NWKRAFT is the memory aid student pilots use for 14 CFR 91.103, Preflight Action, which requires the pilot in command to become familiar with all available information concerning a flight before it begins. The letters stand for NOTAMs, Weather reports and forecasts, Known traffic delays, Runway lengths, Alternatives, Fuel requirements, and Takeoff and landing distances. Runway lengths and takeoff and landing distance data are required for every flight, while weather, fuel, alternatives and known ATC delays are spelled out for IFR flights and flights not in the vicinity of an airport.
NWKRAFT is one of the core aviation memory aids for the oral exam. It pairs with ARROW (aircraft documents) and AV1ATES (required inspections).
What 14 CFR 91.103 actually says
The rule is short. Its first sentence applies to every flight: each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. Paragraph (a) then lists weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed, and any known traffic delays of which the pilot in command has been advised by ATC, for a flight under IFR or a flight not in the vicinity of an airport. Paragraph (b) requires, for any flight, runway lengths at airports of intended use and takeoff and landing distance information.
Read the full text of 14 CFR 91.103 on the eCFR. Two details surprise students. First, the word NOTAM does not appear in the regulation; the N is an instructor’s addition. The FAA closes that gap itself: AIM 5-1-3 says 91.103 directs pilots to become familiar with all available information concerning a planned flight, including NOTAMs. Second, “vicinity of an airport” is not defined in 14 CFR 1.1, so the safe habit, and the one examiners expect, is to brief every letter before every flight.
| Letter | Item | Where it comes from | Required for |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | NOTAMs, including TFRs | Opening sentence, per AIM 5-1-3 | Every flight |
| W | Weather reports and forecasts | 91.103(a) | IFR, or not in the vicinity of an airport |
| K | Known traffic delays advised by ATC | 91.103(a) | IFR, or not in the vicinity of an airport |
| R | Runway lengths at airports of intended use | 91.103(b) | Every flight |
| A | Alternatives if the flight cannot be completed | 91.103(a) | IFR, or not in the vicinity of an airport |
| F | Fuel requirements | 91.103(a), with minimums in 91.151 (VFR) and 91.167 (IFR) | IFR, or not in the vicinity of an airport |
| T | Takeoff and landing distance data | 91.103(b)(1) and (b)(2) | Every flight |
Each letter, and where to find it
N: NOTAMs
Notices to Airmen carry time-critical information that is temporary or not yet on the charts: closed runways and taxiways, inoperative navaids and lighting, airspace activity, and temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), which are issued as Flight Data Center NOTAMs. Some FAA documents, including the current private pilot ACS, say Notice to Air Missions; the abbreviation is the same. Check NOTAMs for your departure, destination, alternates and route through Flight Service (1800wxbrief.com or 1-800-WX-BRIEF), the FAA’s NOTAM Search website or a flight planning app. AIM 5-1-1 notes that you can get a regulatory compliant briefing without contacting Flight Service.
W: Weather reports and forecasts
Get current reports (METARs and pilot reports), forecasts (TAFs, the Graphical Forecasts for Aviation and winds aloft) and advisories (AIRMETs, SIGMETs and convective SIGMETs) for the departure, route, destination and alternates. The FAA’s AC 91-92, Pilot’s Guide to a Preflight Briefing, sets the order for a standard self-briefing, from adverse conditions through winds aloft, NOTAMs and ATC delays. If decoding is still slow, work through our METARs and TAFs guide and compare what you find with the VFR weather minimums.
K: Known traffic delays
The rule covers delays “of which the pilot in command has been advised by ATC.” Most VFR training flights have none, but ask during your briefing and look for ATC delays and flow-control advisories, as AC 91-92 recommends. Big events change the picture: AIM 4-1-21 describes Special Traffic Management Programs, with reservations required, for events such as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
R: Runway lengths
Get runway lengths for every airport you might use from the current FAA Chart Supplement (reissued every 56 days) or the same FAA data in your electronic flight bag. In an entry such as “RWY 15-33: H4000X96,” the numbers are length and width in feet, and the H means a hard surface. The published length runs end to end and includes any displaced threshold. AIM 2-3-3 explains that a displaced threshold reduces the runway available for landing, while the pavement behind it remains available for takeoffs in either direction and landings from the opposite direction. Where declared distances are published, compare your landing distance with the LDA (landing distance available).
A: Alternatives
Know what you will do if the flight cannot be completed as planned: weather closing in, a closed runway, a sick passenger, or fuel burning faster than planned. Pick suitable airports along the route and check their runways and NOTAMs too. An alternative can also be a different route, an earlier turnaround, or not going at all, and the PAVE checklist helps you make that call.
