Transcript Sources of Weather Information

Sources of Weather Information
Chapter 9, Section E
Preflight Weather Sources
• Flight Service Stations - FSS can be
contacted anywhere in the USA by using
1 800 WX-BRIEF 1 800 992-7433
• Identify yourself as a pilot and provide the
following information
– VFR or IFR
– Aircraft number and type
– Departure airfield
–
–
–
–
–
Route of flight
Destination
Flight Altitude
Estimated time of departure
Estimated time enroute
Types of Briefings
• Standard is the most complete briefing and
assumes no familiarity with the weather picture
• Abbreviated is used to update weather
information when you need only one or two
specific items
• Outlook is used if you departure is six or more
hours away. You should update with a standard
or abbreviated briefing closer to flight time
TIBS
• Telephone information briefing service
allows you to get recorded weather
information
• It is designed to be a preliminary briefing
tool. It is not intended to replace a standard
briefing
DUATS
• Direct User Access Terminal System allows
pilots with current medical certificates to
receive weather and file flight plans with a
personal computer and modem
• If you have any question, you should
contact a live briefer to help you interpret
the raw data and to advise you on how or
whether to complete a flight
DUATS
• DTC Duats
– http://www.duat.com
– 1 800 245-3828
• DynCorp
– http://www.duats.com
– 1 800 767-9989
In-Flight Weather Sources
• Airmets - WA - Airmans meteorological
information are forecasts for a maximum of
a six hour period
• Sierra for IFR conditions
• Tango for turbulence
• Zulu for icing and freezing levels
SIGMETs
• Significant meteorological information WS –
–
–
–
Severe Icing
Severe and extreme turbulence
Volcanic eruptions
Duststorms, sandstorms or volcanic ash
lowering visibility to less than three miles
Convective SIGMETs
• Imply severe or greater turbulence, severe
icing and low level wind shear
• Contain either an observation and a forecast
or just a forecast for tornadoes, significant
thunderstorm activity or hail 3/4 inch or
greater in diameter
Enroute Flight Advisory Service
• Flight Watch is available daily from 6 AM
to 10 PM when flying between 5,000 AGL
and 17,500 MSL any where in the US
• Contact on 122.0 with your aircraft ID,
ARTCC facility identification and name of
the nearest VOR
Center Weather Advisory CWA
• Issued by ARTCC to alert pilots of existing
or anticipated adverse weather conditions
• May be issued prior to an AIRMET or
SIGMET as a result of PIREPs
HIWAS
• Hazardous in-flight weather advisory service
is a continuous broadcast of in-flight weather
advisories over selected VORs or SIGMETs,
convective SIGMETs, AIRMETs, severe
weather warming alerts AWW, and Center
weather advisories CWAs.
AWOS
• Automated Weather Observing System was
the first widely installed automated weather
data gathering system
• AWOS reports at fixed intervals and cannot
issue special reports like ASOS does
ASOS
• Automated surface observation system are
becoming the primary weather observing
system in the United States
• Can be reached by telephone or by
monitoring an ASOS frequency
• It provides information for ATIS