WindXplorer vs KiteCast

Flying a hot air balloon starts with a weather decision. WindXplorer brings together in a single app everything a pilot needs to make it — then to fly, and to keep a record of every flight. BEFORE THE FLIGHT — DECIDE WITH CONFIDENCE View and compare the best weather models (AROME, ICON-D2, UKMO, MET Nordic, GFS) for your launch site, hour by hour and altitude by altitude. The FlyScore distills wind, rain, CAPE, and cloud cover into a 0–100% score: your flying window at a glance, up to 14 days ahead. UNDERSTAND THE AEROLOGY The vertical sounding table and wind rose reveal speed, direction, temperature, and humidity at every altitude. Spot wind shear, pick your steering layers, anticipate your drift. SIMULATE BEFORE YOU INFLATE Plot your predicted trajectory based on your chosen altitude and duration, right on the aeronautical chart with CTR and TMA zones and restricted areas. You know where you're headed before you even lift off. DURING THE FLIGHT — STAY IN CONTROL OF YOUR TRACK Live position on an aeronautical chart, airspace you're crossing, heading, speed, variometer, distance to your planned point. Your chase crew follows you in real time. AFTER THE FLIGHT — KEEP THE RECORD The flight logbook records your flights, photos, and statistics (duration, distance, max altitude). Replay your trajectories, share your best flights, and browse the history of your club or your fleet of pilots. FLY AS A TEAM Save and share your launch sites and favorite places with your crew and your club. Built by and for balloon pilots, WindXplorer is with you from the first weather briefing to the last line of the logbook.

KiteCast is a wind forecast app built specifically for kitesurfers who ride thermic sea breezes — the reliable afternoon winds that generic weather apps consistently under-read. Most forecasts show you the gradient (synoptic) wind and miss the thermal that actually fills in on a sunny afternoon at spots like Akyaka / Gökova. KiteCast models the thermic diurnal cycle — how the breeze builds in the late morning, peaks mid-afternoon, and fades by evening — using sky clearness and solar heating, not just raw model wind. FEATURES Live wind — real-time wind speed, gusts, and direction straight from on-spot weather stations. Thermal forecast — an hour-by-hour prediction tuned for sea-breeze spots, blending live measurements into the forecast as the day develops. History — browse past wind so you can learn the patterns at your spot. Wind alerts — get a push notification when conditions are lining up for a session, so you stop refreshing all afternoon. Clean, glanceable design — a compass rose and clear knot readouts you can check in a second. Primary spot: Akyaka / Gökova, Turkey — one of the most consistent summer thermal spots in the world. More spots included. KiteCast is free, needs no account, and does not track your location. Check the wind. Grab your kite. Go ride.