generated: '2026-09-03'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://himaxym.com/developers, https://himaxym.com/editorial-standards,
  https://himaxym.com/about, the /.well-known/api-catalog linkset, and
  openapi/flightfinder-aviation-safety-data-openapi.json. All fetched 2026-09-03.
description: >-
  How the FlightFinder Aviation Safety Data API is versioned, how its data is
  refreshed and corrected, and what it does NOT publish. The editorial lifecycle
  (source refresh, correction policy, human review) is unusually well documented for
  a provider this size; the API lifecycle (deprecation, SLA, status, changelog) is
  not documented at all.
versioning:
  scheme: URI path
  current_version: v1
  base: https://himaxym.com/api/v1/data
  spec_version: 1.0.0
  version_header: null
  policy_published: false
  note: >-
    The major version lives in the path. No versioning policy, no version negotiation
    header and no statement of what constitutes a breaking change is published.
deprecation:
  policy_published: false
  sunset_header: false
  deprecation_header: false
  rfc8594: false
  deprecated_operations: []
  note: >-
    No RFC 8594 Sunset/Deprecation headers were observed on any live response, no
    operation in the spec carries `deprecated: true`, and no deprecation policy page
    exists. The only forward-looking removal statement found anywhere is the 401
    message on ?api_key=, which says query-string keys are "no longer supported" —
    evidence that a breaking change has already been shipped without a published
    policy.
status_page:
  published: false
  health_endpoint: https://himaxym.com/api/v1/data/ping
  health_response: '{"ok":true}'
  declared_in: >-
    /.well-known/api-catalog — the RFC 9727 linkset declares
    status -> https://himaxym.com/api/v1/data/ping
  note: >-
    There is a machine health check and the provider correctly declares it under the
    IANA `status` link relation, but there is NO incident/status page (no
    status.himaxym.com, /status returns 404), so no StatusPage pointer is emitted.
sla:
  published: false
  uptime_target: null
  support_response: >-
    "aims to respond within a few business days" for general enquiries
    (https://himaxym.com/contact) — an editorial commitment, not an API SLA.
  terms: >-
    "The API is read-only and provided as-is; abusive traffic and key-pooling get
    keys revoked." (https://himaxym.com/developers)
changelog:
  published: false
  note: /changelog returns 404; no dated release notes were found on any host.
data_lifecycle:
  note: >-
    Distinct from the API lifecycle and much better documented — this is the refresh
    cadence of the corpus behind the API.
  source: https://himaxym.com/about
  refresh:
  - source: Aviation Safety Network + B3A (via Wikidata)
    covers: Worldwide accidents and hull losses
    cadence: weekly
  - source: NTSB CAROL
    covers: U.S. official investigations
    cadence: daily
  - source: Turbulence model (GFS winds -> Ellrod index)
    covers: En-route turbulence forecast
    cadence: every 6 hours
  - source: FAA and other national authorities
    covers: Hazard registers, airworthiness directives, regional records
    cadence: varies by authority
  correction_policy:
    url: https://himaxym.com/contact
    process: >-
      Corrections are verified against the upstream authority before the database is
      changed; FlightFinder does not alter dates, aircraft types, operators or
      casualty figures in conflict with the official record.
  editorial_review:
    url: https://himaxym.com/editorial-standards
    process: >-
      Machine-generated summaries are constrained to source records and reviewed
      before being marked indexable; where a summary conflicts with the official
      report, the official report wins and the summary is corrected or suppressed.
  ai_content_policy: https://himaxym.com/ai-content-policy
findings:
- >-
  The site's own schema.org Organization JSON-LD lists
  https://github.com/disclaimer8/flightfinder under sameAs, but that repository
  returns HTTP 404 (the user account disclaimer8 exists; the repo does not or is
  private). No GitHubOrganization pointer is emitted for that reason.
- >-
  A breaking auth change (?api_key= removal) shipped with no deprecation policy,
  no Sunset header and no changelog entry — the only trace is the error message.