What’s New on AviationRef
A record of what has changed since the site launched in November 2025
March 2026
Weather, navigation and approach pages
- Added a weather section built around the Aviation Weather hub, with separate pages on cloud types, icing, turbulence, and SIGMET and AIRMET decoding.
- Navigation pages followed: VOR, NDB, GPS and GNSS, magnetic variation, and dead reckoning with worked examples.
- Approach reference: ILS, RNAV, visual approaches, and approach minimums (the DA and MDA distinction trips up a lot of people, so it has its own section).
- The PPL Ground School guide was expanded to eight theory sections with 40 practice questions.
February 2026
Interactive tools
- METAR decoder. Paste a raw METAR and it is broken down group by group.
- ICAO alphabet trainer, with five practice modes and score tracking.
- Flight calculators for fuel, ETA, wind component and density altitude.
- Emergency tools: a MAYDAY call builder, a lost communications decision tree, and a squawk code quiz.
- The airspace classification page gained a side-by-side comparison table and an altitude diagram.
January 2026
Glossary search and smaller additions
- Instant search on the aviation glossary, which now filters as you type across more than 200 terms.
- A Term of the Day box on the homepage.
- A printable V-speeds card with licence-level badges, plus FAQ structured data on the main reference pages.
December 2025
Navigation and structure
- Added the Start Here pathway for readers who do not know which subject to begin with, and a Related Pages block at the foot of every content page.
- Long pages got an on-page table of contents and anchor links, so a section can be linked to directly.
- Schema markup was added across the site to describe what each page is.
November 2025
Site launch
- AviationRef went live with its first reference pages: the ICAO alphabet, METAR decoding, ATC phraseology, airspace classes, emergency procedures, squawk codes, V-speeds and the glossary.
- Cookie consent, the privacy policy and the Do Not Sell My Info page were in place from day one.
- Web app manifest and icons added so the site can be saved to a phone home screen.
On the List
Weight & Balance Calculator
A W&B tool for common GA types.
CPL and ATPL Theory
Ground school sections beyond PPL level.
Audio Pronunciation
Spoken audio for each ICAO alphabet letter.
Airport METAR Lookup
Live METAR retrieval by ICAO code.
Design and Accessibility
Navigation clean-up and accessibility fixes.