →
• Visibility — horizontal surface visibility in km. How to read it →
• Temperature — 2 m temperature for density-altitude and icing planning. How to read it →
• Radar (simulated) — simulated dBZ reflectivity from the forecast atmosphere. How to read it →
• Precipitation — surface precipitation rate. How to read it →
• Convection (CAPE) — thunderstorm fuel. How to read it →
• Wind — surface + 850/700/500 hPa, direction barbs plus speed. How to read it →
• Thermals — soaring-specific: climb rate, top of climb, Cu base, bumpiness. How to read it →

Local forecasts

• Meteograms for 1,700+ airfields and 4,300+ cities. Up to 5-day forecast, cloud structure over 28 vertical layers, crosswind by runway. How to read a meteogram →
• Cross-Section — vertical profile along your route from surface to FL100 with 48 hours of animation; heatmap of cloud cover, VFR/IFR clearance lines, freezing level, wind barbs at 8 altitudes, optimal-cruise-altitude analysis. How to read a cross-section →
• Route Planner with multi-waypoint editing, draggable map markers, PDF export.
• AI Brief — AI-generated regional briefing with today's outlook and tomorrow's trend.

Beyond the browser

• ClearToFly for Garmin — a Fenix 6 Pro watch face that shows GAFOR, ceiling, visibility, crosswind and cloud layers, updated every 30 minutes from the same ICON-D2 data.
• Progressive Web App — install to home screen for fullscreen use and offline access to the last cached forecast.

Data sources

ClearToFly combines DWD ICON-D2 with two lower-resolution models to extend the forecast horizon:

As heard on

Privatpilotenlounge #149 — "Wetter entscheidet — warum VFR-Piloten häufiger falsch liegen". Long-form discussion of how VFR pilots underestimate weather and how tools like ClearToFly close the gap between DWD raw model data and cockpit decisions.

Who builds this

ClearToFly is a one-person project by Jan Schaffner, a private pilot based in Germany. The service is free. If you find it useful, you can buy me a coffee. Feedback is welcome — see the ⓘ button in the top-right of any map page.