The Flyable guide
How Flyable Flight Score Works
Flight Score summarises forecast suitability for the selected drone. Read it together with the factor explanations, the time being evaluated and your own pre-flight checks.
- Wind
- Gusts
- Temperature
- Precipitation
- Weather conditions
The most restrictive factor sets the weather status. Airspace requires a separate check.
One product, several different scores
The city weather result, photography assessment and mission planner answer different questions. The weather result classifies operating conditions for an aircraft. The photography assessment adds considerations such as light and visibility. Plan Flight ranks forecast opportunities for the selected mission. Their numbers are not interchangeable: a photogenic hour can still have unsuitable flying conditions.
The weather dashboard uses a factor-based decision. Wind, gusts, temperature, precipitation and weather condition each receive a Good, Caution or No fly status. The most severe factor determines the overall status. A configured country night prohibition overrides the weather evaluation. Airspace permissions are not included in that weather score.
Wind and gusts
Sustained wind is compared with the selected drone profile’s caution threshold and maximum wind threshold. At or below the caution threshold the factor is Good; above it and up to the maximum it is Caution; beyond the maximum it is No fly. Gusts are evaluated separately against their own profile thresholds, so a low average does not conceal a potentially difficult gust.
The dashboard also exposes an altitude wind profile when the provider supplies it. The basic weather decision uses the forecast wind and gust inputs, rather than simulating the wind along your planned route. It does not model turbulence behind buildings, cliff edges or trees. A manufacturer wind resistance figure is also not a guarantee of return capability: distance, battery condition and heading still matter.
Temperature and precipitation
Temperature is checked against the stored operating range for the aircraft. The calculation places a caution margin of five degrees inside the lower and upper temperature limits. This makes an hour close to the edge of the profile less attractive even if it has not exceeded that range. It does not measure the battery’s internal temperature or predict the temperature of a controller left in direct sunlight.
Rain handling depends on both the amount and the weather condition, together with the profile’s precipitation tolerance. Weather codes such as thunderstorms, hail and squalls trigger a No fly condition. Fog, snow and other adverse conditions can introduce caution. A drone profile is not a waterproofing certificate; follow the manufacturer’s instructions and inspect the actual weather at the site.
What the numerical weather result means
In the current dashboard implementation, an ordinary all-Good five-factor assessment returns 90. For a Caution result, the score is 55 plus five points for each Good factor. If there are No fly factors, the score is 30 minus ten points for each of those factors, with a floor of zero. A configured night prohibition produces zero. These are discrete decision bands rather than a continuously calibrated probability.
For example, four Good factors and one Caution factor produce 75. One No fly factor produces 20, even if the remaining factors are Good. Adding the night caution factor can change the count. A score of 90 does not mean a 90 percent chance of a safe flight, and a score difference should never be treated as permission to ignore a warning.
Visibility, cloud and daylight
Visibility is displayed for the pilot and contributes to the photography assessment, but it is not a separate factor in the basic five-factor weather decision. Fog may still affect the decision through the weather condition code. Consequently, a high weather score is not proof that you can maintain visual line of sight. Buildings, terrain, glare and the size of the aircraft also affect your ability to see it.
Sunrise and sunset are calculated from position and time. The product uses a country night-rule registry to add a caution or prohibition where configured. That registry is a simplified planning check; qualifications, lighting, local zones and special authorisations can change the requirements for a particular flight. The best-window calculation favours consecutive suitable daytime hours. A sunset photography opportunity does not automatically extend the legal operating window.
Aircraft profiles and mission planning
The selected profile supplies separate sustained-wind and gust thresholds, temperature limits and precipitation tolerance. Changing the drone can therefore change a recommendation without changing the forecast. Confirm the exact model and configuration. Flyable cannot inspect propellers, payloads, battery health, firmware or a pilot’s familiarity with the aircraft.
Plan Flight uses a separate safety and mission scoring calculation to rank forecast points and explain concerns. It can therefore produce a different score from the city weather card. Use comparisons within the same tool, aircraft and mission settings. A mission preference expresses a planning priority; it cannot remove a hard operating limit or grant a regulatory exception.
Airspace context is a separate check
Map overlays and country-rule cards sit beside the weather result to help you notice relevant restrictions. They are not part of a complete legal-clearance calculation. A favourable score can coexist with a prohibited zone, an airport authorisation requirement or landowner restrictions. Empty map coverage is also not evidence of unrestricted airspace.
Before committing to a time, check the official map for the exact coordinates, proposed height and flight date. Read each applicable zone’s conditions, check temporary notices and obtain required permissions. Recheck before launch because a previously valid plan can be affected by an emergency, a security restriction or a change in activity.
Updates, missing data and interpreting uncertainty
The application’s forecast background refresh runs on a 15-minute interval for tracked locations. Provider issue times, cache behaviour and request failures can mean the underlying forecast is older than the screen update. The next 24 usable forecast timestamps form the dashboard’s hourly sequence; availability depends on the provider. Check the forecast time, not just a live badge.
Some missing inputs receive permissive handling in the current scoring logic. For example, a missing wind value does not necessarily force an Unknown status. For that reason, treat missing measurements as uncertainty and consult another weather source or local observations. Never infer a verified calm condition from an absent measurement. Report suspicious results through Contact with the location, selected drone, forecast hour and visible values.