IFR Weather Briefings

(6  min)

We all use AWOS and ASOS twice: When we review METARs before a flight and when we tune the weather in the air. However, both systems have critical limitations few pilots understand, and key differences that every IFR pilot should know.

(4 min)

TAFs are one of the most difficult forecasts a meteorologist can make, which means critical information for IFR pilots can be downplayed or left out. This lesson explains how to read between the lines and when SHRA or VCSH really mean TSRA.

(4 min)

Center Weather Advisories (or CWAs) fill in the gaps where there’s adverse weather, but it might not meet the criteria needed to generate a G-AIRMET or SIGMET. Find out where to find them, and why you should pay attention to what they tell you.

(5 min)

Any time strong winds cross rising terrain, there’s a potential for significant turbulence. But it’s only with the right conditions that it turns into mountain waves extending thousands of feet above the ground. Learn the two conditions needed to create mountain waves.

(5 min)

Go beyond the TAF and learn the crystal-ball tools that predict thunderstorms, precipitation, and ceilings, 72 hours or more before a flight. Use them to supplement the extended range prog charts and get a head start on your flight planning.

(7 min)

Many pilots know about tools like the MOS for airports that have no Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF), but fewer know how the MOS works, what it’s weaknesses are, and when a distant TAF is useful for planning.

(10 min)

We show you a quick way to plan a path with the least exposure to turbulence and the best options for a diversion. This is the key to departing with confidence on an IFR flight.

(9 min)

Have you ever scared yourself trying to land in seriously gusty winds? It’s no fun, especially after a long IFR flight. Discover the secret to predicting the location and timing of low-level windshear potentially lurking at your departure and destination airports.

(4 min)

A critical part of IFR planning is finding out where the actual rain showers will be, when they will happen and how severe they might become. Finding these IFR hotspots will give you a leg up planning your flight.

(6 min)

Armed with NEXRAD in the cockpit, far too many pilots will fly through areas of precipitation they should have avoided. The best hints on whether to go through or around the rain aren’t in the NEXRAD, but in other weather products discussed here.

(4 min)

There are a few key NEXRAD signatures you can’t get in the cockpit that are worth checking on the ground before you leave. They can provide a clue to unwanted weather like low-level windshear, gust fronts, strong turbulence, and even highly localized—but deadly—icing.

(6 min)

Convective precipitation usually moves in two different ways. The line of precipitation usually moves in one direction while individual cells along the line move in another. This lesson explains why and how to predict both motions all along your route.

(5 min)

The G-AIRMET is a significant improvement over the AIRMET because it lets you select different altitudes and forecast times, then lets you zoom into specific regions. Find out the best way to use this tool for more detailed planning.

(9 min)

If you’re flying IFR during the winter, your first-line tools are the icing G-AIRMET, icing SIGMETS, PIREPS and the Current and Forecast Icing Product. However, there are a few key icing signatures you can see on a Skew-T that other tools might miss.

(6 min)

No one likes to get bumped around. The secret to avoiding turbulence is to identify the conditions that cause it in the first place. Finding the best altitude for the smoothest ride is easy when you know where to look.

(9 min)

Finding clouds on the Skew-T isn’t a perfect science. It works great in some circumstances, and in others it’s utterly useless. Learn when conditions are right for the Skew-T, and how to get the most useful information from it.

(7 min)

The bases and tops of cumulus clouds are dynamic, but predicting them is essential when you need to go over, under, or between them. Here’s how to find out where they’ll be hours into the future.