The short version
BlueSkies only suggests which days might be good for flying. It is a planning aid, not a weather briefing.
As pilot in command, you are responsible for deciding whether a flight is safe. Before every flight you must get a full, up-to-date weather briefing from official sources, including the Met Office aviation forecasts, METAR and TAF, and check NOTAMs. Never decide to fly, or to carry on flying, because of BlueSkies.
1. Who we are
BlueSkies is run by Phil Murphy ("we", "us"). The About page says how to get in touch. By creating an account or using BlueSkies, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, don't use it.
2. What BlueSkies does
BlueSkies takes publicly available weather forecasts, compares them with the limits you set, and suggests times and days that might suit the kinds of flight you describe. It also sends you a daily email with those suggestions, if you want one.
Its suggestions are only a rough first look to help you plan. They are produced automatically, and no person checks them.
3. What BlueSkies does not do
BlueSkies is a planning aid for private, non-commercial flying. It is not:
- a weather briefing, or a substitute for one
- an official aviation forecast, or approved by the Met Office, the CAA or any other aviation authority
- a check of airspace, NOTAMs, danger areas, temporary restrictions, PPR, runway condition, fuel, fees or customs
- a check that you, your aircraft or your licence, ratings and currency are fit for the flight
- a route planner. Routes are straight lines. Leg times allow for the forecast wind aloft, but not for climb or descent.
It checks an airfield's opening hours only where a pilot has entered them, and those can be wrong or out of date. Check them with the airfield.
A "possible", "go" or green result does not mean a flight is safe or legal.
4. Your responsibilities as pilot in command
You alone are responsible for every decision to fly, where to fly and when to turn back. In particular, you must:
- get a full weather briefing from official sources before every flight, including the Met Office aviation forecasts (such as F215 and the GA forecasts), METAR and TAF for your departure, destination and alternates, and check NOTAMs
- check airspace, PPR and fuel yourself
- make sure the conditions are within your own limits and experience, your aircraft's limits, and the law
- keep checking the weather during the flight, and divert or turn back when you need to
- set your own limits in BlueSkies with care. If you set looser limits for a scenario (for example, for a more qualified crew), BlueSkies will show flights that fall below your own minimums.
5. Weather and data can be wrong
BlueSkies uses data from third parties, including Open-Meteo (which draws on the Met Office, ECMWF, NOAA and others), OurAirports, Wikidata, OpenStreetMap and the Copernicus programme. That data can be wrong, out of date, incomplete or unavailable. Forecasts are predictions, and the weather often does something different. Airfield details such as runways and opening hours can be wrong or out of date.
We don't check or guarantee any of this data. BlueSkies shows how old its forecast is. Check that time, and don't rely on old data.
6. No guarantee
We provide BlueSkies "as is" and "as available". We don't promise that it will be accurate, complete, up to date, available at any particular time, or free of errors. The daily email may arrive late, or not at all. We may change, pause or stop BlueSkies at any time.
7. Our liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not liable for any loss, damage, injury, cost or expense that comes from using, or relying on, BlueSkies or its emails. This includes any decision to fly or not to fly, and any wasted trips, landing fees, aircraft hire or other costs.
Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that can't be limited or excluded by law.
8. Your account
- Access is by invitation, and we may withdraw it.
- You sign in with links and codes sent to your email address. Keep them to yourself, and keep access to your email account secure.
- Give accurate details, and don't use BlueSkies for anything unlawful or to overload it.
- You can close your account at any time by emailing us. We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms.
9. What you add
Notes you choose to share, and opening hours you enter for an airfield, are shown to other pilots. Don't post anything unlawful, abusive or private to someone else. We may remove shared content.
10. Private use
You may use BlueSkies for private, non-commercial flying only.
11. Your information
We hold your email address and what you set up and add, so that BlueSkies can work. The Privacy page explains what we keep, for how long, and how to have it corrected or deleted.
12. Data sources and credits
- Weather data from Open-Meteo.com, under CC BY 4.0.
- Airfield data from OurAirports, in the public domain, from Wikidata, and map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- Terrain from the Copernicus DEM © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA.
- Region names from Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, NatureScot and ONS, under the Open Government Licence. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.
- Coastline from Natural Earth.
13. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. The version number and date at the top say when they last changed.
14. Law
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring a claim in your local courts.