The Safety Corner…

By Tim Smith

I can’t stress too much the importance of “Weather Knowledge” for your flight. Regardless of your hours of experience,  there is no excuse for a lack of weather knowledge.

You check your bank statement? You look at your loan on your home? Know just where you are at all times. Why not know the weather around you?

I was at ASI the other day and noticed they have the new weather data link that many airports have already installed. I was looking at the reports prior to my flight.  In walks a fellow pilot and asks me “How do you know that stuff?  Would  you tell me what the weather is in Charlotte, NC?”  At first I thought he was joking, but no, he was serious. Wow.  He didn’t know, and he had his IFR rating.

Weather Depiction Chart: This chart gives you a nationwide map with pressure systems, fronts, and major weather systems included. You can observe surface conditions existing at the time of the report. This chart is issued at 0100Z and three hour intervals thereafter. It’s good to see what the weather was, not what it will be.

Radar Summary Chart: These charts are also “old” with at least a 35 minutes delay and up to an hour out of date. However, it is used as a method to see the trends that could occur in your flight area.  This is also a knowledge base report, not for planning your flight.  Look at valid times on the charts, get the “Forecast Investment Prospectus” report.

Actual Time reporting: PIRPEP’s, METARS, TAF’s, Area Forecast, Winds and Temperatures aloft, Freezing level charts, AIRMET’s, SIGMET’s, Convective SIGMET’s.  These are as close to actual as you will find. Use them as a road map to successful and happy flying.

 Finally, “Information is a prediction, not a certainty. The longer it’s been since the report, the less accurate it going to be”. Call the FSS and get a weather update, compare it to your own reports, and you’ll have the best information for a great flight. If you only rely on one source you are not using safest practices.