EdgeFlyte Wind Engine gives you fast, reliable wind forecasts for balloon flight planning—from the ground up to the stratosphere (~55 km). Ask for wind at any location, time, and altitude, and get back speed, direction, and gust data you can use for route planning and go/no-go decisions.
What it is
EdgeFlyte Wind Engine is a wind forecasting service built for stratospheric and high-altitude balloon operations. Instead of piecing together weather data from multiple sources, you get one API that answers a straightforward question: What is the wind doing at this place, at this time, at this altitude?
Whether you are planning a launch site, estimating drift, or simulating a multi-day flight, the service returns wind speed, direction, and gusts in units ready for planning tools and dashboards.
What you can ask for
- Single point
- Wind at one latitude/longitude, one time, and one altitude—for example, wind at 40°N, 105°W, 10 km altitude, tomorrow at 18:00 UTC.
- Time series
- How wind changes over time at a fixed location and altitude. Useful for launch windows and overnight drift.
- Vertical profile
- Wind at every available altitude at one location and time. Useful for choosing float altitude or understanding shear.
- Bulk queries
- Many locations at once (Enterprise tier), for trajectory models or batch planning.
How you specify altitude
You can query in the way that fits your workflow:
- Meters or feet above sea level — e.g. 10,000 m or 32,800 ft
- Pressure level (hPa) — e.g. 50 hPa for upper-stratosphere winds
If you do not specify altitude, you get surface-level wind.
What you get back
Every response includes:
- Wind components and derived values — u/v, speed (m/s), direction (degrees), gusts where available
- Valid time — when the forecast applies
- Source info — which GFS model run and forecast hour produced the answer
On Pro and Enterprise plans, you also get temperature, pressure, humidity, and geopotential height for richer flight analysis.
Coverage and forecast range
- Geography: North America (roughly 5°N–75°N, 180°W–30°W)
- Altitude: Surface through the upper stratosphere (~55 km / 0.4 hPa)
- Forecast horizon: Up to about 16 days ahead, depending on the model run
Data is refreshed as new GFS cycles are published (typically four times per day), so recent forecasts stay current without manual downloads.
Who it is for
- Balloon flight planners — launch timing, drift estimates, recovery zones
- Mission operations teams — live or pre-flight wind checks at float altitude
- Simulation and routing tools — programmatic access for trajectory software
- Weather-aware applications — embed stratospheric wind into your own product
Plans and access
Access is organized into tiers so you pay for what you need:
| Plan | Best for | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Simple wind lookups | Point queries, core wind fields |
| Pro | Deeper flight analysis | Time series, profiles, extra weather fields |
| Enterprise | Tools and automation | Bulk queries, full data access, highest rate limits |
Why use it instead of raw weather data
- Stratosphere-ready — Wind at altitudes most general weather APIs do not cover well
- Fast answers — Optimized for quick point lookups, not downloading large GRIB files
- Flexible altitude — Query in meters, feet, or pressure without converting yourself
- Built for integration — REST API with clear JSON responses for scripts, apps, and ops tools
- Transparent freshness — Every answer shows which model cycle it came from
Example use case
You are planning a balloon launch from Colorado at 30,000 m float altitude. You call the API for wind at your launch coordinates at T+6 hours, T+12 hours, and T+24 hours. You get speed and direction at each time, compare drift against your recovery constraints, and decide whether to launch or wait for the next GFS cycle. If you need the full column, you request a vertical profile at launch time to see where shear is strongest.
EdgeFlyte Wind Engine is your API for stratospheric wind—ask where, when, and how high, and get forecast wind data you can trust for balloon flight planning.