Weather9 minute read
The Most Common METAR and TAF Misreads, From 1,200 Reports
What 800 real METARs and 400 TAFs from around the world reveal about where decoding goes wrong: CAVOK, metric visibility, inclusive MVFR boundaries and more.
Weather
Reading METARs, TAFs and forecasts, and turning them into a go or no-go decision.
Weather8 minute read
Flight Categories Explained: VFR, MVFR, IFR and LIFR
The exact ceiling and visibility thresholds for each flight category, what counts as a ceiling, how CAVOK and 9999 fit in, and why VFR does not mean go.
Weather9 minute read
How to Read a TAF: A Group-by-Group Guide
Decode a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast group by group: valid times, FM, TEMPO, PROB30 and BECMG, with a worked example and a go or no-go checklist.
Weather9 minute read
How to Read a PIREP (and How to File One)
Decode a pilot weather report field by field, the turbulence and icing intensity codes, how UA and UUA differ, and how to give a useful PIREP by radio.
Weather9 minute read
AIRMET vs SIGMET vs Convective SIGMET, Explained
What each advisory warns about, the thresholds that trigger them, how G-AIRMET snapshots relate to the text bulletin, and how to read one along your route.
Weather7 minute read
How to Read a Winds Aloft Forecast (True or Magnetic?)
Decode the FB winds aloft forecast: the 9900 code, winds over 100 knots, blank altitudes, unsigned temperatures, and true versus magnetic directions.
Weather11 minute read
How to Read a METAR, Group by Group
Decode a METAR from station identifier to remarks: wind, visibility, weather, clouds, temperature, altimeter and the RMK codes, with a worked example.