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The Pilots Desk

Data & sources

Last updated July 2026

Trust in an aviation reference comes down to two things: where the data comes from and how the words were written. Here's both, plainly.

Data sources

Every dataset below is public-domain or openly licensed and used under its own terms, with attribution.

country overviews (adapted, with attribution).

  • OurAirports (public domain) — airports, runways, frequencies, and navaids worldwide.
  • FAA d-TPP (public domain) — US instrument approach & terminal procedure charts, by 28-day cycle.
  • FAA Aircraft Registry (public domain) — US N-number registrations.
  • OpenSky aircraft database (open data) — worldwide (non-US) tail-number registrations.
  • eCFR / FAA (public domain) — the verbatim text of US 14 CFR regulations.
  • AviationWeather.gov (US NWS, public domain) — METARs, TAFs, winds aloft, SIGMET/AIRMET.
  • OpenAIP (open licence) — airspace geometry and obstacles.
  • Wikidata (CC0) and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) — aircraft, airline and manufacturer profiles and
  • REST Countries — basic country facts.
  • AeroDataBox (commercial licence) — live flight status, departure/arrival boards, delays and

routes, fetched on demand and shown with the "Flight data by AeroDataBox" attribution. This data is never stored.

Regulations outside the US are summarised and linked to the issuing authority — never reproduced verbatim — so you always end up at the official, current source.

How data pages are kept current

Directory data (airports, runways, frequencies) is refreshed automatically from OurAirports each week. FAA charts follow the 28-day AIRAC cycle, and the current cycle is shown on every chart page. Live flight data is always fetched fresh. Because source data changes constantly, we treat every page as a starting point, not the final word.

How written content is produced and reviewed

Explainers, guides and glossary entries are written from the cited primary sources above (the AIM, 14 CFR, POH/TCDS figures, ICAO/CAA material). Before publication, content passes an internal review step: a quality pass compares each explainer to its official source text and flags anything questionable for human sign-off, and flagged items are withheld until reviewed. Where an author or reviewer is on record for a piece, we show it.

We are candid that some content is drafted with automated tooling — but it is sourced from, and checked against, authoritative references, not invented. If a number can't be traced to a real source, it doesn't ship.

Found an error? Tell us.

Accuracy is a moving target and we rely on sharp-eyed pilots. Report anything wrong to [email protected] with the page and, if you have it, the authoritative source. Safety-relevant corrections are prioritised.

Not a substitute for official sources

Whatever you read here, The Pilots Desk is a reference and training resource only — not for navigation. Always confirm with current official sources and a certificated flight instructor. See our Terms of use.