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AI Go/No-Go and FRAT Apps for Pilots (2026): PlaneWX, FlightDecide, SOLUS

AI go/no-go and flight risk assessment (FRAT) apps compared: PlaneWX, FlightDecide, PreFlightIQ, SOLUS Copilot, SkyBrief, AeroSense AI and more, with prices.

Updated 2026-10-22 · Facts and prices checked against vendor sites

Checked October 22, 2026. The go/no-go call is made on the ground, before the engine starts. A new group of apps tries to help with that decision: they pull weather, NOTAMs, performance, your currency and your personal minimums into one risk picture, and some walk you through a flight risk assessment (FRAT). Below are the go/no-go and FRAT tools we list, what each one actually scores, and what it costs, from each vendor's own site or US App Store listing (FlightDecide, SOLUS Copilot, PreFlightIQ and PlaneWX checked October 22; the others October 20-21).

What the FAA framework looks like

PAVE. The FAA Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A) sorts hazards into four "buckets": Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment and External pressures. The FAA also publishes a one-page PAVE checklist.
IMSAFE covers the pilot: illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue and emotion. The handbook notes the alcohol rules (nothing within 8 hours, below 0.04 percent) and that aftereffects can last longer than 8 hours.
The decision stays yours. 14 CFR 91.3 makes the pilot in command the final authority, and 14 CFR 91.103 requires you to become familiar with all available information about the flight.

A good app makes the PAVE questions hard to skip. It can't answer the "P" and "E" questions for you, and the weather it scores is only as good as the data and the time window you gave it.

The tools, compared

Tool	What it scores	Where the AI is	Free option	Paid price	Platforms
PlaneWX	Route weather score against your aircraft and minimums; FRAT on the FAA PAVE framework, pre-filled from the briefing; self debrief after the flight (or the one you skipped)	AI-written route briefing; ceiling, visibility and close-in limits are checked by rule-based code	Free plan (2 monitored flights, 1 aircraft); 14-day trial on paid plans	Casual $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr; Pro $14.99/mo or $119/yr; Pro Plus $249/yr	Web
FlightDecide	8 categories: route and destination weather, NOTAMs, airspace, takeoff and landing performance from POH tables, fuel with legal reserves, weight and balance; one GO, CAUTION or NO GO with a "Path to GO" list	AI-assisted briefing narrative on top of the scored categories; raw METAR, TAF and NOTAM one tap away	3 analyses a month; free offline E6B suite	Pilot $9.99/mo or $79.99/yr; Pro $19.99/mo or $159.99/yr (50% off codes through Nov 30, 2026)	iPhone, iPad (Android coming soon)
PreFlightIQ	Color-coded risk report across 30+ factors with key factors, best actions and abort or divert triggers	Reads the briefing, NOTAM, W&B and nav log PDFs you share from ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot	Free download	In-app Basic $2.99, Pro $4.99, Pro annual $44.99	iOS, iPadOS
SOLUS Copilot	PAVE-style mission brief: FAR 61.57 currency, IMSAFE self-check, aircraft status, weight and balance, NOTAMs ranked by severity, METAR/TAF/PIREPs, GPS-spoofing alerts; one CLEAR, REVIEW or HIGH score	Synthesizes the brief and matches NTSB accident patterns to your flight	Free iOS app (no in-app purchases listed); web in invite-only beta	None listed	iOS, Web
SkyBrief	Go, caution or no-go against your ceiling, visibility and wind minimums; FRAT scoring and briefing checklists	Plain-English weather summary; the verdict itself comes from an on-device rule-based engine	Free training suite, logbook and weather charts	Pro adds the briefing, route and alerts (price shown in the app)	iOS
AeroSense AI	Weather, NOTAMs, TFRs, fuel and performance with a go/no-go recommendation	Claude-powered flight briefs	3 AI flight briefs a month	Pilot $20/mo; Pro $45/mo	Web
FlightKit	Go/no-go briefs against personal minimums, W&B and performance, currency	Briefings plus an AI examiner for oral practice	Weather, charts, airport directory; 7-day Pro trial, no card	Pilot $99/yr or $9.99/mo; Pro $159/yr or $19.99/mo	Web, iOS
AeroCopilot	Route briefing, risk assessment and currency tracking	Chat copilot that decodes weather, NOTAMs and TFRs	5 AI messages a day	Student $9.99/mo; Pilot $17.99/mo; Pro $29.99/mo	Web

All prices are in US dollars as listed by the vendor on the dates above. Vendors change plans often, so check before you buy.

