DRN Weather

• 1) Aeronautical Charts (Sectional Charts)
• 2) Chart Supplement U.S.
•    - Airport / Facility Directory
•    - most comprehensive airport information
• 3) NOTAM - Notices to Airmen
• 4) ATIS - Automated Terminal Information Service
•    - provides current recording of the local weather information

Chart Supplement U.S.

Standard Briefing

Abbreviated Weather Briefing

Outlook Briefing

to provide with complete weather overview

to provide information to supplement other electronically acquired weather data

used whenever the purposed time of departure is 6 or more hours

Private Airports

Military/Federal Government airports

Civil Airports

• Civil Airports
• Military/Federal Government airports
• Private Airports

Variation

• 
• 

- angle between true north (TN) and magnetic north (MN)

• East - West          
• meridians
• 

• North - South          
• parallels
• 

Latitude

The degrees of latitude North and South of the Equator

Longitude

The degrees of longitude East and West of Prime Meridian

• Latitude
• parallels

• Longitude
• meridians

• Latitude         
• North - South

• Longitude         
• East - West

46° 54'N, 98° 36'W

• .9 x 60 = 54
• .6 x 60 = 36

• 1) West Longitude
• 2) North Latitude

1) 41° 6' N Latitude

2) 69° 33' W Longitude

3) 40° 58' N Latitude

4) 70° 12' W Longitude

Plans always take off and land into the wind (upwind - opposite prominent wind direction)

Runways are usually aligned with prominent wind direction (opposite)

– same direction as Runway (opposite prominent wind direction)

– opposite direction to Runway (same direction as prominent wind)

• – all planes will be taking off and landing toward the North (upwind - opposite prominent wind direction)
• 

• Runways are numbered based upon the direction the pilots are landing
• 

W

NE

NW

• E
• 

• W
• 

SE

S

SW

Runway 04

Runway 22

• - midfield left – runway is on the plane’s left
• - downwind to RWY 13 – plane is going opposite (downwind) direction to Runway 13 (NW 310 (180+130)), but parallel
• - plane is East relative to runway
• Answer - A
• 

• - aircraft is West to runway 360 (N)
• - aircraft is flying South (opposite to landing)
• - aircraft is going to land in Northern
• 

Crosswind

Entry

Downwind

Base

Final

Departure

• Chart Supplement
• 

• Chart Supplement 
• - provides most comprehensive information on a given airport

• Does not exist in real world                      
• Contains Maintenance schedule, how to care for batteries…

Manufacture supposes to provide in User Manual (if not, make one for yourself)

www.faa.gov/air

• - provides most comprehensive information on a given airport
• - available digitally at www.faa.gov/air
• 

Provides weather information from Flight Service

1800wxbrief.com

- Passage of flocks of birds through airspace

Surface Aviation Weather Observations

Surface Aviation Weather Observations

• - compilation of elements of the current weather at individual ground stations across the United States
•    - provide local weather conditions and other relevant information for a specific airport

• - to give accurate depictions of current weather condition
• - there are 2 types of Aviation Weather Report
•    1) METAR
•    2) SPECI- at any time b/w routine METAR

METAR - Meteorological Aviation Report

• Special METAR Report
•    - at any time b/w routine METAR

Meteorological Aviation Report – current weather information

- observation of current surface weather reported in a standard international format issued once every hour

TAF - Terminal Airdrome Forecast (not current)

- station identifier (K + unique airport code JFK = KJFK)

• - Alaska begins with letters PA + airport code
• - Hawaii begins with letters PH + airport code

• - 16 day of the current month 17:53 Zulu or UTC Time
• - Z - (UTC time – Coordinated Universal Time)

• Modifier
• - report came from an automated source

• Modifier
• - corrected report

• - Wind
• - 140° (SE) - true direction, not magnetic
•       - or + VRB – Variable wind
• - 21 – wind speed – 21 knots
• - G26 – gusting to 26 knots
• - KT – knots

Variable wind SE 21 knots gusting to 26 knots

• - Visibility
•     - 3/4SM = ¾ of a Statue Mile
•                or
•     - 1 1/2SM = 1½ of a Statue Mile

• - in the airport Vicinity (соседство)
• - 5-10 miles from airport

• + (Heavy)
• - (Light)
• TS - Thunderstorm
• RA - Rain
• BR - Mist

Shallow

Patches (broken clouds)

cumulonimbus clouds

Low Drifting

Blowing

Showers

Thunderstorms

Freezing

Partial

drizzle

rain

snow

snow grains

ice

ice pellets (шарик)

hail (град)

small hail or pellets

unknown precipitation

• mist (лёгкий туман)
•    - Baby Rain

fog

smoke

dust

sand

haze (дымка)

spray

volcanic ash

sand storm

dust storm

- broken clouds (5/8 – 7/8 sky covered) at 800 feet

clear (<1/8)

clear (<1/8)

few (1/8-2/8)

scattered (3/8-4/8)

broken (5/8-7/8)