F: Fuel requirements
Fuel planning ties 91.103 to 14 CFR 91.151. For VFR in an airplane, you may not begin a flight unless, considering wind and forecast weather, there is enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing and then, at normal cruising speed, for at least 30 minutes during the day or 45 minutes at night. IFR flights follow 91.167: fuel to the destination, then to the alternate when one is required, then 45 minutes at normal cruising speed. Use your POH fuel burn and the forecast winds, and treat the legal reserve as a floor, not a target. Our flight planning guide walks through the navigation log.
T: Takeoff and landing distances
If your airplane is required to have an approved flight manual containing takeoff and landing distance data (under 14 CFR 21.5 that includes airplanes with no flight time before March 1, 1979), you must use that data, found in Section 5, Performance, of a standard POH. Other airplanes still need reliable information that accounts for elevation, runway slope, weight, wind and temperature. Work the numbers for today’s conditions with an actual weight, then compare them with the runway you found under R. Our takeoff and landing performance and density altitude guides show how to read the charts.
How to brief NWKRAFT: a practical checklist
- Define the flight: route, altitudes, departure time and time en route.
- Weather first. If it rules the flight out, stop there.
- NOTAMs and TFRs for every airport and the route.
- Runways: lengths, displaced thresholds and declared distances from the current Chart Supplement.
- Weight and balance, then performance. Distances need a real weight, so do your weight and balance first.
- Fuel: trip fuel from the POH and winds aloft, plus the 91.151 reserve and your own margin.
- Alternatives and delays: name your diversion airports and ask about ATC delays.
- Decide: go, delay, change the plan, or cancel.
- N NOTAMs and TFRs: departure, route, destination, alternates
- W Weather reports and forecasts, including winds aloft
- K Known ATC traffic delays
- R Runway lengths, displaced thresholds, declared distances
- A Alternatives if the flight cannot be completed
- F Fuel: trip plus reserve (VFR: 30 minutes day, 45 minutes night)
- T Takeoff and landing distances for today’s weight and conditions
Two examples: a local flight and a cross-country
Pattern work at your home airport
You plan an hour of takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern. Paragraph (b) still applies, so know the runway lengths and work out takeoff and landing distances for today’s temperature, wind and weight. The opening sentence applies too: check the weather and the NOTAMs, because a runway closure, construction, or a lighting outage at your own field is exactly what NOTAMs exist to tell you. Fuel planning is quick, but confirm you have the lesson plus a reserve.
A cross-country flight
Now you plan a trip to an airport outside the local area, and all seven letters apply. Brief the weather along the route and at the destination, pick alternates you could reach, and calculate fuel. With assumed numbers: if the winds aloft and your POH give 1 hour 15 minutes en route at 8 gallons per hour, the trip burns 10 gallons, the 30-minute day reserve adds 4, and you add the POH figures for start, taxi and climb. That total is the legal floor before your personal margin. The cross-country planning guide covers the rest, and an online E6B speeds up the math.
Gear for a paper NWKRAFT briefing
What you'll need
References and tools for briefing NWKRAFT on paper; choose the Chart Supplement volume that covers your area.
How examiners test NWKRAFT
The Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C) tests preflight action in Area of Operation I. In Task D, Cross-Country Flight Planning, you must apply information from current charts, Chart Supplements and NOTAMs about airport, runway and taxiway closures (PA.I.D.S2) and understand fuel requirements, including reserve (PA.I.D.K3c). Task F, Performance and Limitations, asks you to explain the charts and data you used (PA.I.F.K1). Expect questions on what 91.103 requires, which items apply to a local flight, and where each number on your plan came from. Our oral exam guide covers that conversation, and the checkride guide covers the day itself.
Frequently asked questions
What does NWKRAFT stand for?
NWKRAFT stands for NOTAMs, Weather reports and forecasts, Known traffic delays, Runway lengths, Alternatives, Fuel requirements, and Takeoff and landing distances. It is an instructor memory aid for the preflight action rule, 14 CFR 91.103.
Does 14 CFR 91.103 apply to every flight?
Yes. Every pilot in command must become familiar with all available information concerning the flight, and every flight requires runway lengths and takeoff and landing distance information. Weather, fuel, alternatives and known ATC delays are specifically listed for IFR flights and flights not in the vicinity of an airport.
Are NOTAMs required by 91.103?
The word NOTAM does not appear in 91.103, but the FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual (paragraph 5-1-3) states that the rule’s requirement to become familiar with all available information includes NOTAMs, so check them before every flight.
How much fuel do I need for a VFR flight?
Under 14 CFR 91.151, an airplane needs enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing and then, at normal cruising speed, at least 30 more minutes during the day or 45 minutes at night, considering wind and forecast weather.
Where do I find runway lengths?
In the FAA Chart Supplement entry for each airport, which lists runway length and width in feet. The published length includes any displaced threshold, so check the runway end remarks and any declared distances for the landing distance available.