Flight planning: Montgomery County Airpark GAI / KGAI
What a pilot looks at before a flight from or to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in plain English: right now IFR: instrument conditions, Wind variable at 4 knots. The warnings, reports and winds below come from the government's aviation weather service and the restrictions from the FAA, refreshed every few minutes. For planning, not a briefing: the legal preflight briefing comes from Flight Service (1-800-WX-BRIEF) or the FAA's own tools.
Warnings in force SIGMETs and AIRMETs whose area covers this field
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist).
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: low-level wind shear (due to air, speed, loss, or, gain, of, 20kts, or, more, below, 2000, ft, agl).
A SIGMET warns of weather hazardous to all aircraft (thunderstorms, severe turbulence or icing, volcanic ash); an AIRMET of weather that matters to small aircraft and to flying without instruments (moderate turbulence or icing, low cloud, strong surface wind, mountains hidden in cloud). An area is counted when it covers this field's position.
Pilot reports within 100 nautical miles, last three hours, nearest first
- urgent BE55 at 900 ft, 56 nm southeast, 11:54 am EDT (15:54 UTC): light turbulence, a broken layer above 900 ft.
as filed
ESN UUA /OV KESN/TM 1554/FL009/TP BE55/SK BKN009/TB LGT/RM LLWS +/-10 KT SFC-009 DURCD RY04 ESN
- A319 at 2,000 ft, 17 nm southwest, 10:20 am EDT (14:20 UTC): light turbulence, scattered clouds above 500 ft.
as filed
IAD UA /OV AML360005/TM 1420/FL020/TP A319/SK SCT 005/TB LGT TURB
- B737 at 600 ft, 18 nm south, 1:01 pm EDT (17:01 UTC): overcast above 600 ft.
as filed
DCA UA /OV DCA320002/TM 1701/FL006/TP B737/SK OVC 006
- E145 at 0 ft, 19 nm southwest, 1:05 pm EDT (17:05 UTC): no turbulence.
as filed
IAD UA /OV IAD/TM 1705/FLDURC/TP E145/SK BASES 016/TB NEG
- E55P at 0 ft, 19 nm southwest, 12:36 pm EDT (16:36 UTC): overcast above 700 ft, light rain.
as filed
IAD UA /OV RWY 1R/TM 1636/FLDURD/TP E55P/SK BASES OVC 007/WX 2.5 SM -RA
- E145 at 6,000 ft, 19 nm southwest, 12:35 pm EDT (16:35 UTC): no turbulence up to 6,000 ft, overcast above 500 ft.
as filed
IAD UA /OV AML355001/TM 1635/FL060/TP E145/SK OVC005/TB SMOOTH BELOW 060
- LJ45 at 500 ft, 19 nm southwest, 12:28 pm EDT (16:28 UTC): overcast above 500 ft.
as filed
IAD UA /OV HEF3400001/TM 1628/FL005/TP LJ45/SK OVC005
- EC35 at 2,000 ft, 19 nm west, 11:01 am EDT (15:01 UTC): scattered clouds above 500 ft.
as filed
IAD UA /OV JYO/TM 1501/FL020/TP EC35/SK SCT 005
- B752 at 300 ft, 23 nm east, 1:15 pm EDT (17:15 UTC): overcast above 30,000 ft.
as filed
BWI UA /OV BAL330001/TM 1715/FL003/TP B752/SK OVC003
- B737 at 300 ft, 23 nm east, 12:39 pm EDT (16:39 UTC): a broken layer above 30,000 ft.
as filed
BWI UA /OV BWI/TM 1639/FL003/TP B737/SK BKN003
- A321 at 2,300 ft, 23 nm east, 12:21 pm EDT (16:21 UTC): 14 °C.
as filed
BWI UA /OV BAL/TM 1621/FL023/TP A321/SK BASES-014/TA 14
- B737 at 5,000 ft, 23 nm east, 10:48 am EDT (14:48 UTC): light chop turbulence.
as filed
BWI UA /OV BAL29008/TM 1448/FL50/TP B737/SK BASE005/TB LIGHT CHOP
What pilots in the air told air traffic control or Flight Service: turbulence, icing, cloud tops and bases, temperature, wind. An urgent report is one of severe turbulence or icing, or similar.
Winds and temperatures aloft forecast point RIC, 100 nm south of the field · for use 06:00–18:00 UTC
| Height | Wind from | Speed | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 ft | 340° (north) | 32 knots | |
| 6,000 ft | 330° (northwest) | 27 knots | 12 °C |
| 9,000 ft | 330° (northwest) | 29 knots | 8 °C |
| 12,000 ft | 330° (northwest) | 31 knots | 3 °C |
| 18,000 ft | 340° (north) | 39 knots | -11 °C |
| 24,000 ft | 330° (northwest) | 39 knots | -22 °C |
| 30,000 ft | 300° (northwest) | 30 knots | -33 °C |
| 34,000 ft | 290° (west) | 32 knots | -38 °C |
| 39,000 ft | 290° (west) | 37 knots | -47 °C |
Based on data from the 11th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 06:00 to 18:00 UTC; temperatures above 24,000 ft are below zero. Heights are above sea level; the lowest rows are left out where the ground is already that high.
Temporary flight restrictions within 50 nautical miles, from the FAA's list
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA 4 nm southeast · security · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 5 nm southwest · a VIP movement · ZDC
- 6/8800 Baltimore, MD, Saturday, October 17, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 25 nm east · drones kept away from a public gathering · ZDC
Each restriction opens the FAA's own page with the exact area, heights and times. Ordinary notices to air missions (a closed runway, lights out, a crane) are not shown here: the FAA's notice search is not open to sites like this one at this time, and the application for the FAA's data feed is in hand.
Radar and forecast charts government pictures, the latest each time the page loads
The radar pictures come from the National Weather Service (the nearest radar, then the region); the surface analysis and the 12- and 24-hour forecast charts from the Weather Prediction Center. They are public-domain government images shown as they are published.
Sources: the Aviation Weather Center's data service (SIGMETs, AIRMETs, graphical AIRMETs, pilot reports, winds and temperatures aloft), the National Weather Service radar, the Weather Prediction Center's charts, and the FAA's temporary flight restriction list and shapes. Fetched when the page is viewed and kept a few minutes. Back to Montgomery County Airpark, where the current observation and the forecast for the field are.