Overcast (8/8)

• OVC - overcast (8/8 of sky is covered) 
• 012 - at 1,200 feet
• CB - cumulonimbus (CB) clouds

Temperature/Dew (роса) Point in °C

• Altimeter (inches of mercury ("Hg))
• 29.70" Hg

• Remark
•    - Pressure Falling

• Remark
• - Pressure Rising

• - rain began at 25 min past the hour
• - if we have 22:51, so past the hour is 22:00
• - rain began at 22:25

• Remark
•    - rain began at 25 min past the hour
•    - if we have 162251Z, rain began at 22:25

Routine METAR for Gregg County Airport for the 16th day of the month at 17:53 Z automated source. Winds are 140 (SE) at 21 knots gusting to 26. Visibility is ¾ statute mile. Thunderstorms with heavy rain and mist. Ceiling is broken at 800 feet, overcast at 1,200 feet with cumulonimbus clouds. Temperature 18 °C and dew point 17 °C. Barometric pressure is 29.70 "Hg and falling rapidly.

16th day of the month, at 17:53Z

11th day of the month, at 11:30Z

• Terminal Airdrome Forecast (R)
•    - observed weather condition report
•    - used in the pre-flight planning stage
•    - 5 SM radius around the airport
•    - extends to 10 SM if fog or thunderstorm
•    - could be valid for 24 or 30 hours

• TAF updated 4 times a day:
•    - 0000Z - 12 a.m.
•    - 0600Z - 6 a.m.
•    - 1200Z - 12 p.m.
•    - 1800Z - 6 p.m.

Terminal Airdrome Forecast (amended)

• TAF report period valid for 24 hours
•    - from 11 day 12:00Z to 12 day 12:00Z

   - 12 p.m. of 11 - 12 p.m. of 12 = 24 hours

• TAF report period valid for 30 hours
•    - from 12 day 18:00Z to 13 day 24:00Z

•    - 6 p.m. of 12 - 12 p.m. of 13
•         - 6 p.m. of 12 - 12 p.m. of 12 = 6 hours
•         - 12 p.m. of 12 - 12 p.m. of 13 = 24 hours
•              - Total = 30 hours

• Probability part of TAF report
•    - probability 40%
•    - from 20:00Z to 22:00Z - 2 hours period
•    - visibility 1SM
•    - thunderstorm with rain
•    - overcast at 800' with cumulonimbus clouds

• Probability part of TAF report
•    - probability 40%
•    - from 22:00Z to 2:00Z - 6 hours period

• - probability 30%
• - from 12:00Z to 14:00Z on the 11th

visibility 5 Statue Mile

visibility 5 Statue Mile haze (дымка)

• TAF report
• Forecast Change Group (less than an hour)
• from 4:00Z to 8:00Z on the 12 day

• TAF report
• Forecast Change Group (within an hour)
• from 15:00Z time

• TAF report
• Forecast Change Group (within an hour)
• from 0:00Z (midnight) on the 12 day

• TAF report
• Forecast Change Group (within an hour)
• from 4:00Z (4 a.m.) on the 12 day

wind 160° (SE) 15 knots gasping to 25 knots

visibility is greater than 6 statue miles

SCT – scattered (3/8 – 4/8 sky cover) at 4,000 feet

BKN - broken (5/8 – 7/8) sky covered) at 25,000 feet

few clouds at 5,500'

wind 140° (SE) 12 knots

BKN – broken (5/8 – 7/8) sky covered) at 8,000 feet

OVC – overcast (8/8) sky covered) at 15,000 feet

• TAF report (followed by PROB or TEMPO)
•    - from 0:00Z to 4:00Z on the 12th

• TS (thunderstorm)
• RA (rain)

BKN – broken (5/8 – 7/8) sky covered) at 3,000 feet with CB (cumulonimbus clouds)

wind 140° (SE) 8 knots

overcast (8/8) sky covered) at 8,000 feet

• TAF report (followed by PROB or TEMPO)
•    - from 4:00Z to 8:00Z on the 12th

OVC – overcast (8/8) sky covered) at 3,000 feet with CB (cumulonimbus clouds)

End of the TAF report

• altitude
• temperature
• humidity

Density is directly proportional to pressure (at a constant temperature)

• Pressure ↑
• Density ↑

(at a constant pressure)

• Temperature ↑
• Density ↓

to continue - page 30

• Humidity ↑
• Density ↓

• Humidity alone is usually not considered an essential factor in calculating density altitude and aircraft performance; however, it does contribute