Data Sources
AviationDepth uses official FAA Civil Aviation Registry bulk data, updated weekly. The data is publicly available and published by the FAA as part of its open government initiative.
The primary data source. Contains two files: PILOT_BASIC.csv (one record per airman with address and medical information) and PILOT_CERT.csv (one record per certificate held, with ratings and type ratings). NONPILOT_BASIC.csv and NONPILOT_CERT.csv cover non-pilot certificate holders such as mechanics and dispatchers.
The FAA updates the airmen certification database weekly (typically on Sundays). AviationDepth ingests these updates automatically.
Airmen may opt out of having their address information included in the public release. In such cases, name and certificate data are still published, but address fields are blank. This is an FAA policy, not a AviationDepth limitation.