Weather Hazards, Reports, and Forecasts

Objective:

Familiarize the student with how to obtain weather resources. Be able to recognize significant weather hazards, interpret and analyze reports and forecasts. Attain competence to make a wise informed go/no-go decision.

Attention:

“It could happen to YOU!” Thunderstorms eat airplanes and spit them out without mercy. Know the what, when, where, and how long hazards last. “It’s far better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than in the air praying you were safely on the ground”

Motivation:

Familiarizing yourself with all the possible hazards of weather to aircraft will aid in critical decision-making, especially a go/no-go decision. Inability to interpret and analyze reports and forecasts provides no advantage over not checking the weather.

Overview:

Review possible weather hazards to aircraft. Emphasize the go/no-go decision and its importance along with attaining a weather briefing from the flight service station. Review how to get weather information in the air, and precautions to take if conditions are different than expected.


Log Ground Training:

  • 61.105(b)(6) Recognition of critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, windshear avoidance, and the procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts;

Development:

General behavior of weather

  • Fronts—movement of air masses
  1. Warm
  2. Cold
  3. High pressure
  4. Low pressure
  • Stability vs. instability

Log on to Aviationweather.gov and direct the student to navigate through the following pages while explaining their use and significance; also differentiate between reports and forecasts.  Use as if you were about to go on a cross-country flight.

  • Reports
  1. METARS—aviation routine weather report
  2. Surface analysis chart—see java tool also
  3. Radar summary chart
  4. Winds and temperature aloft chart
  5. AWOS, ASOS and ATIS reports
  • AWOS/ASOS: Automated Weather /Surface Observing Systems
  • ATIS: Automatic Terminal Information Service
  1. PIREPS—pilot weather reports
  • Forecasts
  1. TAF—Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
  2. FA—Area Forecast
  3. Significant weather prognostic charts
  4. Convective outlook chart
  • ARTCC—Air Route Traffic Control Center

In-Flight weather advisories

  • En Route Flight Advisory Service (EFAS) aka Flight Watch
  1. Provides current weather information along the route of flight; flight advisories tailored to the type of flight, route, and cruising altitude.
  2. Available from 6a.m. to 10p.m. anywhere in the conterminous USA and Puerto Rico between 5,000 feet AGL and 17,500 feet MSL
  3. Contact flight watch on 122.0 MHz
  • Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory (HIWAS)
  1. Broadcast of hazardous weather information continuourly over selected navigation aids (NAVAIDs)
  2. Includes AIRMETS, SIGMETS, convective SIGMETS, an d urgent PIREPs.
  3. Contains summaries only—contact FSS for detailed information.
  4. Symbol in upper right right-side of a NAVAID box “H” in blue circle

Weather hazards to flight

  • Squall line
  • Tornadoes
  • Turbulence
  • Icing
  • Hail
  • Lightning
  • Ceilings
  • Visibility
  • Thunderstorms
  • Wind shear

Weather Briefing

  • FSS—Flight Service Station
  1. Advantages
  2. Disadvantages
  3. Importance of getting a weather briefing

Go/No-Go Decision

  • Unforecasted weather
  1. Deteriorating weather conditions create fewer choices
  • Aircraft Limitations
  1. Cross-wind landings
  2. Instruments
  • Personal Limitations
  1. Time in type
  2. Instrument rating
  3. Get-there-it is
  4. Time restraints
  5. Personal or social pressures

 

Conclusion and Evaluation:

It is not only important to know how to attain and interpret weather information, but more importantly how to make an informed decision as to whether it is wise to be in the air in those conditions.