Flight Briefing – pre-flight check

Check the weather before flying your drone and see no-fly zones on one page: cloud, rain and wind maps plus aviation weather reports (METAR / TAF) from the airport nearest your site. A planning tool for drone pilots to use before every flight. Free, no sign-up required.

Drone no-fly zone map

Prohibited (P) Restricted (R) Danger area (D) Airport 9 km
Reference: CAAT announcement designating prohibited areas, restricted areas and danger areas, B.E. 2566 (2023). Boundaries are drawn from the coordinates in the announcement and may be slightly off along curved edges · Border areas may have additional temporary flight bans by NOTAM — always check before flying.
The map shows restricted and controlled areas from official announcements. For full province-by-province details, see No-fly zone finder by province

Real-time weather map: clouds, rain, wind

Map center
This map shows short-range forecasts of clouds, rain, wind and thunderstorms, so you can plan which part of the day will be clear or wet. Use the buttons to switch layers and drag the time bar below the map to look ahead. Forecast data is not official aviation information — treat the METAR / TAF reports in the next section as your main reference, and remember the pilot always makes the final go / no-go decision.

Pre-flight drone weather check with METAR / TAF

Fetching airport data...
Couldn't fetch the data. Please try again, or check a backup source such as aviationweather.gov directly.

METAR — current weather

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    TAF — aerodrome forecast

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    A TAF is an airport weather forecast for the next 24–30 hours, issued by the aviation meteorological service, used to help plan flight times.
    Please note: This assessment is a preliminary analysis based on data from the airport nearest your site. Actual weather at your flying location may differ, especially in mountainous and coastal areas. The decision to fly is always the pilot's responsibility — always assess conditions on site as well.

    Pre-flight drone weather check: which codes should you be able to read?

    A METAR is the observed weather report at an airport, while a TAF is that airport's forecast. Both are written in the same ICAO international aviation code worldwide. Once you can read the key codes below, you can decide faster whether to fly today or postpone.

    • 170130Z Day 17 at 01:30 UTC. Add 7 hours for Thai time, which gives 08:30.
    • 27010KT Wind from 270 degrees (west) at 10 knots, about 18.5 km/h.
    • 27010G20KT G means gusts; in this example gusting to 20 knots (about 37 km/h). VRB means variable wind direction.
    • 9999 Visibility of 10 km or more. A smaller number (in metres) means lower visibility.
    • RA rain · SHRA rain showers · TS thunderstorm · the sign - means light and + means heavy
    • BR mist · FG fog · HZ haze. All three reduce visibility and make footage look hazy.
    • FEW SCT BKN OVC range from a few clouds to full overcast, followed by the cloud base in hundreds of feet. For example, BKN020 means broken cloud at 2,000 ft, and CB means a thunderstorm cloud (cumulonimbus).
    • 1700/1806 The period the TAF is valid for: day 17 at 00 UTC to day 18 at 06 UTC. BECMG means becoming (a gradual change), TEMPO means temporary changes, and PROB30 / PROB40 means a 30% / 40% probability.

    To see the original reports or compare several airports at once, cross-check at Aviation Weather Center (aviationweather.gov) from the US National Weather Service (NWS).

    Pre-flight drone weather check: postpone if you see these

    • TS or CB in the report or forecast for your flying window: postpone, because thunderstorms bring strong gusts and lightning.
    • Rain (RA or SHRA): most camera drones are not designed to be waterproof, and water drops on the lens ruin the whole shot.
    • Wind or gusts beyond the limit stated by the drone manufacturer: do not fly, and always allow for wind at height usually being stronger than wind measured near the ground.
    • Low visibility from BR, FG or HZ: CAAT conditions require the pilot to keep the drone within visual line of sight for the whole flight. If you cannot see it clearly, do not take off, and the footage will look murky anyway.
    • Close to sunset: CAAT conditions allow flying between sunrise and sunset, so plan the job to finish before the light goes.

    Once the weather checks out, continue your readiness check: A professional pilot's preflight checklist and the LiPo drone battery care guide — for the latest rules and announcements, visit the website of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT)

    Next steps before take-off

    Make a flight plan + checklistFill in your mission plan, distances and altitude, then print a PDF record to keep as evidence. Check no-fly zones by provinceSee restricted zones, military areas and controlled airspace in detail for every province. Register your drone properlyA summary of the NBTC and CAAT steps for new pilots. Hire a professional pilot teamThe ORBITCINE team is properly registered and handles every permit for you.
    Further reading
    Drone no-fly zones in Thailand: where you can and can't fly, and what to check
    The complete guide to no-fly zones, airport distances and the permit process under Thai law

    Need a properly registered pilot team?

    We take care of everything from flight permits and flight planning to file delivery. Message us to talk through the details.

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