Before any flight, the commander has to be satisfied that it can be made safely, and that means gathering and understanding the right information first.
This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.
The duty to prepare
Pre-flight preparation is not optional or merely good practice; it is a regulatory duty at every level. Internationally, ICAO Annex 6, Part I sets the standard that a flight is not begun until the pilot-in-command is satisfied as to airworthiness, weather, facilities, fuel, and alternates, and that an operational flight plan is prepared. Each authority then implements that duty.
In Europe, EASA's CAT.OP.MPA.175 requires an operational flight plan for each intended flight and that the commander be satisfied the flight can be conducted safely, taking account of fuel, alternates, aerodrome operating minima, and the latest available information, drawn together in that plan. In the United States, 14 CFR 91.103 opens with the plain duty that "each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight", then spells out that for an IFR flight, or one not in the vicinity of an airport, this includes weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives if the flight cannot be completed as planned, and any known traffic delays; and for any flight, the runway lengths and the take-off and landing performance data.
Worth distinguishing here: the operational flight plan is the operator's own planning document, while the ATS flight plan is the one filed with air traffic control under ICAO Doc 4444. They are related but not the same thing.
What a self-brief covers
The phrase "all available information" is doing a lot of work. In practice a sound self-brief pulls together, at least:
- the latest weather: METARs and TAFs for departure, destination, and alternates, plus the relevant area and significant-weather products;
- the NOTAMs for your aerodromes, route, and altitudes;
- fuel planning, including reserves and any contingency for the conditions;
- alternates, and whether they are usable given their own weather and NOTAMs;
- performance: runway lengths against take-off and landing distances for the expected weight, wind, and temperature; and
- the aircraft and route: serviceability, mass and balance, and airspace.
The detail and the labels differ by authority and by type of operation, but the shape of a good brief does not.
Why the information has to be current
Here is the part that connects the rule to the tool. A briefing is only as good as the data behind it, and that data expires. METARs are replaced on a schedule, TAFs are amended, and NOTAMs are issued and cancelled around the clock. Both the FAA and EASA frame the duty around the latest available information for a reason: a brief built on yesterday's weather is not a valid brief. Refreshing weather, NOTAMs, and forecasts is therefore an inherent part of preparing, and refreshing means reaching a source that has the new data.
Offline-first is not the same as fully offline
This is the honest distinction every pilot using an app should understand. Offline-first means your device is the source of truth for what you have already saved: a briefing you pulled an hour ago, the NOTAMs you downloaded, the roster you imported, the charts you cached. Those stay available with no signal, which is exactly what you want at the gate, on the ramp, or anywhere coverage is poor.
What offline-first does not mean is fully offline. Pulling fresh weather, new NOTAMs, an amended TAF, or an updated roster needs a connection, because that information lives on a server until you fetch it. Any app that claims a briefing works with no connection at all is blurring the line between reading saved data and obtaining current data. The safe mental model: download and verify your brief while you have signal, know its timestamp, and treat anything you could not refresh as out of date.
A practical self-brief
A repeatable order helps nothing get missed:
- Check the weather for departure, destination, and alternates, and read the area and significant-weather products.
- Pull and filter the NOTAMs by route, aerodromes, and altitudes; read the high-impact items first.
- Work the fuel, including reserves and contingency.
- Confirm alternates are usable on their own weather and NOTAMs.
- Check performance against runway lengths for the expected conditions.
- Note the timestamp of everything, and refresh anything stale before you commit.
In Pilot EFB
Pilot EFB is built around this workflow: pull your weather, NOTAMs, and roster while you have a connection, and the saved briefing stays readable offline so you can refer to it through the flight. It is offline-first, not fully offline, and it is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag. Operator use of certified EFBs is governed separately, for example under FAA AC 120-76E and the EASA equivalent, and a consumer app is not an approved primary source. Use Pilot EFB to prepare and stay aware, and brief and dispatch from your official sources of record.