Which one fits you

You want a structured FRAT habit with a debrief: PlaneWX. It's the only one here built around brief, assess, decide, debrief, and a CFI or mentor can see the same briefing.
You want the whole airplane in the answer (performance, fuel, W&B): FlightDecide on iPhone or iPad. Its "Path to GO" list shows the changes that would flip a CAUTION or NO GO.
You already brief in ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot: PreFlightIQ reads the PDFs you export and costs a few dollars.
You worry about currency and the pilot side of PAVE: SOLUS Copilot tracks the 61.57 items and adds an IMSAFE check, free on iOS.
You want a verdict you can audit line by line: SkyBrief's rule-based call gives the same answer for the same weather and lists the reasons.
Student pilots: use one of these with your CFI, not instead of the go/no-go conversation. Set your personal minimums with your instructor first, then let the app hold you to them.

How to use a go/no-go app safely

Set minimums on the ground, on a calm day. The score is only as good as the ceiling, visibility, wind and fuel limits you typed in.
Read the raw data next to the verdict. Check the METAR, TAF and NOTAMs the app used, and the time window it scored. A GO for 1400Z says nothing about a 1700Z return.
Get a complete briefing. Use 1800wxbrief.com, Flight Service or your EFB's full briefing for TFRs and NOTAMs, as 91.103 expects.
Answer the P and E yourself. Fatigue, a passenger in a hurry, or a rental due back are things no app can see. Run IMSAFE honestly.
Debrief. After a flight or a cancellation, compare what happened to the score. That's how your minimums get better.

More: AI weather briefing vs a traditional briefing, AI NOTAM apps compared, AI flight planning apps and AI tools for student pilots.

Cockpit Index is independent. No vendor paid to be listed or ranked in this guide. These apps are advisory and don't replace an official weather briefing, approved aircraft data or your judgment as pilot in command.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best AI go/no-go app for pilots?

It depends on how you brief. PlaneWX (free plan, Pro $14.99/mo) builds a PAVE-based FRAT from its route weather score and adds a self debrief. FlightDecide (iPhone and iPad; free 3 analyses a month, Pilot $9.99/mo or $79.99/yr) scores 8 categories, including performance, fuel and weight and balance, and gives one GO, CAUTION or NO GO. PreFlightIQ (iOS, from $2.99) reads the PDFs you export from ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot and returns a risk report. SOLUS Copilot (free iOS app) adds currency and NTSB accident patterns. Prices checked October 20-22, 2026.

What is a FRAT?

A flight risk assessment tool: a structured list of risk factors you score before a flight, so the go/no-go decision is made against numbers you set in advance rather than in the moment. The FAA's Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A) groups hazards with the PAVE checklist: Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment and External pressures, with IMSAFE (illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, emotion) for the pilot.

Can an app make the go/no-go decision for me?

No. Under 14 CFR 91.3 the pilot in command is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of the aircraft, and 14 CFR 91.103 requires you to become familiar with all available information before the flight. Every app in this guide calls itself advisory. Use the score to slow down and look at the factors, not to hand off the decision.

Is there a free AI go/no-go app?

Yes, with limits. FlightDecide's free plan includes 3 analyses a month and a free E6B suite. PlaneWX's free plan covers 2 monitored flights and 1 aircraft. SOLUS Copilot's iOS app is free with no in-app purchases listed. AeroSense AI's free plan includes 3 AI flight briefs a month, and AeroCopilot's free plan gives 5 AI messages a day.

Is SkyBrief's go/no-go call made by AI?

SkyBrief says its go, caution or no-go verdict is computed on the device by a rule-based engine from live METAR, TAF and PIREP data, so the same weather always gives the same answer, and it lists the reasons. It also includes FRAT scoring and briefing checklists. PlaneWX similarly checks ceiling, visibility and close-in limits with rule-based code and uses AI for the written briefing.